Florida Senate - 2025 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. SB 712
Ì270282!Î270282
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
Comm: RCS .
04/02/2025 .
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The Committee on Community Affairs (Grall) recommended the
following:
1 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
2
3 Delete everything after the enacting clause
4 and insert:
5 Section 1. Section 125.572, Florida Statutes, is created to
6 read:
7 125.572 Regulation of synthetic turf.—
8 (1) As used in this section, the term “synthetic turf”
9 means a manufactured product that resembles natural grass and is
10 used as a surface for landscaping and recreational areas.
11 (2) The Department of Environmental Protection shall adopt
12 minimum standards for the installation of synthetic turf on
13 single-family residential properties 1 acre or less in size. The
14 standards must take into account material type, permeability,
15 stormwater management, potable water conservation, water
16 quality, proximity to trees and other vegetation, and other
17 factors impacting environmental conditions of adjacent
18 properties.
19 (3) Upon the Department of Environmental Protection
20 adopting rules pursuant to subsection (4), a local government
21 may not:
22 (a) Adopt or enforce any ordinance, resolution, order,
23 rule, or policy that prohibits, or is enforced to prohibit, a
24 property owner from installing synthetic turf that complies with
25 Department of Environmental Protection standards adopted
26 pursuant to this section which apply to single-family
27 residential property.
28 (b) Adopt or enforce any ordinance, resolution, order,
29 rule, or policy that regulates synthetic turf which is
30 inconsistent with the Department of Environmental Protection
31 standards adopted pursuant to this section which apply to
32 single-family residential property.
33 (4) The Department of Environmental Protection shall adopt
34 rules to implement this section.
35 Section 2. Section 218.755, Florida Statutes, is created to
36 read:
37 218.755 Prompt processing of change orders.—Beginning on or
38 after July 1, 2025, if a local governmental entity receives from
39 its contractor a price quote for a change order issued by the
40 local governmental entity, and the price quote conforms to all
41 statutory requirements and contractual requirements for the
42 project, the local governmental entity must approve or deny the
43 price quote and send written notice of that decision to the
44 contractor within 30 days after receipt of such quote. Any
45 denial notice must specify the alleged deficiencies in the price
46 quote and the actions necessary to remedy those deficiencies. If
47 the local governmental entity fails to provide such information
48 on a denial notice, it is liable to the contractor for all
49 additional labor, staffing, materials, supplies, equipment, and
50 overhead associated with the change order. A contract between a
51 local governmental entity and a contractor may not alter the
52 local governmental entity’s duties under this section.
53 Section 3. Paragraph (d) is added to subsection (2) of
54 section 255.0992, Florida Statutes, to read:
55 255.0992 Public works projects; prohibited governmental
56 actions.—
57 (2) Except as required by federal or state law, the state
58 or any political subdivision that contracts for a public works
59 project may not take the following actions:
60 (d) Penalize a bidder for performing a larger volume of
61 construction work for the state or political subdivision or
62 reward a bidder for performing a smaller volume of construction
63 work for the state or political subdivision.
64 Section 4. Subsection (7) of section 489.505, Florida
65 Statutes, is amended to read:
66 489.505 Definitions.—As used in this part:
67 (7) “Certified alarm system contractor” means an alarm
68 system contractor who possesses a certificate of competency
69 issued by the department. The scope of certification is limited
70 to alarm circuits originating in the alarm control panel and
71 equipment governed by the applicable provisions of Articles 722,
72 725, 760, 770, 800, and 810 of the National Electrical Code,
73 Current Edition, and National Fire Protection Association
74 Standard 72, Current Edition. The scope of certification for
75 alarm system contractors also includes the installation, repair,
76 fabrication, erection, alteration, addition, or design of
77 electrical wiring, fixtures, appliances, thermostats, apparatus,
78 raceways, and conduit, or any part thereof not to exceed 98
79 volts (RMS), when those items are for the purpose of
80 transmitting data or proprietary video (satellite systems that
81 are not part of a community antenna television or radio
82 distribution system) or providing central vacuum capability,
83 surveillance cameras, or electric locks; however, this provision
84 governing the scope of certification does not create any
85 mandatory licensure requirement.
