AIA Urges Upgrade In Fla. Panhandle Building Codes

Florida's Panhandle region, currently exempt from hurricane-resistant building requirements, should be required to adopt the tougher building codes required elsewhere in the state, an insurance trade group testified today.

The comments of the American Insurance Association were submitted to the Florida Building Commission.

FBC was created to administer the 1998 Florida Building Code, that was drawn up after a legislative study on the effects of Hurricane Andrew (which set a record for damage in 1992) found a pattern of widespread building code violations throughout the state leading to catastrophic structural failures.

"If the storms of 2004 and 2005 proved anything, it's that state-of-the-art building codes work, Cecil Pearce, AIA vice president for the Southeast Region, testified to the FBC. "Florida's statewide building code--including standards for minimizing damage from wind-borne debris--helped reduce deaths, injuries and property damage."

He added that "it's time for the Panhandle, which is exempt from those tougher standards, to be brought in line with the rest of the state, and not wait until after a major storm with sustained wind intensity hits this area."

Florida's Panhandle is currently exempt from the wind-borne debris standards of the 2000 Florida Building Code that require new construction to use shutters or impact-resistant glass in areas where hurricane winds can reach 120 miles-per-hour--about five miles on average from the coast.

The Panhandle is currently subject to a weaker standard covering structures within one mile of the coast that was approved by the legislature in 2000, but is now under review by the FBC.

Under the latest proposal, the wind-borne debris regions would be expanded to 130 mph wind zones. Although a significant improvement over current law, it falls short of the optimum 120 mph standard, AIA said.

According to the trade group, while opponents of the code upgrade point to research showing that the greater forestation in certain parts of the Panhandle makes these areas less susceptible to wind-borne debris damage, the results are not conclusive.

AIA added that the construction industry's "age-old concern" regarding higher building costs "falls short when the long-term benefits of stronger building codes are considered. Protecting structure openings--such as windows and doors from flying debris--is crucial to that structure's ability to survive a hurricane."

Imposing the Florida Building Code's wind-borne debris standards on the Panhandle "can make the difference between an area that is able to recover relatively quickly from a hurricane, versus a community that is devastated and economically stagnant for many months or longer," said Mr. Pearce. "AIA joins with the governor and other public officials in urging the commission to remove the Panhandle exemption."