Planning & Development - Regular Meeting

But it's insurance there. You know, I was paying $25,000 a year

Ready? Yes, sir. Good morning, everyone. Call this hearing to order. The proposed as a variance, I believe, by the city for kiosk out on the municipal pier. Is that correct?

That's correct, yes. And so

we'll start with the staff from the city present If you could start with that. Anyone have a motion to approve the minutes of the previous meeting? I wasn't here. Yeah, you have to have been here to move or to approve those minutes. We have a motion and a second? Motion and

a second, All

those in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Seeing none, we can move on to your Okay. Variance. Thank you, sir. So, Kevin, you want to start your presentation?

Yeah, I don't really have a presentation. This is part of the marina reconstruction. If anybody's been down that way lately, you can see it's been well underway. And this is one of the components of that. All of the boat operators down there have like little office kiosks that they sell tickets out of and manage their tours.

And it's below the base flood elevation. So, you all have been around here long enough to know that a below base flood elevation is prohibited. And so, they are asking they being the marina and the city engineer's office who is doing the project to get a variance for that, and they have a proposal to remove these kiosks, and they have the means and the staff and the equipment to do that. And so, our office, me, I have no objection to it. And so I didn't prepare anything to show, but the city does.

And they can show you what these look like and how they're going to take care of it when need be. And when we look at the construction requirements in a flood zone, the whole intent is to minimize damage and minimize the insurance claims. It's all part of the National Flood Insurance Program. And when you see that they are going to forklift these and truck them out of the way to a high ground, that intent is met. They're somewhat temporary, but they'll be there for the most part all the time.

They're quick connect on electric, and they're connected with fasteners that can be undone. And so when the storm event would occur, in would come the forklifts, flatbed trucks, and they would haul them out of there. So we have no objection to it, and so I think we'll just go on and see their presentation and see what it's all

about. Okay.

So, if Tanner, you want to come up and introduce yourself and show your slides.

Good morning, counsel. I'm Tanner Hamzowi with the City of Clearwater for the engineering department. I just wanted to recap a little bit about what Kevin said with a brief slideshow here.

Excuse me, what was your name again?

Tanner Hamzowi.

Thank you. Thank you.

Yeah. So we're we're here to present on the city of Clearwater Marina Rehabilitation until Rehabilitation of the Temporary Kiosk. And just wanted to briefly describe so this is a variance request on behalf of the city of Clearwater Marine and Aviation and the Public Works Department to request a variance for the proposed new ticket sales kiosk. This installation is for the variance of the below the design flood elevation, and the flood protection will be done by the removal under the city Clearwater's emergency plan. These temporary kiosks will be comparable size and scale to the existing, and no changes will be from the use of the existing to the proposed.

These kiosks will improve resilience in the event of a storm, and it's ideal for tidal changes or extreme wind events as we experienced in the past. This is a proposed site plan overview of where the placement of the kiosk will be. There will be 10 or 12 locations, 10 on the West side, two on the East side. It is there is a typical floor plan of each kiosk, and then there is a typical elevation view of the kiosk presented. This is just an enlarged site plan of the overview of the temporary kiosk.

Like I said, there was 10 on the west end and two the remaining two on the east end over here. This is the for the temporary kiosks, it just shows that it's in accordance with the Florida building code that they withstand the wind speeds present in the Marina. From here, I'm gonna leave it to Mike McDonald, director of Marine and Aviation, to briefly describe the evacuation plan present.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Good morning, Chairman, members of the Board. Mike McDonald, Marine and Aviation Director. As part of the Clearwater Beach Marina redevelopment, the city has adopted policy 2,001 emergency kiosk remove removal, which ensures the safe removal and relocation of all ticket sales kiosks during storm, hurricane, or flood events. This policy activates whenever the EOC declares a storm condition and when directed by the Marine and Aviation Director or Division Manager, once triggered, staff and contractors follow a detailed pre established process to disconnect power and communication lines, secure and document each kiosk for FEMA or insurance purposes, and relocate the kiosk to designated safe locations such as the future Beach Marina Parking Garage, the Downtown Parking Garage or the Clearwater Executive Airport. Secure After the all clear is issued by the EOC, kiosks are inspected, returned and any damage is documented for FEMA reimbursement.

The strategic objectives are to protect city assets, maintain rapid operational recovery and ensure compliance with FEMA and city emergency protocols. From a floodplain standpoint, the kiosks are movable, designed with quick disconnect power and anchoring systems and have no permanent attachments, making them compliant with the intent of Chapter 47 flood regulations. The city's approach eliminates flood risk entirely since the kiosk will not be present during a flooding event. In short, this policy provides both resiliency and operational continuity, ensuring charter businesses can operate safely year round while aligning with FEMA, FVC and city floodplain standards. Thank you.