86 Section 5. Subsections (2) and (10) of section 553.73,
87 Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
88 553.73 Florida Building Code.—
89 (2)(a) The Florida Building Code shall contain provisions
90 or requirements for public and private buildings, structures,
91 and facilities relative to structural, mechanical, electrical,
92 plumbing, energy, and gas systems, existing buildings,
93 historical buildings, manufactured buildings, elevators, coastal
94 construction, lodging facilities, food sales and food service
95 facilities, health care facilities, including assisted living
96 facilities, adult day care facilities, hospice residential and
97 inpatient facilities and units, and facilities for the control
98 of radiation hazards, public or private educational facilities,
99 swimming pools, and correctional facilities and enforcement of
100 and compliance with such provisions or requirements. Further,
101 the Florida Building Code must provide for uniform
102 implementation of ss. 515.25, 515.27, and 515.29 by including
103 standards and criteria for residential swimming pool barriers,
104 pool covers, latching devices, door and window exit alarms, and
105 other equipment required therein, which are consistent with the
106 intent of s. 515.23. Technical provisions to be contained within
107 the Florida Building Code are restricted to requirements related
108 to the types of materials used and construction methods and
109 standards employed in order to meet criteria specified in the
110 Florida Building Code. Provisions relating to the personnel,
111 supervision or training of personnel, or any other professional
112 qualification requirements relating to contractors or their
113 workforce may not be included within the Florida Building Code,
114 and subsections (4) and (6)-(9), (6), (7), (8), and (9) are not
115 to be construed to allow the inclusion of such provisions within
116 the Florida Building Code by amendment. This restriction applies
117 to both initial development and amendment of the Florida
118 Building Code.
119 (b) By January 1, 2026, or the next update of the Florida
120 Building Code, whichever occurs first, the commission shall
121 amend the Florida Building Code to be consistent with the 2024
122 International Building Code that recognizes tall mass timber as
123 an allowable material for construction types IV-A, IV-B, IV-C,
124 and IV-HT.
125 (10) The following buildings, structures, and facilities
126 are exempt from the Florida Building Code as provided by law,
127 and any further exemptions shall be as determined by the
128 Legislature and provided by law:
129 (a) Buildings and structures specifically regulated and
130 preempted by the Federal Government.
131 (b) Railroads and ancillary facilities associated with the
132 railroad.
133 (c) Nonresidential farm buildings on farms.
134 (d) Temporary buildings or sheds used exclusively for
135 construction purposes.
136 (e) Mobile or modular structures used as temporary offices,
137 except that the provisions of part II relating to accessibility
138 by persons with disabilities apply to such mobile or modular
139 structures.
140 (f) Those structures or facilities of electric utilities,
141 as defined in s. 366.02, which are directly involved in the
142 generation, transmission, or distribution of electricity.
143 (g) Temporary sets, assemblies, or structures used in
144 commercial motion picture or television production, or any
145 sound-recording equipment used in such production, on or off the
146 premises.
147 (h) Storage sheds that are not designed for human
148 habitation and that have a floor area of 720 square feet or less
149 are not required to comply with the mandatory wind-borne-debris
150 impact standards of the Florida Building Code. In addition, such
151 buildings that are 400 square feet or less and that are intended
152 for use in conjunction with one- and two-family residences are
153 not subject to the door height and width requirements of the
154 Florida Building Code.
155 (i) Chickees constructed by the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians
156 of Florida or the Seminole Tribe of Florida. As used in this
157 paragraph, the term “chickee” means an open-sided wooden hut
158 that has a thatched roof of palm or palmetto or other
159 traditional materials, and that does not incorporate any
160 electrical, plumbing, or other nonwood features.
