Since Rick Loughery started living on his garage roof to protest the town’s ruling that the garage was connected to his destroyed house, the town has been taking a beating in the local press. On Thursday, the town issued a statement explaining its side of the story…
Here’s the full statement from Town of Fort Myers Beach PIO Jenny Dexter…
“Town staff met with the parties involved and communicated the available options. A new single-family home can be built with the garage connected to the new home. The home’s rebuilding must be built to current regulations, and the surviving garage portion must also be brought up to current standards (Coastal A Zone, FBC 8th Ed).
“Convert the surviving garage into a stand-alone accessory structure (storage and parking only) and build a new detached single-family home. The home would be treated as new construction, and the garage must be brought up to current accessory structure standards (Coastal A Zone, FBC 8th Ed, flood ordinance) and must meet local zoning regulations as well.
“Demolish the surviving garage and rebuild a new home with a new garage as new construction, meeting current regulations.
“This situation could impact the entire Town and its residents. Here’s how: The Town must follow floodplain regulations and building codes that govern construction throughout the State of Florida. Since the Town has agreed to be a participating community in the National Flood Insurance Program, which reduces flood insurance costs for residents and impacts mortgages, following the rules of the program is critical to maintain the Town’s good standing. Maintaining the Town’s good standing also impacts post-disaster FEMA funding.”
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