Satellite Beach, FL Environmental Rules: Flood Elevation Requirements (2026)

Satellite Beach's Floodplain Management Ordinance defines base flood elevation as the elevation of the base flood, including wave height, relative to the datum shown on the Flood Insurance Rate Map. 2 requires the Floodplain Administrator to first try to obtain elevation data from a federal or state agency, or require the applicant to prepare data using accepted engineering practices. Only where no such data exists, or existing data is inadequate, may the Administrator instead specify the base flood elevation as three feet above the highest adjacent grade at the site, and only if there is no evidence flood depths could exceed three feet.

3 adds that any development in a regulatory floodway needs a Florida-licensed engineer's analysis showing no increase in base flood elevation. 1 imposes a stricter freeboard standard on critical facilities such as hospitals, fire stations, and police stations: if a feasible site outside the special flood hazard area is not available, the facility's lowest floor must be elevated to or above the 500-year floodplain elevation plus one foot, or the design flood elevation, whichever is higher, and access routes must clear the 500-year floodplain elevation as well.