William Rutledge, Tierra Verde resident and retired licensed structural engineer, sent a letter on April 2nd to the City of St. Petersburg Development Review Committee. It argues that the proposed multi-story boat storage towers present significant structural and public safety risks during hurricane conditions. Rather than asking the City to prohibit the project outright, the author requests that the developer be required to provide substantially more rigorous engineering analyses and independent peer review before any permits are approved. Below is a summary of the risks and you can view the entire document here
Five Primary Safety Risks
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Extreme Internal Wind Pressure
The proposed open-sided boat storage towers qualify as partially enclosed structures, allowing hurricane-force winds to enter the building while becoming trapped inside. This creates significant internal pressure that can dramatically increase roof uplift and outward pressure on walls, making structural failure more likely.
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Greater Wind Loads Due to Building Height
At approximately 72 feet tall, the proposed towers would experience substantially higher wind forces than structures at ground level. The letter also raises concerns about vortex shedding and structural oscillation, where wind-induced vibrations could amplify stresses on the building during a hurricane.
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Aerodynamic Effects Between the Two Towers
Because the project consists of two closely spaced towers, they could interact in ways not addressed by standard building calculations. These effects include wake turbulence, wind acceleration between the towers (Venturi effect), and synchronized movement that could increase structural loading.
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Storm Surge, Flooding, and Foundation Failure
Beyond wind, there is risk associated with the combined effects of storm surge, heavy rainfall, buoyancy forces, and foundation scour. These conditions could weaken the foundation during a hurricane while rainwater accumulating inside stored boats adds unexpected weight to the structure.
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Catastrophic Debris Hazard to the Community
The greatest public safety concern is the potential for structural collapse during a hurricane. If the towers were to fail, stored boats weighing thousands of pounds, along with steel framing and other structural components, could become wind-borne debris, threatening nearby homes, roads, marina facilities, and residents. The letter cites previous failures of similar boat storage facilities during hurricanes as evidence that this is a credible risk.