161 (j) Family mausoleums not exceeding 250 square feet in area
162 which are prefabricated and assembled on site or preassembled
163 and delivered on site and have walls, roofs, and a floor
164 constructed of granite, marble, or reinforced concrete.
165 (k) A building or structure having less than 1,000 square
166 feet which is constructed and owned by a natural person for
167 hunting and which is repaired or reconstructed to the same
168 dimension and condition as existed on January 1, 2011, if the
169 building or structure:
170 1. Is not rented or leased or used as a principal
171 residence;
172 2. Is not located within the 100-year floodplain according
173 to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s current Flood
174 Insurance Rate Map; and
175 3. Is not connected to an offsite electric power or water
176 supply.
177 (l) A drone port as defined in s. 330.41(2).
178 (m) Any system or equipment, whether affixed or movable,
179 which is located on property within a spaceport territory
180 pursuant to s. 331.304 and which is used for the production,
181 erection, alteration, modification, repair, launch, processing,
182 recovery, transport, integration, fueling, conditioning, or
183 equipping of a space launch vehicle, payload, or spacecraft.
184
185 With the exception of paragraphs (a), (b), (c), and (f), in
186 order to preserve the health, safety, and welfare of the public,
187 the Florida Building Commission may, by rule adopted pursuant to
188 chapter 120, provide for exceptions to the broad categories of
189 buildings exempted in this section, including exceptions for
190 application of specific sections of the code or standards
191 adopted therein. The Department of Agriculture and Consumer
192 Services shall have exclusive authority to adopt by rule,
193 pursuant to chapter 120, exceptions to nonresidential farm
194 buildings exempted in paragraph (c) when reasonably necessary to
195 preserve public health, safety, and welfare. The exceptions must
196 be based upon specific criteria, such as under-roof floor area,
197 aggregate electrical service capacity, HVAC system capacity, or
198 other building requirements. Further, the commission may
199 recommend to the Legislature additional categories of buildings,
200 structures, or facilities which should be exempted from the
201 Florida Building Code, to be provided by law. The Florida
202 Building Code does not apply to temporary housing provided by
203 the Department of Corrections to any prisoner in the state
204 correctional system.
205 Section 6. Paragraph (f) of subsection (1) of section
206 553.79, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
207 553.79 Permits; applications; issuance; inspections.—
208 (1)
209 (f) A local government may not require a contract between a
210 builder and an owner, any copies of such contract, or any
211 associated document, including, but not limited to, letters of
212 intent, material costs lists, labor costs, or overhead or profit
213 statements, for the issuance of a building permit or as a
214 requirement for the submission of a building permit application.
215 Section 7. Subsection (3) of section 497.271, Florida
216 Statutes, is amended to read:
217 497.271 Standards for construction and significant
218 alteration or renovation of mausoleums and columbaria.—
219 (3) The licensing authority shall transmit the rules as
220 adopted under subsection (2), hereinafter referred to as the
221 “mausoleum standards,” to the Florida Building Commission, which
222 shall initiate rulemaking under chapter 120 to consider such
223 mausoleum standards. If such mausoleum standards are not deemed
224 acceptable, they must shall be returned by the Florida Building
225 Commission to the licensing authority with details of changes
226 needed to make them acceptable. If such mausoleum standards are
227 acceptable, the Florida Building Commission must shall adopt a
228 rule designating the mausoleum standards as an approved revision
229 to the State Minimum Building Codes under part IV of chapter
230 553. When so designated by the Florida Building Commission, such
231 mausoleum standards shall become a required element of the State
232 Minimum Building Codes under s. 553.73(2)(a) s. 553.73(2) and
233 shall be transmitted to each local enforcement agency, as
234 defined in s. 553.71(5). Such local enforcement agency shall
235 consider and inspect for compliance with such mausoleum
236 standards as if they were part of the local building code, but
237 shall have no continuing duty to inspect after final approval of
238 the construction pursuant to the local building code. Any
239 further amendments to the mausoleum standards shall be
240 accomplished by the same procedure. Such designated mausoleum
241 standards, as from time to time amended, shall be a part of the
242 State Minimum Building Codes under s. 553.73 until the adoption
243 and effective date of a new statewide uniform minimum building
244 code, which may supersede the mausoleum standards as provided by
245 the law enacting the new statewide uniform minimum building
246 code.
