Florida Senate - 2025                             CS for SB 1128
       
       
        
       By the Committee on Community Affairs; and Senator Ingoglia
       
       
       
       
       
       578-02304-25                                          20251128c1
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to building permits for a single
    3         family dwelling; amending ss. 125.56 and 553.79, F.S.;
    4         prohibiting the expiration of certain building permits
    5         issued by a county or a local government,
    6         respectively, before a specified event; amending s.
    7         553.792, F.S.; specifying that certain permit
    8         applications are deemed in compliance; requiring the
    9         local government to issue such permit within a certain
   10         timeframe; requiring certain attestations supporting
   11         permit applications; indemnifying local governments in
   12         certain circumstances; providing an effective date.
   13          
   14  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   15  
   16         Section 1. Paragraph (d) of subsection (4) of section
   17  125.56, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   18         125.56 Enforcement and amendment of the Florida Building
   19  Code and the Florida Fire Prevention Code; inspection fees;
   20  inspectors; etc.—
   21         (4)
   22         (d) A county that issues building permits may send a
   23  written notice of expiration, by e-mail or United States Postal
   24  Service, to the owner of the property and the contractor listed
   25  on the permit, no less than 30 days before a building permit is
   26  set to expire. The written notice must identify the permit that
   27  is set to expire and the date the permit will expire. A building
   28  permit processed and approved by a county for a single-family
   29  dwelling may not expire before the effective date of the next
   30  edition of the Florida Building Code, which is updated every 3
   31  years pursuant to s. 553.73(7)(a), regardless of whether the
   32  permit has been issued to or accepted by the applicant.
   33         Section 2. Paragraph (c) of subsection (1) of section
   34  553.79, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   35         553.79 Permits; applications; issuance; inspections.—
   36         (1)
   37         (c) A local government that issues building permits may
   38  send a written notice of expiration, by e-mail or United States
   39  Postal Service, to the owner of the property and the contractor
   40  listed on the permit, no less than 30 days before a building
   41  permit is set to expire. The written notice must identify the
   42  permit that is set to expire and the date the permit will
   43  expire. A building permit processed and approved by a local
   44  government under this section for a single-family dwelling may
   45  not expire before the effective date of the next edition of the
   46  Florida Building Code, which is updated every 3 years pursuant
   47  to s. 553.73(7)(a), regardless of whether the permit has been
   48  issued to or accepted by the applicant.
   49         Section 3. Present paragraphs (b) through (g) of subsection
   50  (1) of section 553.792, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as
   51  paragraphs (c) through (h), respectively, and a new paragraph
   52  (b) is added to that subsection, to read:
   53         553.792 Building permit application to local government.—
   54         (1)
   55         (b) 1. A permit application for the construction of a
   56  single-family dwelling in a jurisdiction for which a state of
   57  emergency was issued within the 24 months before the
   58  application, and which is signed and sealed with an attestation
   59  by an architect licensed under chapter 481 or an engineer
   60  licensed under chapter 471 that the plans in the permit comply
   61  with the Florida Building Code, is deemed in compliance with the
   62  Florida Building Code without further local government review.
   63  The local government must approve or deny such an application
   64  within 2 business days after receipt. This section does not
   65  preclude local government review for compliance with zoning and
   66  land use regulations.
   67         2. An attestation for such an application must include
   68  proof of the architect’s or engineer’s good standing with their
   69  respective applicable regulatory bodies and proof of insurance
   70  for professional liability covering all services performed in
   71  plans review under this section.
   72         3. A local government must be held harmless and indemnified
   73  from claims arising from plans review deemed in compliance under
   74  this subsection.
   75         Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.