No. CS/SB 526
Filed under Development & Land Use.
Construction Regulations; Prohibiting a governmental entity that contracts for a public works project from taking certain actions; requiring the Florida Building Commission to adopt by rule uniform commercial building permit acceptance standards for a specified purpose by a specified date; requiring a local jurisdiction to include a certain reduction in the permit fee on its schedule of fees posted on its website; requiring nonresidential structures built in a flood zone after a specified date to have the lowest floor elevated above the required design flood elevation; revising the products requiring statewide approval to include mitigation products, etc.
Plain English Summary
AI-GENERATEDNew nonresidential buildings in a FEMA-mapped flood zone must raise their lowest floor above the required flood elevation, or be built water-resistant instead. This is a mandatory design choice for qualifying projects starting July 1, 2026.
A new statute voids public-works contract clauses that block a contractor from being paid, or getting extra time, for delays the government itself caused. It applies to contracts signed on or after July 1, 2026.
Local agencies can no longer price commercial permits above their actual review cost, and must cut that fee by 25-50% when an owner brings in a private plan reviewer or inspector, or forfeit the fee entirely.
The Building Commission must set statewide standards by the end of 2026 for what information a commercial permit application must contain. Any application that supplies it must be accepted, even without a state-mandated form.
AIA nonresidential structure built after July 1, 2026 in a FEMA-designated flood zone must raise its lowest floor above the required design flood elevation, unless it is built substantially impermeable to water and able to withstand flood forces below that line.
AIA new statute bars a governmental entity from enforcing a public-works contract clause that strips a contractor, subcontractor, or supplier of compensation or extra time for delays the government caused, including on days its delay overlaps with one the contractor caused. Notice, arbitration, and liquidated-damages clauses still stand. Applies to contracts signed on or after July 1, 2026.
AILocal enforcement agencies can no longer price commercial building permits using market rates, industry benchmarks, or comparable retail pricing. A fee must track only the actual, reasonable cost of reviewing, processing, and administering that specific permit.
AIIf an owner or contractor hires a private company for plan review or building inspections on a commercial project, the local agency must cut the permit fee by at least 25% for one service or 50% for both, and post that reduction on its online fee schedule. Missing the threshold costs the agency the entire permit fee.
AIPolitical subdivisions may no longer force more than 15% glazing on the ground-level ten feet of a new commercial or mixed-use building's primary facade, and cannot impose a glazing rule on any other facade or above that height.
AIBy December 31, 2026, the Building Commission must adopt statewide standards listing the information a commercial building permit application must contain, plus trade-specific standards for trades like electrical, HVAC, and plumbing. A local agency must accept any completed application that supplies that information.
AIMitigation products join panel walls, roofing, windows, and other categories that must go through the state's statewide product-approval process before they can be marketed or sold as hurricane, windstorm, or impact protection.