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The City of St. Augustine Beach has areas that are considered special flood hazard areas that require all buildings to be constructed at, or above, the base flood elevation. The zones are AT, AE, and VE.
A Zones
These flood zones are areas where rising waters can cause flooding problems if the lowest habitable floor of the building is not built at, or above, the base flood elevation. Enclosed areas below the base flood elevation must have proper openings sized to allow flood waters to flow into and out of these areas without causing any obstructions.
V Zones
These flood zones are considered high hazard zones because they not only have rising waters, but also have the velocity of the water to consider. This velocity can erode foundations and cause structural damage to the building. Enclosed areas below the base flood elevation are not allowed enless the walls are built as breakaway walls, and the area is not used as a habitable area. These breakaway walls are designed to collapse under the pressure of the water so the water can readily flow under the building without causing any erosion or structural damage.
All new construction and additions in these special flood hazard areas must comply with the special flood hazard requirements required by the Federal Emergency management Agency. Remodeling projects whose costs exceed 50 percent of the existing value of the structure must also comply with the flood damage control requirements.These requirements can be found in Sec. 5.03.00 and Article VII of the Land Development Regulations.
The City of St. Augustine Beach participates in the National Flood Insurance Program Community Rating System, and is rated a Class 8 community. This allows any citizen who purchases a flood insurance policy to receive a ten percent reduction on the cost of the policy.
As part of our participation, we identify the special flood hazard areas, provide flood zone and elevation information.
For more information on the Flood Damage Control requirements, please call:
Flood Damage Control Administrator. . . . . . . . . . .904-471-8758