Chapter 26 - City of Punta Gorda

indeterminate and where velocity flow may be evident. Such flooding is characterized
by ponding or sheet flow.
Area of special flood hazard is the land in the flood plain within a community subject
to a one (1) percent or greater chance of flooding in any given year.
Base flood means the flood having a one (1) percent chance of being equaled or
exceeded in any given year (also called the “100-year flood” and the “regulatory
flood”). Base flood is the term used throughout this article.
Base flood elevation means the highest water-surface elevation associated with the
base flood plus .25 feet.
Basement means that portion of a building having its floor sub-grade (below ground
level) on all sides.
Breakaway wall means a wall that is not part of the structural support of the building
and is intended through its design and construction to collapse under specific lateral
loading forces without causing damage to the elevated portion of the building or the
supporting foundation system.
Building See Structure.
Coastal high hazard area means those portions of a coastal floodplain having special
flood hazards that are subject to the high-velocity waters, including hurricane wave
wash and tidal waves. These areas are designated on the FIRM as zone V1-V30, VE or
V.
Critical facility means a facility for which even a slight chance of flooding might be too
great. Critical facilities include, but are not limited to schools, nursing homes,
hospitals, police, fire and emergency response installations, installations which
produce, use or store hazardous materials or hazardous waste.
Development means any manmade change to improved or unimproved real estate,
including, but not limited to buildings or other structures, mining, dredging, filling,
grading, paving, excavating, drilling operations or permanent storage of materials or
equipment.
Elevated building means a non-basement building built to have the lowest floor
elevated above the ground level by means of fill, solid foundation perimeter walls,
pilings, columns (posts and piers), shear walls or breakaway walls.
Encroachment means the advance or infringement of uses, plant growth, fill,
excavation, buildings, permanent structures or development into a floodplain, which
may impede or alter the flow capacity of a floodplain.
Existing construction means any structure for which the “start of construction”
commenced before October 30, 1970.
Expansion to an existing manufactured home park, existing manufactured home
subdivision, existing mobile home park and existing mobile home subdivision means
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