Anyone have any?

That concludes our presentation.

Questions?

I was just curious of the construction of those. Are they prefab? Yes. The enlarged plane looked like it had like block, concrete block. I didn't know how

that was. Yeah, that was just siding.

Okay.

Yeah. Got it. Okay.

Yeah. No, I think most of my questions have been answered.

That's my question, too, looking at the your PowerPoint. Go back to the slide that was proposed temporary kiosk. That what you're talking about today?

Mr. Yeah. The plan showed some CMU block there.

I'm sure I

understand the intent. Guess I'm just curious

Yeah, I'm just That's my question. I'm curious, these aren't the actual

Mr. No, these are not the actual kiosks. Okay.

So Because this kiosk is 20 plus or minus 25 feet long, my next question was, how are you going get that on a forklift and on a truck?

There's actually if you can you all see the slide?

No. Not yet. Okay.

It's up there. Up

there. There There you

Okay. So actually each one of these squares, there's going to be two kiosks. So there's going to be 24 total.

Okay. So it's not going to match the picture that's on there.

Right. Yeah. No, this picture is wrong. It's this is just an example of what the kiosks look like the size wise, but those aren't the exact kiosks that

are Who

manufactures them?

I'm sorry?

Who manufactures them?

What was do you remember the name color? Yeah, it's like Marsden manufacturing.

So it's like a manufactured Correct. Home type of

It's

Well, manufacture kiosks. Well, that's fine. Yeah.

It's let's go one more two more slides.

Back. Forward.

Towards the end of the document. There. So that says it's Modern Fabrications. Is that what that

is? Mardan.

M a r d a n, Mardan Yeah. Fabrications?

Yeah.

The model number on here, is this just an example for the

This might be an example because, you know, they get these they get these permitted by the state of Florida before they send them out. So I don't know if this is the exact permit for the kiosk that we chose or if this is just an example.

Well, was curious. And I asked the question because the model number doesn't appear on their website.

Okay. Then it's probably an example. Or it's an older kiosk that they no longer

Because most of the ones they had are on there, like, for parking Uh-huh. Kiosk Correct. Ticket Yep. Kiosk in their aluminum manufactured Yep.

Correct. And they're

on a skid.

And I'm pretty they're 10 by nine is what they are, but I'll get the exact measurements, and I can get that back over to Kevin, and Kevin can fill you in.

Okay. Because like I said, I was just curious how you're going get a 25 foot long kiosk.

No, they're not 25 feet long. Now the space, there's going to be two kiosks per slab, one for each business.

So this is from their submittal.

Okay.

That they actually submitted for the

Yeah, their website has a big to do about hurricanes, and it's designed to be in this type of environment, and it's portable, but I was having trouble getting it up. The pictures on the website to match up with the pictures here that matched up with the drawing.

Yes, sometimes with the Florida Building Code approvals on their NOAs, they just have one model number there, but it encompasses other models as well, so when you have a stamp here, it might say one model or approval, but it also encompasses other models.

Okay, so just so the board's clear, these drawings are just examples, it's not the exact

said that there's 10 by nine. Said each one is 10 by nine, but there's two attached to one another?

They're not attached.

They're not attached? They're not they're still, in regards to what we're saying, is that when they go to get on a flatbed and they're picked up, they're picking up a 10x9 and putting that on

Yeah. They're going look more like this Right. Less the block. Is that block going to be on there?

No. No?

Okay. So it's going to it's skid down there?

Yeah. But what your question was was

This is

It's 10 by nine, but he said that they were two together, so if there's two together, do they separate them when they haul them off?

I think you had another slide that showed two of them side by side, right? And then they're divided down the middle, I think.

Yeah, but do they separate them when they transport? Transport?

No, think it's one building on the bottom left, the floor plan, and those are two. Yeah, which that floor plan depicts is not concurrent with what the picture Right, exactly. But

what we're saying is the one on the left does not fit on a flatbed. They would have to be separated

to do Correct. They were attached.

If they were attached.

Right. But

you said there were two together.

They're going to be sitting next to each other.

Just sitting next to each other.

So I think the design intent was to make them look more substantial so they don't look like a bunch of prefab. So you kind of butt them up against one another, but then you can separate them to lift them in an emergency.

Okay. If all goes well, what's your timeframe?

They start getting delivered January, December as the delivery date.

And is there any plumbing or just electrical? Just electric. No water.

And there'll be communication lines.

