The Florida Legislature recently passed a bill to beef up building inspection requirements for many of the state’s condominiums.
The bill, which is expected to be signed by the governor, will require milestone inspections of condominiums three stories in height or taller within three miles of the coast when the buildings reach 25 years of age, and of buildings more than three miles inland when they reach 30 years of age. Buildings will then be required to have an inspection every 10 years thereafter with inspection records made available to buyers, renters, and unit owners.
The bill’s passage comes nearly one year after the Champlain Towers South condominium collapse in Surfside, Fla., killed 98 people. Following the building collapse, the International Code Council, the National Institute of Building Sciences, the Building Owners and Managers International (BOMA), and the Building Officials of Florida (BOAF) created a group of experts to advise policymakers and create guidelines that could be used to help prevent future catastrophic building collapses. The work of this group informed the crafting of the bill.
Forty percent of Florida jurisdictions have no property maintenance code in place or have adopted a property maintenance code developed in the late 1970s. Only about 3% of Florida jurisdictions have implemented a periodic recertification or inspection safety program for existing buildings.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Jan 11, 2021
Zero Energy Buildings growth driven by government policy, stringent codes, technologies
Restraints include high upfront cost, and lack of universal definition and approaches.
Codes and Standards | Jan 11, 2021
HUD releases new Fair Housing Act design and construction requirements
First update of ‘safe harbors’ in 15 years provides better clarity for design and construction firms.
Codes and Standards | Jan 8, 2021
Court ruling gives UpCodes upper hand in fight over building codes database
Battle over IP property claims by ICC and other codes bodies continues.
Codes and Standards | Jan 8, 2021
Houston creates tax incentives for green stormwater elements
Businesses that install green roofs, rain gardens, permeable pavement, and rainwater harvesting are eligible.
Codes and Standards | Jan 7, 2021
Trump’s classical design aesthetic mandate for federal buildings likely to be felt for years
May limit the number of firms that could compete for contracts.
Codes and Standards | Jan 7, 2021
Workers on some of Virginia’s major construction projects sue subcontractors for wage theft
Projects include new General Assembly Building, outpatient facility at Virginia Commonwealth University.
Codes and Standards | Jan 5, 2021
EPA finalizes first major update to Lead and Copper rule
Will accelerate pace of lead service line replacement.
Codes and Standards | Jan 5, 2021
Flood risk for affordable housing expected to triple by 2050
Some communities will have 90% of their affordable housing at risk.
Codes and Standards | Jan 4, 2021
Ranks of remote workers expected to double in five years
Nearly 23% of employees will work from outside of offices.
Codes and Standards | Dec 28, 2020
CSI and ASTM standards can now be connected through a central location
CROSSWALK web service accesses standards specific to projects from feasibility to turnover.
