House Bill hb0953

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2002                 HB 953

        By Representative Carassas






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to Pinellas County; amending

  3         chapter 75-489, Laws of Florida, as amended;

  4         revising provisions relating to adoptions of

  5         codes; providing for severability; providing an

  6         effective date.

  7

  8  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

  9

10         Section 1.  Part III of chapter 75-489, Laws of

11  Florida, as amended, is amended to read:

12         Section 27.  It is the intent of the legislature to

13  provide for uniform building codes and uniform life safety

14  codes for Pinellas County. It is further the intent of the

15  legislature to provide for continuing uniformity of the

16  aforementioned codes by placing the sole authority for making

17  amendments to the codes, applicable within the boundaries of

18  Pinellas County, with the Pinellas County Construction

19  Licensing Board.

20         Section 28.  For the purpose of establishing rules and

21  regulations for the construction, alteration, removal,

22  demolition, equipment, use, occupancy, location and

23  maintenance of buildings and structures, Pinellas County

24  hereby adopts the codes known as:

25         (1)  The Florida Standard Building Code, as may be

26  amended or replaced pursuant to general law.

27         (2)  The Florida Fire Prevention Code, as may be

28  amended or replaced pursuant to general law NFPA Natural Gas

29  Code 54 and the NFPA L.P. Gas Code 58.

30         (3)  The National Electrical Code.

31         (4)  The Standard Mechanical Code.

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2002                 HB 953

    757-118B-02






  1         (5)  The Standard Plumbing Code.

  2         (6)  The National Fire Protection Association Life

  3  Safety Code 101.

  4         The codes are incorporated in this law as fully as if

  5  set out at length.  Copies of all applicable codes, appendices

  6  and amendments or variations thereto adopted by the board

  7  pursuant to the provisions of section 29 of this part, shall

  8  be filed with and available for inspection at the office of

  9  the board.

10         Section 29.  The board shall have the power to adopt

11  editions of the codes referenced in section 28, and appendices

12  thereto. The board shall also have the power to amend the

13  codes from time to time and may adopt variations for different

14  areas of the county if the variations are justified under the

15  procedures contained herein and in section ss. 553.18 and

16  553.73, Florida Statutes.  Before making any amendment or

17  variation, the board shall refer the proposed amendment to the

18  appropriate county-wide Board of Adjustment and Appeals

19  described in Section 32 for study and recommendations.  The

20  board shall then hold a public hearing on the proposed

21  amendment or variation and shall reject, adopt, or defer

22  action upon the recommendation of the Board of Adjustment and

23  Appeals.  A two-thirds vote of the board is required to reject

24  any recommendation of the Board of Adjustment and Appeals. The

25  board may adopt amendments to the codes that are necessary as

26  a condition precedent to any federal or state sponsored

27  program and the governing body of any municipality or the

28  county may adopt amendments to the administrative chapter of

29  all standard codes. For the purposes of section 553.73,

30  Florida Statutes, and chapter 98-287, Laws of Florida, as

31  amended by chapter 98-419, Laws of Florida, and chapter

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2002                 HB 953

    757-118B-02






  1  2001-186, Laws of Florida, and as may be subsequently amended,

  2  the Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board shall be the

  3  sole local governing body authorized to make amendments to the

  4  Florida Building Code or the Florida Fire Prevention Code and

  5  is exempt from the requirements of section 553.73(4)(b)7.,

  6  Florida Statutes, relating to a countywide compliance review

  7  board. The Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board shall

  8  likewise be the local administrative board for the provision

  9  of interpretations upon request of local building officials

10  and for the resolution of conflicts of interpretations between

11  local building officials and local fire code enforcement

12  officials. The resolution of these disputes shall be in

13  accordance with applicable general law.

14         Section 30.  Except as provided in this law for

15  amendments and variations, the codes shall be exclusively

16  controlling in the construction of all buildings and

17  structures within Pinellas County and no municipality of the

18  county shall adopt any amendments, ordinances, rules or

19  regulations for the construction, alteration, removal,

20  demolition, equipment, use, occupancy, location and

21  maintenance of buildings and structures that conflict with the

22  codes as amended.

23         Section 31.  Inspection and enforcement of the codes

24  shall be effected by the county, the municipalities in

25  Pinellas County or the authorized designees of either.

26         Section 32.  (1)  The board shall create four Boards of

27  Adjustment and Appeals as follows:

28         (a)  A plumbing, mechanical and gas Board of Adjustment

29  and Appeals consisting of one (1) mechanical engineer, two (2)

30  plumbing contractors, two (2) natural gas contractors and two

31  (2) mechanical or Class A air conditioning contractors.  This

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2002                 HB 953

    757-118B-02






  1  Board of Adjustment and Appeals shall have the powers and

  2  duties specified in subsection (2) for appeals relating to

  3  plumbing, mechanical and gas provisions of the Florida

  4  Building Code codes.

  5         (b)  An electrical board consisting of one (1)

  6  electrical engineer, two (2) electrical contractors and one

  7  (1) member of the building industry at large. This board shall

  8  have the powers and duties provided in subsection (2) for

  9  appeals relating to the electrical code.

10         (c)  A Board of Adjustment and Appeals for the Florida

11  Standard Building Code.

12         (d)  A life safety and fire code Board of Adjustment

13  and Appeals of two (2) active fire marshals, two (2) active

14  building officials and a fifth member to be selected from the

15  joint recommendation of the fire marshals and building

16  officials comprising said board.

17         (2)  Any appeal which may be brought before either the

18  Board of Adjustment and Appeals for the Florida Standard

19  Building Code or the Board of Adjustment and Appeals for the

20  Life Safety and Fire Code, shall be referred to the latter.

21  The Board of Adjustment and Appeals for the Life Safety and

22  Fire Code shall determine whether or not it has jurisdiction

23  over said appeal. Upon a determination that said board has no

24  jurisdiction, the appeal shall be considered by the Board of

25  Adjustment and Appeals for the Florida Standard Building Code.

26  The Boards of Adjustment and Appeals shall meet as frequently

27  as is required but not less often than once every three

28  months.  Members of the boards shall serve without

29  compensation. Any person aggrieved by a ruling of a building

30  director or a fire marshal or other fire official of any

31  municipality or of the county, or any building director or

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2002                 HB 953

    757-118B-02






  1  fire marshal or other fire official desiring interpretation of

  2  a code, may file a written appeal to the proper Board of

  3  Adjustment and Appeals.  Provided, however, if the

  4  municipality in which the dispute occurred has established a

  5  Board of Adjustment and Appeals the aggrieved party must first

  6  appeal to the municipal board.  After a decision is rendered

  7  by the municipal board the aggrieved party shall have 15 days

  8  to file the appeal provided for in this subsection.  The

  9  decision of the boards shall be furnished to the appealing

10  party in writing within 15 days after the meeting at which the

11  appeal was considered.

12         Section 33.  The respective Boards of Adjustment and

13  Appeals shall have authority to interpret its respective code

14  adopted for the county.  Interpretations of the codes shall be

15  based upon specific findings of fact and may be made when any

16  provision of the code is ambiguous as applied to an activity

17  subj