Don't Look Now, But the New 2023 8th Edition of the Florida Building Code is Already Taking Form - April 2022

Mike Silvers, CPRC, Owner of Silvers Systems Inc, and FRSA Technical Director

Recently I was told of an apartment reroof project with multiple buildings where the contractor may be faced with reroofing them again. For many of us, this is one of the worst possible situations we can imagine. For the contractor, who would need the net profit from as many as 10 to 20 similarly priced projects to cover the cost of the second roof, it is a nightmare. The reason the contractor is in this predicament isn’t because his work is subpar, it is because they were not aware of changes in the building code and other pertinent installation requirements. Anytime I hear of a situation like this, regardless of the size of the roofs involved, I can’t help but feel a little ill. This is a hard business to survive in and no one should have this additional burden to overcome. Today, it’s just not going to work using the “but we’ve always done it that way” excuse. Or the old “we always do more than the code requires.” Are you sure? If you don’t know what is required how can you assume you exceed it? Like it or not, things in our industry and elsewhere are changing at a very rapid pace. We need to take advantage of available technology and the information it allows us to access to stay abreast of the changes.

Fortunately, FRSA has many volunteers and staff members who are working hard to influence the changes that could negatively impact our members. We are also doing our best to inform you of both current and upcoming changes as well. The current 2020 7th Edition Florida Building Code (FBC) may have been one of the most impactful in several recent triannual code cycles. One of the primary reasons for this was the adoption of the then new American Society of Civil Engineers standard, ASCE 7-16, that added more roof zones (either 4 or 5 depending on roof configuration) and increased uplift pressures. Another was the new underlayment requirements of the so-called sealed roof deck changes, as well as many others. FRSA offered multiple online and live seminars, in addition to many articles outlining those changes. We hope you have been paying attention. Read more.