247 Section 8. For the purpose of incorporating the amendment
248 made by this act to section 489.505, Florida Statutes, in a
249 reference thereto, subsection (2) of section 201.21, Florida
250 Statutes, is reenacted to read:
251 201.21 Notes and other written obligations exempt under
252 certain conditions.—
253 (2) There shall be exempt from all excise taxes imposed by
254 this chapter all non-interest-bearing promissory notes, non
255 interest-bearing nonnegotiable notes, or non-interest-bearing
256 written obligations to pay money, or assignments of salaries,
257 wages, or other compensation made, executed, delivered, sold,
258 transferred, or assigned in the state, and for each renewal of
259 the same, of $3,500 or less, when given by a customer to an
260 alarm system contractor, as defined in s. 489.505, in connection
261 with the sale of an alarm system as defined in s. 489.505.
262 Section 9. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.
263
264 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
265 And the title is amended as follows:
266 Delete everything before the enacting clause
267 and insert:
268 A bill to be entitled
269 An act relating to construction regulations; creating
270 s. 125.572, F.S.; defining the term “synthetic turf”;
271 requiring the Department of Environmental Protection
272 to adopt minimum standards for the installation of
273 synthetic turf on specified properties; requiring that
274 the standards take into account specified factors;
275 prohibiting local governments from adopting or
276 enforcing any ordinance, resolution, order, rule, or
277 policy that prohibits, or is enforced to prohibit,
278 property owners from installing synthetic turf meeting
279 certain standards on single-family residential
280 property of a specified size; prohibiting local
281 governments from adopting or enforcing specified
282 ordinances, resolutions, orders, rules, or policies
283 that regulate synthetic turf which are inconsistent
284 with specified standards; requiring the Department of
285 Environmental Protection to adopt rules; creating s.
286 218.755, F.S.; requiring local governmental entities
287 to approve or deny certain price quotes and provide
288 notice to contractors within a specified timeframe;
289 requiring denials to specify alleged deficiencies and
290 actions necessary to remedy such deficiencies;
291 providing that a local governmental entity that fails
292 to provide such information with a denial is liable to
293 the contractor for specified overhead; prohibiting
294 contracts from altering specified duties of a local
295 governmental entity; amending s. 255.0992, F.S.;
296 prohibiting the state or political subdivisions that
297 contract for public works projects from penalizing or
298 rewarding bidders for performing larger or smaller
299 volumes of construction work for the state or
300 political subdivisions; amending s. 489.505, F.S.;
301 revising the definition of the term “certified alarm
302 system contractor”; amending s. 553.73, F.S.;
303 requiring the Florida Building Commission, within a
304 specified timeframe, to amend the Florida Building
305 Code to recognize tall mass timber as an allowable
306 material for specified construction types; providing
307 an exemption from the Florida Building Code to systems
308 or equipment located within a spaceport territory
309 which is used for specified purposes; amending s.
310 553.79, F.S.; prohibiting local governments from
311 requiring copies of contracts and certain associated
312 documents for the issuance of building permits or as a
313 requirement for submitting building permit
314 applications; amending s. 497.271, F.S.; conforming a
315 cross-reference; reenacting s. 201.21(2), F.S.,
316 relating to an exemption from all excise taxes imposed
317 by ch. 201, F.S., for specified notes and obligations
318 when given by a customer to an alarm system contractor
319 in connection with the sale of an alarm system, to
320 incorporate the amendment made to s. 489.505, F.S., in
321 a reference thereto; providing an effective date.