JOHN'S PASS, Fla. (WFLA) — Business owners and residents will be the first to tell you that John's Pass floods and floods often.
“All I want is to continue to protect what's ours,” Michael Berry said.
If Woody's Watersports were to disappear from John's Pass due to natural disaster, owner Michael Berry isn't sure if he would rebuild.
“We have to raise prices,” Berry explained. “We're going to have to cut staff. We're going to have to juggle all kinds of numbers to see if we're going to get the kind of revenue that we're getting.”
Concerned about hurricanes and flooding, Pinellas County and Madeira Beach officials are working to create new regulations for the future if John's Pass is destroyed.
“If a natural disaster happens and we can't recreate it,” Dylan Hubbard said. “To me, it's just detrimental to the region, the region, and really our entire lifestyle.”
County commissioners approved a land use change for Johns Pass that would allow businesses to maintain the same density on the property if they rebuild. Owners called it a victory, but said they were more concerned about the possibility of a rezoning soon.
“Think about the buildings we own,” Berry explained. “If the property collapses due to a storm, it doesn’t make sense to only be able to build out 70 percent of the property because we need 100 percent of the property to continue our current operations.”
Madeira Beach officials said some commercial buildings may have to have setbacks or height changes during redevelopment or reconstruction.
“It would be the end of John's Pass as we know it,” said Hubbard, a boat captain and owner of Hubbard's Marina.
“For me,” Hubbard explained. “If we can’t get John’s Pass back as it is now, that’s a loss.”
The land use change approved by the county on Tuesday is expected to change at the Madeira Beach site next month. City officials said zoning change public hearings should begin in late spring or early summer.
