Fort Myers Beach Manager could give trailer owners more time past September deadline
“Many of our residents still are in a position of hardship,” Town of Fort Myers Beach Manager Will McKannay said on Thursday as he explained why the town would be seeking to give residents and some businessowners some more time to be given permits for temporary trailers on their properties.
Homeowners still trying to rebuild their homes while awaiting insurance payouts, while businessowners in similar situations since Hurricane Ian are the reasons McKannay said the town will be looking to grant extensions for temporary trailers.
McKannay said a resolution will be put together before the next town council meeting on Monday, Aug. 18 to allow the town to go beyond the Aug. 8 deadline set by FEMA and past the Sept. 23 deadline the town had set to be in accordance with the state extension for the trailers.
Those trailers would have to be able to be towable, road-ready and able to be pulled by a light-duty truck, with a quick disconnect from utilities. A four-hour evacuation plan will also be required.
Town counsel Nancy Stuparich said the town’s extensions would be on a case-by-case basis upon request to the Town Manager. McKannay would be able to sign off on the extensions. In the case of a denial by McKannay, a property owner could appeal to the town council.
The town had been notified by FEMA last month that it had until Aug. 8 to comply with requests for information on permits and to remove non-compliant structures as part of a list of 252 properties it said required further documentation and mitigation.
The notification followed a site visit by FEMA officials as part of its review to remove the town from probation and get the town back into the National Flood Insurance Program. Under the terms of an agreement earlier this year, the town could be taken off probation in November if it complies with certain terms and meets objectives set by FEMA. The town could potentially be back in line to receive its 25% National Flood Insurance Program discount that it lost last year by next April.
Stuparich said that the recent communications from FEMA does not mention anything about RV’s or residential uses for trailers, only “non-compliant structures.” Stuparich said that the town code does allow for RV’s that can be towed under the circumstances being drafted by McKannay.
Stuparich said the trailers in the town will need to be compliant with FEMA code.
Mayor Dan Allers said his frustration was over the understanding of what the town considers a non-compliant structure or what FEMA considers to be non-compliant. Allers said the definition “has changed.”
McKannay said the town’s understanding of what is considered non-compliant by FEMA is based on the list of the 252 properties cited by FEMA. As of last month, there were more than 100 trailers on Fort Myers Beach properties.
Allers said the use of RV’s and trailers on properties after Hurricane Ian led to storage containers being placed on site and other equipment not allowed by code.
That led to the town issuing numerous citations against property owners for storage containers on site last year in order for the town to meet FEMA demands related to the town being put on probation for permitless work.
The town had announced in recent weeks that the Sept. 23 deadline would be a hard one in order to comply with a state law before the change announced at Thursday’s management and planning session. The council will still have to approve the new ordinance after it is finalized by town staff before Monday’s meeting.
Stuparich said the town can not prohibit a residential use of the trailers before Sept. 23 but once the state law expires Sept. 23, the town can expand its uses for the trailers, Stuparich said.
Allers expressed concern about whether the town would face new repercussions from FEMA if it began issuing new permits for temporary structures.
Town of Fort Myers Beach Councilmember Scott Safford said the issues with FEMA over the temporary structures had created “uncertainty” among businesses currently operating out of trailers. Safford rents out property to The Goodz, which has been operating a hardware store, gift shop and ice cream shop out of trailers across the street from where his business stood before it was destroyed by Hurricane Ian. The owner has been working on plans for rebuilding.
“It’s the unknown, it’s the not-knowing that is driving everybody crazy,” Safford said. “It’s the uncertainty that is weighing on everybody.”
To reach Nathan Mayberg, please email nmayberg@breezenewspapers.com