Except Florida’s building code is more robust because of hurricanes, so it is more regulated than other states. They had lax standards up until 1993 when hurricane Andrew wiped Homestead, FL off the map over the course of a weekend. In 1996 they strengthened the building code to account for better construction methods to deal with hurricanes and tropical storms.
FTR, I’m not advocating for people that decide to move to Florida, I lived there myself from 1996 to 1999, and I have family that still reside in the state. The political climate in Florida is so much different now than it was back when I lived there…the “head in the sand” when it comes to climate change is real, and up until the water creeps into their living rooms in Tallahassee they might admit it’s real.
Their codes are decent, but their construction firms and inspections have a reputation for putting up actual structures well below code, to put it mildly.
Building codes are only as good as their enforcement. If the firms aren’t competent enough to implement them and the local councils don’t have the will to punish bad actors, they mean nothing. And given that Florida is already in a nation-setting inflation crisis, I truly doubt they’ll be changing policy in a way that makes homes more expensive – like strictly enforcing code – any time soon.
Could you cite an article that proves that? I’m not trying to be confrontational here. I’m just making a statement on Florida’s building code. Because there is a definite improvement and difference between pre Andrew and post Andrew construction in Florida. It is visibly evident in construction methodology.
Except Florida’s building code is more robust because of hurricanes, so it is more regulated than other states. They had lax standards up until 1993 when hurricane Andrew wiped Homestead, FL off the map over the course of a weekend. In 1996 they strengthened the building code to account for better construction methods to deal with hurricanes and tropical storms.
FTR, I’m not advocating for people that decide to move to Florida, I lived there myself from 1996 to 1999, and I have family that still reside in the state. The political climate in Florida is so much different now than it was back when I lived there…the “head in the sand” when it comes to climate change is real, and up until the water creeps into their living rooms in Tallahassee they might admit it’s real.
Their codes are decent, but their construction firms and inspections have a reputation for putting up actual structures well below code, to put it mildly.
Building codes are only as good as their enforcement. If the firms aren’t competent enough to implement them and the local councils don’t have the will to punish bad actors, they mean nothing. And given that Florida is already in a nation-setting inflation crisis, I truly doubt they’ll be changing policy in a way that makes homes more expensive – like strictly enforcing code – any time soon.
Could you cite an article that proves that? I’m not trying to be confrontational here. I’m just making a statement on Florida’s building code. Because there is a definite improvement and difference between pre Andrew and post Andrew construction in Florida. It is visibly evident in construction methodology.