City-Wide Moratorium information

Date: January 7, 2025

Edgewater, Florida – The City Council held a workshop on November 7, 2024 to discuss a possible moratorium for the City of Edgewater.  Council members came to a consensus regarding two moratoriums that could run concurrently for a period of up to one year. Two draft moratorium ordinances were drafted and reviewed by the Planning and Zoning Board at their November 13, 2024 meeting.  First readings of both ordinances were approved at the December 2, 2024 City Council meeting. The second readings of both the Florida Shores Drainage Basin Moratorium and the City-Wide Moratorium were approved at the January 6, 2025 City Council meeting.

One of the ordinances is the Florida Shores Drainage Basin Moratorium.  While the proposed one-year moratorium is in effect, the city will not accept, process, or approve any building permit which would increase impervious surface within the Florida Shores Drainage Basin. Example of impervious surfaces can include:

• New single-family homes
• Additions
• Detached garages
• Sheds
• Pools
• Driveways
• Patios

Building permits that are related to storm damage or those that have already been submitted prior to the effective date of the Ordinance will not be included in this moratorium. 

This Florida Shores Drainage Basin Moratorium will provide time for the city to review the impacts of Hurricane Ian and the storm event on September 14, 2024. During the temporary moratorium the city will repair, maintain, and improve ditches, canals, and other stormwater systems while the city awaits the completion of the master stormwater plan to make new improvements. The report is anticipated to be completed by December of 2025.

The second moratorium will be City wide.  It will be imposed on the consideration of annexations, rezoning’s, comprehensive plan amendments, site plans, preliminary plats, and final plats. Commercial and Industrial zoned parcels within the Ridgewood Corridor and Park Avenue Corridor are excluded from the City wide Moratorium. While this temporary moratorium is in effect, the City will not accept, process, or approve any new applications for annexations, rezoning’s, comprehensive plan amendments, site plans, preliminary plats, or final plats from any applicants who received entitlements more than six months prior to the effective date of the moratorium and who does not have an application submitted.

Applications submitted prior to the effective date of this Ordinance will be allowed to complete the development process if an applicant had received approval for an annexation, rezoning, and / or comprehensive plan amendment within the last six months prior to the effective date of this Ordinance, said applicant shall have the right to submit a site plan and / or a preliminary plat and subsequently a final plat. If an applicant has submitted for a preliminary plat prior to the effective date of this Ordinance, said applicant shall be allowed during the moratorium to submit for final plat.

During the duration of these moratoriums, the following tasks will be accomplished:

• Entire Land Development Code update
• Entire Comprehensive Plan update
• Stormwater Code update
• Stormwater maintenance activities
• Delivery of Stormwater Master Plan by outside consultant
• Stormwater Impact Fee ordinance
• Housing Impact Fee ordinance