What happened last year during the storm to the kiosks?

We didn't have them. The individual tenants had their own kiosks on there. Some of them, I think a couple of them moved them out. Some of them weren't affected and others were a total loss.

So previously they were private kiosks, and now these are gonna be city owned? Correct. Does the city get rent for these?

Yes, they will. Okay.

And it has a package AC unit on the top?

Correct.

Okay, any more questions? Yeah.

Just a few basic questions, so no objections or concerns from the city's building official?

No, the intent of the flood ordinances and the flood codes is to minimize the damage to any kind of structure or property. And as these won't be there in any flood event, that intent is met. So there is no objection from the office building official.

I heard you mention earlier, but just to confirm no objections or concern from the floodplain, CS floodplain manager as well.

Yes, and he is here and we can hear from him to reassure that.

And one last question, no effects to the city's CRS for this at all?

Gene can also talk about that. Gene Henry is our floodplain administrator who is stepping to the podium right now.

Morning. Morning. Gene Henry, Planning and Development. Kevin, Foot Plan Administrator. So to answer your I'll start with the CRS question first. It's not going to affect the CRS. It's not going to affect our CRS program. You know, the flood board has issued, you know, several variances and each time there has not been a condition or precedent set. With this particular situation, we did go to the state, we did ask for their information, and they obviously are not going to send any approval and disapproval or anything of that sort. They did send us information.

They said, you know, you have an instrument. The other good thing about it, and just as Kevin was identifying, these are not structures that are permanently there. The connections are quick connects, and everything that goes into them is meeting the National Flood Insurance Program, but more importantly, it's meeting our chapter 51 of the community development code, which is your floodplain management ordinance. And so everything's being met as far as the electrical and all the connections. The structures themselves don't officially fit, you know, with the code.

That's one of the reasons why we're before you, and it's not asking for any special privileges. It's just asking for a variance against one section of chapter 47, not 51, and that allows us to, you know, have something below the base flight elevation. And again, it's not fixed, it's not permanent, and none of the codes actually fit, so this variance allows us to move these temporary structures into place and not have to move them out, for instance, every one hundred and eighty days and those sorts of things. We will report this to the state, and it'll go up just as we do with all the variance requests and approvals or denials, which have been brought before you. This will be the third one in the last, you know, last year.

So hopefully I answered your question. So it's not affecting because we aren't setting a precedent as we understand. And again, the state would let us know. We do go through an audit. Your CRS coordinator, Sarah Kessler, she'll be coming up with a cycle visit within the next year to eighteen months.

Before that, more than likely, the state will come in and review all our files. But, again, this will be in their hands for review, and we've already discussed it with them. If there is something, we will be given if there was something that popped up, we would be given the opportunity to mitigate or come up with a resolution to meet their requirements, and and we can move we would obviously do that, of course. And and again, by having the variance, it's not providing something that someone else can't do. It's gonna go into the emergency plan within the city. It is a function of the city now. You know, it won't if you approve this ordinance. So is there any other questions that I

can Yes, ma'am. So something happens where you say these are quick connect and all of that kind of stuff, but some kind of event happens like the no name storm that we had back in the '90s, and we can't you can't judge in time to get these out of the way. What kind of wind force do they withstand, or are those quick connects strong enough to handle something like that?

So, yeah, good question. From the design, yes, understand and if you remember, the original ones that were brought in here were gonna be hard fixed buildings right into the, you know, the the seawall there and such. And and then the state was you know, their comments back to us is to dry flood proof those. But you are within the windborne debris area. So everything that goes in there is gonna meet ASC e seven, which is your wind, and and it's also if it had to, the 1% probability, so it's gonna meet.

As I understand, the design professional is designing those, not only meet the wind because that is part of it, but also nuisance flooding and such as well. So that does and I do remember the no name storm. Yeah. We haven't to plan for that whatsoever. I remember folks in the bay saying they just saw white stuff coming across, all of a sudden they realized it was the the bay coming into their home. Yeah. So, yeah. So it does. It's gonna meet those standards. The only standard it's not gonna meet, and it's and it's not it's not because and it's not a fixed structure, so it's it's not really it's one of those areas that falls between us why we're before you. But it it's the only standard it's not gonna meet is being at the design flood elevation.

Do these require tie downs while they're in place?

As I understand, yes. I mean, as I understand, the I design is completely mean, they're tied, they're down, they're fixed, they're going to withstand the wind cause that is a windborne debris area.

And that would be the only way we could approve it and when it comes through for a permit. That it meets all the wind loading and the tie downs.

