Florida Senate - 2020 SB 710
By Senator Albritton
26-00841-20 2020710__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the Florida Building Code; amending
3 s. 553.73, F.S.; requiring that the Florida Building
4 Code require that the entire envelope of certain
5 buildings being constructed or rebuilt be impact
6 resistant and constructed with high wind-resistant
7 construction materials; requiring that all parts or
8 systems of a building or structure envelope meet
9 impact test criteria or be protected with an external
10 protection device that meets such criteria; providing
11 exceptions; specifying certain items that shall be
12 deemed to comply with impact tests for wind-borne
13 debris; providing an effective date.
14
15 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
16
17 Section 1. Subsection (21) is added to section 553.73,
18 Florida Statutes, to read:
19 553.73 Florida Building Code.—
20 (21)(a) The Florida Building Code shall require that the
21 entire envelope of a building be impact resistant and require
22 the use of high wind-resistant construction materials for the
23 construction of:
24 1. Multistory residential group R1 or multistory
25 residential group R2 occupancies;
26 2. New residential construction that is:
27 a. Within 10 miles of the coastal mean high-water line and
28 where the ultimate design wind speed is 130 miles per hour or
29 greater; or
30 b. In areas where the ultimate design wind speed is 140
31 miles per hour or greater;
32 3. New residential construction in the high-velocity
33 hurricane zone, as defined in the code; and
34 4. Buildings designated or used as hurricane shelters.
35
36 A structure listed in subparagraph 1., subparagraph 2.,
37 subparagraph 3., or subparagraph 4. which is being rebuilt after
38 being deemed uninhabitable or destroyed by a hurricane, a
39 tropical storm, or a fire must also meet the requirements of
40 this paragraph.
41 (b) The code shall require that all parts or systems of a
42 building or structure envelope, including, but not limited to,
43 exterior walls, roofs, outside doors, skylights, glazing, and
44 glass blocks, meet impact test criteria or be protected with an
45 external protection device that meets the impact test criteria.
46 This paragraph does not apply to:
47 1. Roof assemblies attached to a building which do not
48 breach the exterior wall or building envelope and have no
49 enclosed sides other than screening;
50 2. Soffits, soffit vents, or ridge vents. The size and
51 location of a soffit, soffit vent, or ridge vent must be
52 detailed by the designer and may not compromise the integrity of
53 the diaphragm boundary;
54 3. Vents in a garage that is designed to hold no more than
55 four cars. The size and location of such vents must be detailed
56 by the designer and may not exceed the minimum required area by
57 more than 25 percent;
58 4. Exterior wall or roof openings for wall- or roof-mounted
59 HVAC equipment;
60 5. Openings for roof-mounted personnel access roof hatches;
61 6. Storage sheds that are not designed for human habitation
62 and that have a floor area of no more than 720 square feet;
63 7. Louvers that comply with American Society of Civil
64 Engineers Standard ASCE 7-16;
65 8. Buildings and structures for marinas, cabanas, swimming
66 pools, or greenhouses; or
67 9. Exterior balconies or porches under existing roofs or
68 decks which are enclosed with screen, removable vinyl, or
69 acrylic panels and an opening in a wall separating a unit from
70 such balcony or porch, unless otherwise required by the code.
71 (c) The following shall be deemed to comply with impact
72 tests for wind-borne debris:
73 1. Exterior concrete masonry walls that are constructed in
74 accordance with the code and that are, at minimum, 8 inches
75 thick;
76 2. Exterior frame walls or gable ends sheathed with, at
77 minimum, 19/32-inch C-D exposure 1 plywood and clad wire lath
78 and stucco that is installed in accordance with the code;
79 3. Exterior frame walls and roofs constructed in accordance
80 with the code, sheathed with, at minimum, 24-gauge rib-deck-type
81 material, and clad with an approved wall finish;
82 4. Exterior reinforced concrete elements that are
83 constructed of solid normal weight concrete with no voids and
84 which are, at minimum, 2 inches thick; or
85 5. Roof systems constructed in accordance with the code,
86 sheathed with, at minimum, 19/32-inch C-D exposure 1 plywood or
87 nominal 1-inch wood decking, and surfaced with an approved roof
88 system installed in accordance with the code.
89 Section 2. This act shall take effect October 1, 2020.