Six months after a Sarasota city commissioner asked for action, homeowners on St. Armands, Lido Key and Bird Key still cannot elevate their flood-damaged houses without running into the city's own zoning rules. Eleven neighboring Gulf Coast jurisdictions have already fixed the problem.
Henry Kahwaty, a St. Armands resident since 2012, made his third appearance before the Sarasota City Commission on Monday, Aug. 3, to lay out the case. This time he brought a legal memo from Sarasota law firm Williams Parker, dated July 9, documenting how the city's setback restrictions, daylight-plane height limits and lot-coverage caps block homeowners from doing exactly what FEMA grants pay for: lifting houses above flood level.
Kahwaty told commissioners he had asked Williams Parker to survey jurisdictions along the Florida west coast and found 11 that have made zoning text amendments since Hurricanes Helene and Milton to facilitate home elevation, according to LBK News. Sarasota is not among them.
The full memo, with roughly 200 pages of other jurisdictions' actual code amendments attached, was hand-delivered to the city's Development Services staff in July and now sits in the commission's backup packet.
No commissioner responded. Mayor Debbie Trice cut him off: "Thank you, Mr. Kahwaty. Your time has expired." The meeting moved on.
The problem, in plain terms
When a homeowner lifts a storm-damaged house onto a new elevated foundation, the taller structure can violate Sarasota's height and daylight-plane rules. Stairs, landings and wheelchair lifts can push into required setbacks. New foundations and entry structures can exceed lot-coverage limits. A homeowner doing what federal flood policy encourages finds the city's zoning code in the way.
Kahwaty first raised the issue Feb. 2 during citizens' input. Commissioner Liz Alpert asked City Manager Karie Friling to investigate. Six months later, home-elevation zoning relief has not appeared on a single commission agenda. The city manager's office has not publicly addressed the status of Alpert's request.
Longboat Key already moving
Kahwaty pointed commissioners to a five-page memo from Longboat Key Planning, Zoning and Building Director Allen Parsons documenting the same barriers for 30 Longboat Key homeowners trying to elevate. The Longboat Key Town Commission held a workshop June 22 and directed staff to develop recommendations.
Sarasota has taken no comparable step.
What's at stake
The barrier-island neighborhoods contain thousands of older, ground-level homes built before modern flood maps. St. Armands Circle flooded three times in 2024 during Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton. FEMA's Flood Mitigation Assistance program offered up to $600 million for structure elevation and other projects to reduce repetitive flood damage to federally insured buildings. The application deadline for the most recent cycle passed Aug. 6.
Because Kahwaty spoke during citizens' input rather than on an agenda item, no commission action was possible at the Monday, Aug. 3, meeting. The next regular commission meeting date has not been publicly posted. Residents can monitor agendas at sarasotafl.gov.
