§ 5.1. Introduction

Because Santa Rosa County has a rich diversity of unique coastal resources, these resources are highly susceptible to human degradation, therefore to preserve these resources regulations are imperative to maintaining the balance between human activities (rapid growth) and protecting the County's natural and coastal resources now and for future generations. The main purpose of the Coastal Management Element is to plan for development and, where appropriate, restrict development activities where such activities would damage or destroy coastal resources in addition to protecting human life and property from the destruction of natural disasters (i.e., tropical storms and hurricanes).

For purposes, two specific areas have been developed. Vulnerable coastal areas have been identified for Santa Rosa County and Map 5-1 identifies the Santa Rosa County's storm based vulnerable coastal areas. These areas include:

1.

The Coastal High Hazard Area, shall be defined as the area below the elevation of the Category 1 storm surge line as established by a Sea, Lake and Overland Surges from Hurricanes (SLOSH) computerized storm surge model. The storm surge lines for categories 2 and 3, storm surge is an abnormal rise of water generated by a storm, over and above the predicted astronomical tide.

A broader coastal area has also been mapped for evaluation purposes. This coastal area is shown on Map 5-2 along with existing land uses within the area. This area encompasses all oceanic and estuarine water bodies, corridors where development activities would impact their integrity or quality, and all adjacent lands to major transportation corridors within the County.