BRADENTON BEACH – Along with FEMA guidelines and city flood ordinances, fire code and setback regulations have become part of the discussion about the continued existence of 86 mobile homes at the Pines Trailer Park.
Following the storm surge from Hurricane Helene, Building Official Darin Cushing said in October that FEMA guidelines characterized the subsequent water intrusion into the Pines’ mobile homes as major damage triggering a city ordinance requiring elevation of the units.
On Oct. 29, West Manatee Fire Rescue District (WMFR) Fire Marshall Rodney Kwiatkowski drafted a letter outlining fire safety and regulatory standards to be followed for all new mobile home installations at the Pines.
Citing Florida Administrative Code 69A-42: Uniform Fire Safety Standards for Mobile Home Parks and Recreational Vehicle Parks, Kwiatkowski’s letter states “Specific attention must be given to Section 69A-42.0041, which governs the required setbacks between structures.”
That regulation states that no portion of a mobile home, excluding the tongue, shall be located closer than 10 feet side-to-side, 8 feet end-to-side, or 6 feet end-to-end horizontally from any other mobile home or community building.
“The city has reached out to the property owner to discuss some of the concerns about the health, safety, and welfare there and I’ve had a number of conversations with Shawn Kaleta and Sam Negrin about what their plans are and how we can all work together to save as much of the community there as possible,” City Attorney Ricinda Perry said on Nov. 1.
Kaleta is the manager of Pines Park Investors, LLC, which owns the Pines Trailer Park. Negrin has been the spokesperson for the LLC at recent public meetings.
“I think we’ve come up with a solution that complies with the FEMA regulations and the city’s floodplain ordinance as well as the Florida Building Code,” Perry said. “We’re looking forward to solidifying that plan and putting it forward at the city commission meeting to the commission for approval in as much of an expedited timeframe as possible.”
Perry said the Pines Trailer Park will be a topic of discussion at the Nov. 7 city commission meeting. Public comment will be allowed at that meeting.
“Because of a discussion in the field with the West Manatee Fire Rescue (WMFR) District about elevating the buildings and also some fire separation, a large number of trailers in the Pines are actually out of compliance with setbacks as it relates to the city’s codes as well as the West Manatee Fire District codes, so Rodney (Kwiatkowski) issued a letter saying as you’re doing the restoration it needs to meet those setback requirements,” Perry said.
“Ultimately the property owner has the right to make sure that that development, as it relates to public health, safety, and welfare, addresses their concerns. You don’t want to have another situation where every single structure floods out,” Perry said. “They’re working with the city to find a way to make that happen.”
Perry said the Pines ownership’s goal is to have the Pines community stay in that section of the city.
“There are setbacks that we know about, there are densities and intensities, there’s zoning and comp plan provisions, so it’s just a matter of laying that all out and coming up with an organized game plan to get that park staying a part of the community here in the city,” she said.
West Manatee Fire Rescue letter
Kwiatkowski said he drafted the Oct. 29 letter at the request of the city and a copy was made available to the city and Kaleta.
“Please be advised that all new installations at your park shall meet the NFPA 501A: Standard for Fire Safety Criteria for Manufactured Home Installations, Sites, and Communities, 2017 Edition,” the letter states in part. “This standard outlines critical fire safety criteria for the construction, installation, and maintenance of manufactured homes and their surrounding areas.”
In addition, the letter states that compliance with the Florida Administrative Code 69A-42: Uniform Fire Safety Standards for Mobile Home Parks and Recreational Vehicle Parks is mandatory.
Setbacks must be adhered to unless one of the following conditions is met:
- The exposed composite walls and roof of either structure are without openings and constructed with materials that provide a one-hour fire resistance rating.
- A one-hour fire-rated barrier separates the structures.
The Bradenton Beach City Commission meeting will be held at 6 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 7 at the Katie Pierola Commission Chambers, 107 Gulf Dr. N.
