Section 1612 (Flood Loads) of the 2010 Florida Building Code (FBC) incorporate new, more stringent floodplain management (“FEMA”) design criteria for construction in coastal areas such as barrier islands and bayfront properties. These affect high flood velocity areas and COASTAL A ZONES, which are special A zones immediately landward of V zones defined by a specific range of wave heights. COASTAL A ZONE design criteria are specific to structure type and design, and apply to new construction, substantial improvements, and additions to existing structures

• Basement construction and dry floodproofing are prohibited in areas with predicted storm/flood water flow velocities greater than 5 feet per second? This would effectively eliminate ground-floor retail, finished lobbies and other uses on the ground floor of commercial/mixed-use structures in many coastal/waterfront areas.
  
  
• Basement construction and dry floodproofing are prohibited in areas with predicted storm/flood water flow velocities greater than 5 feet per second? This would effectively eliminate ground-floor retail, finished lobbies and other uses on the ground floor of commercial/mixed-use structures in many coastal/waterfront areas.

A SITE-SPECIFIC COASTAL A ZONE ANALYSIS by a QUALIFIED COASTAL ENGINEER can often demonstrate that a STRUCTURE PROPOSED IN A POTENTIAL COASTAL A ZONE DOES NOT HAVE TO BE BUILT TO THESE LIMITING DESIGN STANDARDS.