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Could tiny homes soon be coming to St. Lucie County?

County leaders consider proposal
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ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — Tiny homes, or "Accessible Dwelling Units," could be coming to St. Lucie County.

On Feb. 21 at 6 p.m., county leaders will host a planning board workshop to gather resident feedback on the idea.

County commissioners would then need to give the idea final approval at a separate meeting.

"We've had residents come and request that, 'I want to put an extra facility, an extra residence on my property for my father in law, my parents, or whatnot.' The code just doesn't allow for it at this time," said county spokesman Erick Gill.

In order to allow for tiny homes on property, the county code would need to be changed.

Residents wanting to add a tiny home to their property would also need to get a building permit.

Right now, county leaders are not discussing the idea of standalone tiny homes or developments of tiny homes.

The size of the possibly future tiny homes is also up for discussion. However, Gill said the county is considering capping the maximum size at 800-1,000 square feet.

"The first day we launched the online survey, we had close to 200 comments and a lot of it does have — a lot of the comments we're getting are — it's affordability," said Gill. "It's a lot cheaper to have this second small, tiny house than trying to find a condo for my parents who are up north that want to retire to Florida. This way they can be on the property, and I can help look after them at a reduced cost to the overall family."