Bradenton, FL Hurricane Preparedness: Flood Elevation (2026)

Two provisions of Appendix A, the Floodplain Management Ordinance in the Bradenton Code of Ordinances, decide how high a structure has to sit in a storm surge or flood event.

Section 304.4 handles manufactured homes. Every manufactured home placed, replaced or substantially improved in a flood hazard area has to be elevated so the bottom of the frame is at or above the elevation the Florida Building Code, Residential, requires: Section R322.2 for Zone A or Section R322.3 for Zone V and the Coastal A Zone. Section 106.1.3 then requires the owner to hand the Floodplain Administrator a certification of the lowest floor elevation once the home is placed. A substantial improvement is work costing 50 percent or more of the building's market value before the work starts, and Section 103.4 has the Floodplain Administrator compare costs to market value and notify the applicant when the flood resistant construction rules are triggered.

Section 107.7(4) covers the exception. The appropriate local board can approve a variance for a lowest floor below the required elevation only after the record holds a written notice from the Floodplain Administrator. The notice has to state the difference between the base flood elevation and the proposed floor elevation, warn that federal flood insurance cost will be commensurate with the increased risk, up to amounts as high as $25 for $100 of insurance coverage, and state that construction below the base flood elevation increases risks to life and property. That is one of four conditions in Section 107.7. The others are a showing of good and sufficient cause tied to the site, a board finding of exceptional hardship because the lot would be undevelopable, and a signed statement that the variance will be recorded in the chain of title with the Clerk of the Court. Increased costs or inconvenience do not count as hardship.