FRSA: Without Florida Building Commission Intervention, Less Protection, Higher Insurance Awaits Floridians

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Florida's Association of Roofing Professionals cautions that Florida residents could face property insurance rate hikes if existing building codes are replaced by a generic "International Building Code". Florida Building Commission committees are considering requests to preserve existing code this week.
Winter Park, FL (PRWEB) October 03, 2012
Florida Building Commission (FBC) committees begin meeting this week to consider requests to preserve Florida-specific building regulations for the 2013 code cycle. Without approval by the Commission, the codes will disappear in favor of a generic, international code that will likely result in less protection and higher property insurance rates for Florida residents.
Mark Zehnal, CPRC, the Director of Technical Services for FRSA, submitted more than 200 requests this summer hoping to preserve the current code on behalf of Floridians. “FRSA is taking a stand, not just for the contractors but for the people of the State,” Zehnal says.
Legislation introduced since the 2010 Florida Building Code cycle takes a first step toward replacing the Florida Building Code with a generic International Building Code developed by the non-regulatory International Code Council (ICC). The one-size-fits-all code fails to account for the unique high humidity, high wind, rain and large coastal areas of the State around which the Florida Building Code was developed in the decades following Hurricane Andrew. This effort is spearheaded by the Building Officials Association of Florida, and it could result in a financial windfall for ICC – an organization with no obligation to Florida’s residents.
If the Florida Building Commission fails to muster the three-fourths “super majority” required to preserve the current code, Floridians will not only have to face living and working in buildings constructed under less protective codes, they will also face higher property insurance rates as insurance companies assume the risks of insuring those structures.
FRSA (http://www.floridaroof.com), the largest regional roofing association in the country, has contributed countless volunteer hours to the development and revision of roofing-related provisions of the Florida Building Code designed to preserve the health, safety and welfare of Florida residents. For more information about this issue or FRSA, contact John Hellein at john (at) floridaroof (dot) com or (407) 671-3772 ext. 127.


(From: FRSA)

Trenton H. Cotney
Florida Bar Certified Construction Lawyer
Trent Cotney, P.A.
1211 N Franklin St
Tampa, FL 33602

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