§ 1.05.02. Specific intent relating to the various subject areas of this Code.

The provisions of this Code dealing with the following specific subject areas shall be construed and implemented to achieve the following intentions and purposes of the county commission:

A.

Administration and enforcement.

1.

To assure that all development proposals be thoroughly and efficiently reviewed for compliance with the requirements of this Code, the county comprehensive plan, and other applicable county regulations.

2.

To promote efficiency, predictability and citizen participation.

3.

To standardize the composition and procedures of all citizen boards.

4.

To assure compliance with approved development orders and the provisions of this Code through rigorous but fair enforcement actions.

B.

Signs.

1.

To create a comprehensive and balanced system of sign control that accommodates both the need for a well-maintained, safe and attractive community, and the need for effective business identification, advertising and communication.

2.

To permit signs that are:

a.

Compatible with their surroundings.

b.

Designed, constructed, installed and maintained in a manner which does not endanger public safety or unduly distract motorists.

c.

Appropriate to the type of activity to which they pertain.

d.

Large enough to convey sufficient information about the owner or occupants of a particular property, the products or services available on the property, or the activities conducted on the property, and small enough to satisfy the needs for regulation.

e.

Reflective of the identity and creativity of individual occupants.

3.

To promote the economic health of the community through increased tourism and property values.

C.

Minimum housing.

1.

To enhance the attractiveness of the community.

2.

To promote that all citizens and residents of Okeechobee County are entitled to enjoy housing having at a minimum, structural integrity; working plumbing and heating systems; safe electrical service; dry, rodent- and pest-resistant housing.

3.

To preserve the investment and property values of all property owners by ensuring that both conventional and nonconventional new housing is built or installed meeting certain minimum appearance and design standards.

4.

To mitigate conflicts between adjoining construction techniques by lessening the outward differences between the dissimilar techniques.

5.

To protect the statutory right against discrimination afforded to new manufactured housing built to both the federal Manufactured Home Construction and Standards and F.S. ch. 320.

6.

To encourage upgrading of existing dwellings and structures when the owners seek to remodel or replace such dwellings and structures but to mitigate the financial impact of this Code by allowing certain existing noncompliant housing to remain provided it meets minimum health and safety standards and does not otherwise constitute a nuisance.

7.

To discourage and restrict the influx of substandard used mobile homes and trailers not built or remaining in compliance with federal Manufactured Home Construction and Standards, F.S. ch. 320 or the Florida Administrative Code.

D.

Parking and loading. To assure that all developments provide for adequate and safe storage and movement of vehicles in a manner consistent with community standards and good engineering and site design principles.

E.

Stormwater management.

1.

To protect and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of ground and surface waters.

2.

To control activities which adversely affect ground and surface waters.

3.

To encourage the construction of stormwater management systems that aesthetically and functionally approximate natural systems.

4.

To protect significant natural drainage systems.

5.

To minimize runoff pollution of ground and surface waters.

6.

To maintain groundwater levels.

7.

To minimize erosion and sedimentation.

8.

To prevent damage to wetlands.

9.

To protect the habitat of fish and wildlife.

F.

Floodplain protection.

1.

To protect human life and health.

2.

To minimize expenditure of public money for costly flood control projects.

3.

To minimize the need for rescue and relief efforts associated with flooding and generally undertaken at public expense.

4.

To minimize prolonged business interruptions and damage to public facilities and utilities caused by flooding.

5.

To maintain a stable tax base by providing for the sound use and development of floodprone areas.

6.

To protect the residents of mobile home parks and subdivisions by requiring that all new mobile home parks and subdivisions have adequate hurricane protection for all residents of the park or subdivision.

7.

To assure that uses and facilities vulnerable to floods are designed and constructed to resist flood damage.

8.

To preserve natural floodplains, stream channels, and natural protective barriers to accommodate floodwaters.

9.

To limit filling, grading, dredging and other development which may increase erosion, sedimentation, or flood damage.

10.

To maintain the normal movement of surface waters, the optimum storage capacity of watersheds, desirable groundwater levels, water quality, and the natural hydrological and ecological functions of wetlands.

11.

To avoid the need of costly and environmentally disruptive flood management structures.

12.

To make the county eligible for participation in the National Flood Insurance Program.

G.

Protection of environmentally sensitive lands.

1.

To protect environmentally sensitive lands and their beneficial functions while also protecting the rights of property owners.

2.

To protect the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of ground and surface waters and natural habitats while also protecting the rights of property owners.

3.

To control activities which adversely affect ground and surface waters, natural habitats, and native flora and fauna while also protecting the rights of property owners.

4.

To maintain recharge for groundwater aquifers.

5.

To protect the recreation opportunities of environmentally sensitive lands for hunting, fishing, boating, hiking, nature observation, photography, camping, and other uses.

6.

To protect the public's rights in navigable waters.

7.

To protect aesthetic and property values.

H.

Protection of cultural resources.

1.

To identify, protect, and enhance the use of districts, sites, buildings, structures, objects, and areas that are reminders of past eras, events, and persons important in local, state or national history, or which provide significant examples of architectural styles of the past, or which provide this and future generations examples of the physical surroundings in which past generations lived.

2.

To enhance property values, stabilize older neighborhoods and business centers, and increase the economic benefits to the county arising out of its cultural resources.

3.

To preserve and enhance the varied architectural styles that reflect the cultural, social, economic, political and architectural history of the county.

4.

To enrich human life in its educational and cultural dimensions by fostering knowledge of the community's heritage.