Just when you thought there was a clear path to the resort opening, another bump in the road pops up. This latest delay is being blamed on a miscommunication and it could delay the Margaritaville opening by several months.
It all has to do with the restroom facility by the resort’s pool. The old Cigar Hut building, which TPI originally planned to save, was heavily damaged by Hurricane Ian. After the storm, the building had to come down because repairs could not be made under FEMA’s 50% rule. Town Manager Andy Hyatt tells Beach Talk Radio News, “The bathhouse project was started without a permit. Staff is working with the contractor to get the project back on track.”
TPI issued a statement to BTRN stating the work was started after a miscommunication with the town. “The stop work order centers around a miscommunication between TPI’s architect and engineer and the Town’s building department. TPI thought we were given the all clear to wet-flood-proof the restroom replacement building. The Town is requiring the replacement building to be dry-flood-proofed. TPI agreed this week to retrofit work to date on the replacement building to meet dry-flood-proofing requirements. Both solutions leave the replacement restroom building down at grade level in the same location of the previous building.”
The Stop Work Order will cause a delay in the resort opening, which was planned for around November of this year. While TPI is working on a revised opening date, the delay, which requires TPI to start back at the design phase for the bathhouse, could be several months.
Since making their original proposal to the town years ago, The TPI resort project has been delayed multiple times. The project had to be revised several times when the community objected to its original size, there were lawsuits to try to stop construction, then COVID and Hurricane Ian got in the way. Many in the community are anticipating Margaritaville opening which will start to bring tourists and visitors back to the beach that was beaten and battered by the September 28, 2022 storm.
I would think wet proofing is better. The town further holding up a project like this WHILE allowing a seawall to be built into the Gulf of Mexico at Leonardo Arms – killing access to beach walkers – merits further investigation. There is something very wrong here.
I am trying to figure the logic of insisting on “dry flood proofing” for restrooms? There must be a reason.
You think this is bad wait until a lost turtle enters the site.
As a homeowner trying to rebuild, I keep seeing these new terms that I can’t get clear specs for. Where can I find what wet-flood-proof versus dry-flood-proof is? I don’t know how people can comply when there seems to be no reliable source of truth.
It’s not quite this simple, but dry flood proofing means water is prevented from entering a structure; wet flood proofing allows water to enter.
This isn’t about “truth.” There was a miscommunication between the Town and MV’s architect/engineer on which type of flood proofing is required for the restroom facility.
Brad; wet proofing results in a solid structure at grade that will not wash away. However, it is designed for water to flow through it as its finishes are basically concrete and the water doesn’t damage them. Dry proofing creates a vault that keeps the water from getting inside, also at grade level. With dry proofing the trick is you create a bathtub so it will become buoyant as water rises. Therefore you have to pin it to the ground so it doesn’t float away.