Florida's High Velocity Hurricane Zones

[jar546]

HIGH VELOCITY HURRICANE ZONE. This zone consists of Broward and Dade counties.

Seriously, what happened here? Why not Palm Beach County? How about Monroe County for crying out loud? I mean the Florida Keys is not in a high velocity hurricane zone?

 

[mtlogcabin]

At the time hurricane Andrew came through Homestead, Dade and Broward counties had their own building code which was more stringent than the SBCCI codes the state had adopted. They modified their code and created the High Velocity Hurricane Zone shortly after hurricane Andrew. Why you ask? Because they could and do it faster than waiting on SBCCI and the state to respond. Monroe and Palm Beach counties can adopt the more stringent Hurricane Zone if they choose.

Local Jurisdiction Building Codes Under strictly defined conditions, local governments may amend requirements to be more restrictive than the statewide Code. Any proposed local technical amendments are subject to strict criteria outlined in s. 553.73, F.S., and may not discriminate against materials, products or construction techniques of demonstrated capabilities. Proposed local amendments are subject to Commission review and adoption into the code or repeal during the triennial update and are subject to appeal to the Commission according to procedures established in s. 553.73, F.S. All local amendments to the Florida Building Code must be adopted by local ordinance and reported to the Florida Building Commission.

http://www.floridahousing.org/docs/default-source/aboutflorida/august2017/august2017/tab4.pdf