Unified Florida Code Better for Business

To help support efforts to develop an equitable, workable code for contractors and suppliers, SPRI has committed resources to join the Florida Building Code Alliance.

This industry-wide group also counts as members a number of other proactive roofing industry trade associations such as the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Assn. (ARMA), Polyisocyanurate Insulation Manufacturers Assn. (PIMA), Roof Coatings Manufacturers Assn. (RCMA), Society of the Polyurethanes Industry (SPI)-Polyurethanes Div., SPI-Spray Division, Vinyl Siding Div., National Insulation Manufacturers Assn. (NAIMA), Metal Construction Assn. (MCA), and the Exterior Insulation Manufacturers (EIMA). Together, they're advocating for simplification of the state's confusing and repetitive requirements.

To this end, suppliers as well as contractors have lately spent a lot of time in Florida attending and testifying at public hearings-some of which have even been held on Sundays-across the state regarding the creation of a statewide building code to replace the various local ones in place.

"Getting this unified Florida code passed is good business for flexible membranes as well as for roofing products in general," comments one SPRI official. "It will simplify the process of pulling permits for the contractor and may reduce the number of duplicate product approval processes that manufacturers presently need to go through. The state will be getting a better building code that is also more user-friendly.

"The more uniform the building code is," he continues, "the better that manufacturers can design products to meet wind uplift, fire concerns and insulation issues, etc. Plus, it should lower the cost for the average roofing contractor to do business."

The Commission has proposed adopting the Standard Building Code as the essence of the Florida Building Code and then modifying it as seen fit.

Draft II of this code was scheduled to be published this month, and more public hearings were planned for later in September. The third draft is then due out in November. A final report to the Florida Legislature, which meets only in the Spring, is slated for January 2000. When approved, it will become the sole building code for the state of Florida in the year 2001.

To recap, here's how we've gotten to this point.

The 1998 Florida Legislature enacted statutes creating a uniform building code for the entire state of Florida. The Florida Building Commission was created from an expanded version of Florida Board of Building Codes and Standards to write this code and present it for adoption.

While other states such as Ohio and Michigan have adopted unified building codes in recent years with relatively little controversy, the Florida code development process by comparison has been fraught with controversy, drama, politics, delay and emotion. "This isn't your everyday code development process," notes one participant.

For years, some counties in south Florida have promulgated their own codes, such as the Metro-Dade South Florida Building Code. How to integrate south Florida concerns into the state-wide code is one of the key issues at hand. It probably should be noted that both the stateÕs current governor, Jeb Bush, and his recently appointed chairman of the Florida Building Commission hail from south Florida.

In 1974, Chapter 553 of the Florida Statutes, "Building Construction Standards," set forth the State Minimum Building Codes approved for use in Florida. Consistency of statewide building construction standards was complicated by newly developing home rule powers during the economic boom of the 1980s, coupled with rapid growth. Over time, each local government added to or changed the locally adopted code. Inadequacies of this locally based code system and the urgency of reform were intensified with the resurgence of hurricanes during the 1990s.

Hurricane Andrew's destruction intensified the focus on weaknesses in Florida's existing building code system.

The then-Governor Lawton Chiles responded by establishing the Florida Building Codes Study Commission in July 1996 to evaluate the existing code system and recommend ways to improve or reform as deemed necessary.

During 16 months of study, the commission found a confusing patchwork "system" of building codes and regulations developed, amended, and administered by over 400 local jurisdictions and state agencies. This showed Florida needed a single, statewide building code.

The Study Commission submitted to the Legislature a report, entitled "Five Foundations for a Better Built Environment," which was the basis of House Bill 4181. Through HB 4181, the Legislature directed the development of a single, statewide code. This code is being developed and will be maintained by a state commission and enforced by local jurisdictions.

However, as the situation stands right now, it does look like all roofing products sold in the state of Florida may have to have a separate Evaluation Services report, though that point is still under discussion.

The worst-case scenario could see a unified code imposing more regulation rather than less. Stay tuned for the latest word!

This Article appeared in the September issue of RSI Magazine.