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American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE): Florida Building Code, ASCE Resources Help Keep Florida Ready for the Next Storm
By Michael Olka, P.E., ENV SP, Senior Engineer for Lake County Public Works
Natural disasters, such as hurricanes, floods and tornadoes, present serious threats to human safety and property. For communities, ensuring that buildings are resilient to these hazards is not just about meeting minimum legal requirements—it's about protecting lives and minimizing economic disruption.
Preparedness includes planning for infrastructure durability, understanding risks, implementing engineering solutions, and adhering to relevant codes that regulate construction standards.
Florida, with its coastlines and frequent hurricane activity, faces the highest risk of damage from severe weather events. It is crucial for buildings in the state to be constructed in accordance with standards that reduce vulnerability to wind, flooding and other natural hazards.
To ensure the resiliency of Florida’s buildings, the Florida Building Code (FBC) was first established in 2002 to create uniformity and consistency in construction standards across the state of Florida. Before its creation, local jurisdictions followed their own codes, which often led to confusion and inconsistency in building practices.
The FBC was developed in response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Andrew in 1992, which revealed the inadequacy of building standards in Florida, especially in terms of hurricane resistance. After this event, there was a push for statewide standards to improve building safety, particularly for extreme weather conditions like hurricanes. The FBC covers everything from structural design to accessibility and energy efficiency, and it is one of the most comprehensive and stringent building codes in the country.
The FBC governs the design, construction and maintenance of buildings in the state and sets the minimum levels for performance and durability. Florida’s vulnerability to hurricanes and tropical storms necessitates a set of stringent requirements that prioritize the safety of buildings and infrastructure in the face of natural disasters. These codes focus on ensuring that buildings can withstand extreme weather conditions and remain structurally sound during and after a disaster.
Key Provisions of the FBC for Disaster Preparedness include:
Specifying Wind Load Requirements: The FBC mandates that buildings in hurricane-prone areas be designed to resist intense wind forces and wind-driven debris. By referencing ASCE-7, the code specifies wind load provisions based on factors such as geographic location, building type and height, ensuring structures can handle extreme weather. These provisions ensure that buildings can withstand the extreme wind forces experienced in hurricane-prone regions.
Flood-Resistant Design: Given the state's exposure to coastal flooding and heavy rains, the FBC requires buildings in flood zones to be elevated above base flood elevations. By referencing ASCE-24, the FBC provides detailed guidelines on elevating structures, choosing floodresistant materials and implementing techniques to minimize flood damage. The code also encourages construction techniques, such as flood barriers and watertight seals, to prevent water damage and ensure the building's integrity during flooding events.
Safety Systems and Backup Power: The code also ensures the inclusion of safety systems, such as backup generators and emergency lighting, for critical infrastructure like hospitals, shelters and emergency response centers. These systems help maintain operations during power outages caused by disasters.
Preparedness for disasters is not just about immediate response but also about ensuring that structures are built to endure and protect occupants in the long term. In Florida, the FBC and ASCE standards provide an essential foundation for disaster-resistant construction. By adhering to these guidelines, engineers, builders, and policymakers can mitigate the damage caused by hurricanes, floods and other natural hazards, reducing loss of life and economic impact.
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), in addition to creating the standards that are referenced in the FBC, has helped to establish the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI) to create a comprehensive sustainability framework and rating system suitable for use in civil infrastructure development.
ASCE encourages its members to participate in supplemental training and credentialing such as the Envision Sustainability Professional (ENV SP) offered by ISI. Student members of ASCE also compete in the ASCE Sustainable Solutions Competition at the Student Symposiums alongside the concrete canoe and steel bridge contests.
The ASCE Florida Section focused its 2024 conference on Resiliency with presentations that focused on disaster recovery projects in the state. The ASCE Florida Section has also hosted presentations about becoming a Structures Specialist (StS) for Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) National Urban Search & Rescue Response teams.
An additional resource that ASCE provides to communities is the Infrastructure Report Card, which is a report published every four years depicting the condition and performance of American infrastructure. The report assigns letter grades based on the physical condition and needed investments. This report is issued both nationally (https://infrastructurereportcard.org/) and for the State (https://infrastructurereportcard.org/state-item/florida/).
The National Report Card will be issued at the end of March, and the Florida Report Card will be issued by the end of 2025. Consider reviewing these reports to gain insights on the health and well-being of the infrastructure you rely on in your community.
