The Florida Senate

553.895  Firesafety.--

(1)  Any transient public lodging establishment, as defined in chapter 509 and used primarily for transient occupancy as defined in s. 83.43(10), or any timeshare unit of a timeshare plan as defined in chapters 718 and 721, which is of three stories or more and for which the construction contract has been let after September 30, 1983, with interior corridors which do not have direct access from the guest area to exterior means of egress and on buildings over 75 feet in height that have direct access from the guest area to exterior means of egress and for which the construction contract has been let after September 30, 1983, shall be equipped with an automatic sprinkler system installed in compliance with the provisions prescribed in the National Fire Protection Association publication NFPA No. 13 (1985), "Standards for the Installation of Sprinkler Systems." Each guest room and each timeshare unit shall be equipped with an approved listed single-station smoke detector meeting the minimum requirements of NFPA 74 (1984) "Standards for the Installation, Maintenance and Use of Household Fire Warning Equipment," powered from the building electrical service, notwithstanding the number of stories in the structure, if the contract for construction is let after September 30, 1983. Single-station smoke detectors shall not be required when guest rooms or timeshare units contain smoke detectors connected to a central alarm system which also alarms locally.

(2)  Except for single-family and two-family dwellings, any building which is of three stories or more and for which the construction contract is let after January 1, 1994, regardless of occupancy classification and including any building which is subject to s. 509.215, shall be equipped with an automatic sprinkler system installed in compliance with the provisions of chapter 633 and the rules and codes adopted pursuant thereto. A stand-alone parking garage constructed with noncombustible materials, the design of which is such that all levels of the garage are uniformly open to the atmosphere on all sides with percentages of openings as prescribed in the applicable building code, and which parking garage is separated from other structures by at least 20 feet, is exempt from the requirements of this subsection. Telecommunications spaces located within telecommunications buildings, if the spaces are equipped to meet an equivalent fire prevention standard approved by both the Florida Building Commission and the State Fire Marshal, are exempt from the requirements of this subsection. In a building less than 75 feet in height which is protected throughout with an approved and maintained fire sprinkler system, a manual wet standpipe, as defined in the National Fire Protection Association Standard 14, Standard for the Installation of Standpipe, Private Hydrant, and Hose Systems, shall be allowed.

History.--s. 2, ch. 83-194; s. 103, ch. 85-81; s. 8, ch. 86-174; s. 1, ch. 93-276; s. 3, ch. 95-379; s. 31, ch. 2001-186.