Why Does Miami Dade Have The Strictest Codes? (Video)

“Hi, my name is Greg Batista here to answer another question from the internet.

StormSafe77 asks: Why are Miami-Dade and Broward codes stricter than the rest of Florida?

It all goes back to Hurricane Andrew in 1992. That Category 5 storm destroyed 63,000 homes and damaged another 124,000 in just a few hours. Investigations showed weak connections, poor inspections, and outdated codes contributed to the devastation. As a result, Miami-Dade and Broward adopted the High Velocity Hurricane Zone, or HVHZ, within the Florida Building Code. This requires impact-rated windows, stronger roof-to-wall connections, and stricter inspections than anywhere else in the U.S. Miami-Dade’s Product Control Approval is so respected that many states and even other countries recognize it as the gold standard. Stricter codes may raise costs upfront, but they’ve saved billions in avoided storm damage and countless lives.

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Authoritative references: FEMA – Hurricane Andrew Assessment; Florida Building Code HVHZ; Miami-Dade Product Control Division.

The author, Greg Batista, PE, CGC, SI is owner of G. Batista Engineering & Construction and is a nationally-recognized engineer and contractor with more than 35 years of experience and offices in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.