Building Requirements of Certain Structures

Plain English Breakdown

The bill did not pass and therefore has no effective date or further legislative action beyond its death in committee.

Building Requirements for Certain Structures

This bill requires the Florida Building Commission to set rules that certain buildings must have wind-resistant materials and meet impact resistance standards.

What This Bill Does

• Requires the Florida Building Commission to make rules about building envelopes (walls, roof, doors, windows) of specific structures.
• Specifies that these parts must be built with materials strong enough to withstand a wind speed of up to 160 miles per hour.
• Applies to multistory residential buildings and new homes near the coast or in hurricane zones.
• Includes rebuilt structures if they were damaged by wind, flood, hurricane, tropical storm, or fire.

Who It Names or Affects

• Builders of certain types of buildings in Florida
• Owners of properties that need to be rebuilt after damage

Terms To Know

Building envelope

The outer shell of a building, including walls, roof, doors, windows, and other exterior parts.

Wind-resistant materials

Materials that can withstand strong winds without breaking or failing.

Limits and Unknowns

• Does not specify what happens if a building does not meet the new requirements.
• The bill died in the Community Affairs committee, so it did not become law as of March 13, 2026.

Official Summary Text

Building Requirements of Certain Structures; Requiring the Florida Building Commission to require that the entire building envelope of certain structures meet the impact resistance requirements of the Florida Building Code and be constructed with wind-resistant materials designed and built to withstand a specified wind speed, etc.

Current Bill Text

Florida Senate
-
2026

SB 1218

By
Senator Rodriguez

40-00990A-26 20261218__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to building requirements of certain
3 structures; amending s. 553.73, F.S.; requiring the
4 Florida Building Commission to require that the entire
5 building envelope of certain structures meet the
6 impact resistance requirements of the Florida Building
7 Code and be constructed with wind-resistant materials
8 designed and built to withstand a specified wind
9 speed; providing an effective date.
10
11 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
12
13 Section 1. Subsection (21) is added to section 553.73,
14 Florida Statutes, to read:
15 553.73 Florida Building Code.—
16
(21) Beginning with the adoption of the 9th
e
dition of the

17
Florida Building Code, the commission shall require that the

18
entire building envelope, including exterior walls, roof,

19
outside doors, skylights, glazing, and glass block, of the

20
following structures meet the impact resistance requirements of

21
the Florida Building Code and be constructed with wind-resistant

22
materials designed and built to withstand wind speeds of 160

23
miles per hour:

24
(a) R
-
1 and R
-
2 multistory residential occupancies

25
containing sleeping units.

26
(b) New
residences constructed
within
5
miles of the

27
coastal
mean high-water line.

28
(c) New
residences constructed
in a high-velocity hurricane

29
zone.

30
(d) Buildings or structures designated or used as hurricane

31
shelters.

32
(e)
Rebuilt
buildings or structures that meet the criteria

33
in paragraphs (a)-(d) which are deemed uninhabitable or

34
destroyed by wind, flood, hurricane, tropical storm, or fire.

35 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.