1261 Gladiola Street ZVAR26-0018 (floodplain/stormwater — occupied home, no CO)

The property at 1261 Gladiola Street sits directly on the Intracoastal Waterway floodplain, falls within the FEMA Limit of Moderate Wave Action (LIMWA) zone requiring stilt construction, and is entirely within Zone AE. Unlike the Sherry Drive case, the plans were approved during plan review, the house has already been built on stilts, and the variance was the final compliance item blocking a certificate of occupancy. When the builder excavated for the approved under-house storage area, groundwater appeared at only six inches below grade — making the required one-foot separation physically unachievable. Staff confirmed the original plan approval was likely in error. Haynie drew a sharp distinction from the Sherry Drive matter: "This is already built. These aren't plans that are wanting, you know, more than maybe should be granted, but it's already built, and it was built because it's approved." He acknowledged that denial would impose major financial hardship on owners who had done nothing outside their permits.