Florida Senate - 2025                      CS for CS for SB 1078
       
       
        
       By the Committees on Community Affairs; and Banking and
       Insurance; and Senator McClain
       
       
       
       
       578-02825-25                                          20251078c2
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to fire prevention; amending s.
    3         553.7932, F.S.; defining the term “alteration”;
    4         revising the definition of the term “fire alarm system
    5         project”; requiring a local enforcement agency to
    6         issue a permit for a fire alarm system project or fire
    7         sprinkler system project within a specified time
    8         period; authorizing work authorized by the permit to
    9         commence immediately after submission of a completed
   10         application; requiring the local enforcement agency to
   11         provide an inspection within a specified timeframe;
   12         requiring that certain plans and specifications be
   13         available for an onsite plans review during an
   14         inspection; requiring a contractor to provide
   15         additional documentation in paper or electronic form,
   16         if requested by an inspector, within a specified
   17         timeframe; prohibiting a local enforcement agency from
   18         requiring additional plans reviews or documentation
   19         outside the scope of the permitted work; requiring
   20         that a specified percentage of the permit fee be
   21         refunded if a local government fails to meet certain
   22         deadlines; providing exceptions; requiring that such
   23         refunds be based on the original amount of the permit
   24         fee; requiring local enforcement agencies to establish
   25         a simplified permitting process by a specified date;
   26         amending s. 633.202, F.S.; specifying a condition
   27         under which a local amendment to the Florida Fire
   28         Prevention Code is unenforceable; providing that a
   29         local government may only enforce an ordinance that
   30         has been sent to the Florida Building Commission and
   31         the State Fire Marshal as of the date that the bid for
   32         a permit was submitted; requiring a local government
   33         to submit adopted local amendments to the Florida Fire
   34         Prevention Code to specified entities within a
   35         specified timeframe; amending s. 633.312, F.S.;
   36         revising what must be included in a uniform inspection
   37         report; deleting the requirement for a brief summary
   38         of such deficiencies; deleting an exception from
   39         submitting certain information within a detailed
   40         inspection report; providing an effective date.
   41          
   42  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   43  
   44         Section 1. Present paragraphs (a) through (d) of subsection
   45  (1) of section 553.7932, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as
   46  paragraphs (b) through (e), respectively, a new paragraph (a) is
   47  added to that subsection, present paragraph (c) of subsection
   48  (1), subsections (3) and (4), and paragraphs (a) and (b) of
   49  subsection (5) are amended, and new subsections (6) and (7) are
   50  added to that section, to read:
   51         553.7932 Simplified permitting processes.—
   52         (1) As used in this section, the term:
   53         (a)“Alteration” means to add, install, relocate, replace,
   54  or remove.
   55         (d)(c) “Fire alarm system project” means a fire alarm
   56  system alteration of a total of 20 or fewer initiating devices
   57  and notification devices;, or the installation or replacement of
   58  a fire communicator connected to an existing fire alarm control
   59  panel in an existing commercial, residential, apartment,
   60  cooperative, or condominium building; or the replacement of an
   61  existing fire alarm panel using the same make and model as the
   62  existing panel.
   63         (3) A local enforcement agency must issue a permit for a
   64  fire alarm system project or fire sprinkler system project in
   65  person or electronically within 2 business days after submission
   66  of a completed application. A contractor may commence work
   67  authorized by the permit immediately after submission of a
   68  completed application.
   69         (4) The a local enforcement agency must provide an
   70  inspection within 3 business days after such inspection is
   71  requested require at least one inspection of a fire alarm system
   72  project or fire sprinkler system project to ensure compliance
   73  with applicable codes and standards. If a fire alarm system
   74  project or fire sprinkler system project fails an inspection,
   75  the contractor must take corrective action as necessary to pass
   76  inspection.
   77         (5)(a) For a fire alarm system project, a contractor must
   78  keep a copy of the plans and specifications at the fire alarm
   79  system project worksite and make such plans and specifications
   80  available to the inspector for an onsite plans review at each