And it's a question for public works and it was briefly touched on, but this and we don't know where public works staff wise will be next hurricane season, but as of now, public works feels comfortable staff wise that they have the staff to remove these that wouldn't interfere with more important tasks like generators, lift stations or anything else during that time? That will be on

our department, Marine and Aviation. And yeah, we have the staff that will be able to relocate this. And we're also looking at going out and getting a contract to have somebody on standby. We have the ability to do that in house, but it would be easier if we had a contractor that's dedicated. It would just be a lot smoother and quicker process by doing that.

So also, do you think about using a contractor possibly?

Yes, in the future, absolutely.

Get somebody with a lowboy, you can put multiples in them.

Just keep in mind a lot of those emergency contractors, when the time does come, they go where the most money is as well, right? So, if there's a city paying them more, they usually put on the back burner. Just

Absolutely. That's why you do that upfront. So you get all those contracts in place before the storm event. Correct.

And I believe the county has interlocal right now they're working on related to the They might. Yeah.

And from a public works standpoint, we could easily go grab them also.

Yeah. Just wanna make sure

it doesn't interfere with generators, load stations, more vital things. And what's the life expectancy of these structures?

Yeah.

Off the top of my head, I think it was twenty years, but I can always get

twenty twenty years years appreciation, yeah. According to the website, they're all built with aluminum.

And last question, little bit beyond the scope of what we're approved today, but it was, as the city determined a breakeven point for the cost of them versus what the rent would be from the tenants?

Yes, we've been working on that number. And we're going to we have a couple of different situations. We'll get the city management approval. We've been working through that with our controller through our department, but there is a breakeven point that we will need. Absolutely.

Thank you. Any other questions?

I think I had one. Just to clarify, I guess, the location of where they're going to be relocated to. So there are a couple that were mentioned in the documents, and I guess just understanding the selection and how they'd be secured there. Maybe you just elaborate on that a little bit.

Sure, absolutely. So, you know, we have the downtown parking garage. In the future, we're looking at building a beach marina parking garage. Those are perfect locations to store that. They're out of the wind. They're out of the rain. They're out of the flood. And there's also the Clearwater Executive Airport that will take these to a lot of the tenants take their planes. We store a lot of our equipment during storms in those hangars. So those tenants, they leave with their planes. We'll put those kiosks in those empty hangars.

So is your breakeven point projection before the twenty years?

Yes.

Okay.

Yes.

And we have to replace them?

Yes. I don't have that information in front of me, but I want to say one hundred and twenty months is one of the things that we'll have proposed.

Who's required to maintain them?

They will maintain them, be like a triple net.

Any other questions? Okay. My

apologies. This is the minimum request for variance for the flood damage control, you know, Chapter 47 or 51. So I just want to reiterate, it is the minimum, and thank you.

Thank you.

Do anyone from the public have a comment? Seeing none, move on. Any other discussion? Does someone want to make a motion? Let me suggest to you that you all use the motion for variances from standard technical codes that you'll find in your packet, as opposed to the other motions. This is a deviation from a standard technical code. So I think it's in section two of

the proposed motion that you have in front

of you. And the case is number BAA202509004.

Section. Can you

Right here. I think this is a Section two, variance from standard technical code.

Yeah, first page five. First page five.

Okay. Someone want to make the motion?

Sure. With regard to the request for a variance from the standard technical codes in case number BAA2025-nine4, Granted as granted as requested, I move by an action on the request to be within the board's authority to define the criteria set forth the code ordinance section 47.0352 are met and to grant the request based on the evidence testimony presented in the application, the staff report, and today's

hearing. Do I hear a second? Thank you. Second. Yep, speak right up into the microphone. Yeah, I second it. All right. Take a vote, please. All those in favor, say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Any opposed? Seeing none. None? All right. Unanimously passes. Sorry? Unanimously passes. It is approved. You can move on. I think you typically take director's items if there are any.

Thank you. I don't if there are

any today. Any other business?

I would like to introduce your new contact person. We have you've been all coordinating with Vicky, and Vicky is moving to a different position. And so she is being replaced by So if you can welcome Alba. And we thank Vicki for her years of help and coordination here.

Welcome. Yeah, welcome. Nice to meet you.

Also like to welcome our two new board members. Thank you all for your service and look forward to seeing you at other meetings. We don't meet that often, so it shouldn't be a big, big chore to you.

Thank you. Thank you. This is two this year.

Three? Three. Three. It's a record. Been a busy, busy year.

And a

full board. And board, that's right.

Any other business? Motion to adjourn.

Second. Second.

We have a motion and a second, so the meeting is adjourned. Sure.