VILANO BEACH, Fla. — The famous "Blue House" withstood Hurricanes Matthew, Irma, Ian and Nicole. Now, it can add surviving the county's construction board to its resume.
Code enforcement officials say the integrity of the house has been an ongoing issue for years.
So, on Monday, St. Johns County officials gave the owner of the famed Vilano Beach blue house two options; repair the home and keep it up to code or demolish it.
John Ruggeri, who built the home 21 years ago, told First Coast News the current homeowner has decided to make the necessary repairs.
So for now, the house stays. But how many more storms can the house weather?
Ruggeri built the house on A1A in Vilano Beach over 21 ago. Knowing erosion over time would get worse at the location, Ruggeri says they built it to withstand hurricanes.
Some of the features, like the breakaway wall and the driveway, are long gone, although the house remains standing.
He says when the home was built, the zoning and rules for building permits were different.
“When we permitted it through, they gave us an exact amount of where we could build and at that time it was a ‘C’ zone, you don’t even have to have flood insurance in a ‘C’ zone," Ruggeri previously told First Coast News.
Ruggeri believes it will stay up so long as the sand doesn’t continue to erode.