We, the residents, property owners, and supporters of the Atlantic Beach, Florida community, call on city leaders to remove the current onsite stormwater retention requirements placed on private residential properties.

While we respect the importance of responsible environmental stewardship, the current approach is overly burdensome, impractical for many homeowners, and out of sync with the natural conditions of our coastal community.

Why This Matters:

The City of Atlantic Beach is the only city in Duval County that requires property owners—especially those building, renovating, or modifying their homes—to install costly onsite stormwater retention systems. These requirements:

• Impose significant financial and design constraints on homeowners.
• Limit yard and recreation space, affecting livability and property values.
• Overlook the natural stormwater-absorbing qualities of our sandy soil and mature tree canopy.
• Offer little flexibility or public input in how the rules are applied.
• Less than 1% of all the cities in Florida mandate the restriction on residential properties. 

Many of us want to improve or maintain our homes without being penalized by policies that fail to recognize neighborhood-specific conditions or broader, more effective alternatives.

What We’re Asking For:

We urge the City of Atlantic Beach to:

Accept the Community Development Boards recommendation to remove onsite stormwater retention rules for residential properties.

Let’s protect the environment without sacrificing community, fairness, or affordability.

Sign this petition to support a smarter, more flexible approach to stormwater management in Atlantic Beach.