   81  inspection. If the local enforcement agency determines that it
   82  needs documents for recording purposes, the contractor must
   83  provide such documentation in paper or electronic form to the
   84  local enforcement agency within 4 business days after the
   85  inspection or 4 days after the documentation is requested,
   86  whichever is later. The local enforcement agency may not require
   87  additional plans reviews or documentation of areas or devices
   88  outside the scope of permitted work, as needed on permit
   89  applications.
   90         (b) For a fire sprinkler system project to alter an
   91  existing fire protection system, a contractor must keep a copy
   92  of the plans and specifications at the fire sprinkler system
   93  project worksite and make such plans and specifications
   94  available to the inspector at each inspection. If the local
   95  enforcement agency determines that it needs additional documents
   96  for recording purposes, the contractor must provide such
   97  documentation in paper or electronic form to the local
   98  enforcement agency within 4 business days after the inspection
   99  or 4 days after the documentation is requested, whichever is
  100  later. The local enforcement agency may not require additional
  101  plans reviews or documentation of areas or devices outside the
  102  scope of permitted work, as needed on permit applications.
  103         (6)A local government that fails to meet a deadline under
  104  subsection (3) or subsection (4) must refund the permit fee by
  105  10 percent for each business day after such failure, unless the
  106  local government and contractor agree in writing to a reasonable
  107  extension of time, the delay is caused by the applicant, or the
  108  delay is attributable to a force majeure or other extraordinary
  109  circumstances. Each 10 percent refund shall be based on the
  110  original amount of the permit fee.
  111         (7)By October 1, 2025, a local enforcement agency must
  112  establish a simplified permitting process that complies with
  113  this section.
  114         Section 2. Subsection (9) of section 633.202, Florida
  115  Statutes, is amended to read:
  116         633.202 Florida Fire Prevention Code.—
  117         (9)(a) The State Fire Marshal shall make rules that
  118  implement this section and ss. 633.104 and 633.208 for the
  119  purpose of accomplishing the objectives set forth in those
  120  sections.
  121         (b) If a local government fails to adhere to the
  122  requirements of this section when adopting an ordinance for a
  123  local amendment to the Florida Fire Prevention Code, the local
  124  amendment is unenforceable. A local government may only enforce
  125  an ordinance that has been sent to the Florida Building
  126  Commission and the State Fire Marshal pursuant to subsection (8)
  127  as of the date that the bid for a permit was submitted. A local
  128  government shall submit an adopted local amendment to the
  129  Florida Fire Prevention Code to all of the local government’s
  130  registered fire protection contractors within 7 business days
  131  after the local government adopts the local amendment.
  132         Section 3. Paragraph (b) of subsection (3) of section
  133  633.312, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
  134         633.312 Inspection of fire control systems, fire hydrants,
  135  and fire protection systems.—
  136         (3)
  137         (b) The State Fire Marshal shall adopt rules to implement a
  138  uniform summary inspection report and submission procedures to
  139  be used by all third-party vendors and local authorities having
  140  jurisdiction. For purposes of this section, a uniform summary
  141  inspection report must record the address at which where the
  142  fire protection system or hydrant is located, the company and
  143  person conducting the inspection and their license number, the
  144  date of the inspection, and the fire protection system or
  145  hydrant inspection status, including the total number of
  146  deficiencies found, separated into critical and noncritical
  147  categories, and the total number of impairment deficiencies,
  148  with a brief summary of each impairment deficiency a brief
  149  summary of each deficiency, critical deficiency, noncritical
  150  deficiency, or impairment found. A contractor’s detailed
  151  inspection report is not required to follow the uniform summary
  152  inspection report format. The State Fire Marshal shall establish
  153  by rule a submission procedure for each means provided under
  154  paragraph (a) by which a local authority having jurisdiction may
  155  accept uniform summary inspection reports. Each of the
  156  submission procedures must allow a contractor to attach
  157  additional documents with the submission of a uniform summary
  158  inspection report, including a physical copy of the contractor’s
  159  detailed inspection report. A submission procedure may not
  160  require a contractor to submit information contained within the
  161  detailed inspection report unless the information is required to
  162  be included in the uniform summary inspection report.
  163         Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.