You are correct, but not in the "well above" part. BR is 17' above sea level but being as far inland as it is, it is remarkably flat. The Mississippi meanders there and has flooded the city several times, the worst of which was 1972 but roughly every 10 years it does so again, but its frequency is increasing, reducing that pattern to every 3-5 years. The State officials could open the Morganza spillway but have only done so a couple of times.
So wrong, you might have a future with the media. It ranges from about 45 feet near LSU to to mid 50s downtown to about 70 feet at the airport. Areas north of the Baton Rouge fault are generally going to be higher than areas south of the fault, although flooding occurred both above and below the fault along the Amite river.