Florida Senate - 2022                                     SB 626
       
       
        
       By Senator Wright
       
       
       
       
       
       14-00843-22                                            2022626__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to standards for buildings and
    3         firesafety; amending s. 553.73, F.S.; providing for a
    4         contingent effective date of updates to the Florida
    5         Building Code; amending s. 633.202, F.S.; providing
    6         for a contingent effective date of updates to the
    7         Florida Fire Prevention Code; providing an effective
    8         date.
    9          
   10  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   11  
   12         Section 1. Paragraph (e) of subsection (7) of section
   13  553.73, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   14         553.73 Florida Building Code.—
   15         (7)
   16         (e) A rule updating the Florida Building Code in accordance
   17  with this subsection shall take effect no sooner than 6 months
   18  after the latest occurrence of the publication of the updated
   19  code, approval by the commission of energy rating software, or
   20  the publication of the updated Florida Fire Prevention Code
   21  pursuant to s. 633.202. Any amendment to the Florida Building
   22  Code which is adopted upon a finding by the commission that the
   23  amendment is necessary to protect the public from immediate
   24  threat of harm takes effect immediately.
   25         Section 2. Subsection (4) of section 633.202, Florida
   26  Statutes, is amended to read:
   27         633.202 Florida Fire Prevention Code.—
   28         (4) The State Fire Marshal shall update, by rule adopted
   29  pursuant to ss. 120.536(1) and 120.54, the Florida Fire
   30  Prevention Code every 3 years. Once initially adopted and
   31  subsequently updated, the Florida Fire Prevention Code shall be
   32  adopted for use statewide without adoptions by local governments
   33  and may take effect no sooner than 6 months after the latest
   34  occurrence of the publication of the updated Florida Building
   35  Code pursuant to s. 553.73, approval by the Building Commission
   36  of energy rating software, or the publication of the updated
   37  Florida Fire Prevention Code. When updating the Florida Fire
   38  Prevention Code, the State Fire Marshal shall consider changes
   39  made by the national model fire codes incorporated into the
   40  Florida Fire Prevention Code, the State Fire Marshal’s own
   41  interpretations, declaratory statements, appellate decisions,
   42  and approved statewide and local technical amendments.
   43         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022.