As Longboat Key residents continue to raise their homes while rebuilding from the 2024 hurricanes, the town has begun to look at ways to make the process more straightforward.
“We know that water levels are continuing to be a concern, and we want to see more folks elevating,” Town Manager Howard Tipton said. “But we have certain properties, especially the smaller ones, that create some challenges when it comes to elevation.”
Elevating homes makes the island more resilient to storms, and the town outlines in its Comprehensive Plan (HOU Policy 1.3.2) that it encourages “the retrofitting of existing residential structures for storm resistance.” Houses that have been built in the last 20 years under FEMA Flood Elevation guidelines fared much better than older homes in the 2024 hurricane season, Planning, Zoning and Building Director Allen Parsons said…