Florida building codes are among the most stringent in the nation, and for good reason. Our buildings need to be able to withstand wind speeds of greater than 140 mph and handle a beating from sun, salt and water to boot. If you hire a construction firm with little to no experience in Florida, your project will greatly suffer. Here are two reasons why.

Florida Hurricane Codes

Building codes in Florida were significantly revamped after Hurricane Andrew devastated the area in 1992. Now the “High Velocity Hurricane Zone” in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties has the strongest hurricane provisions in South Florida. Buildings in Broward County must be able to withstand wind forces of up to 140 mph and Miami-Dade County buildings must withstand 146 mph wind speeds.

If your construction team is unfamiliar with local codes and regulations, this can greatly delay your construction project or prevent it from getting off the ground altogether.

Permitting Problems

Learning building codes and hurricane requirements is just one part of the construction puzzle in Miami and the tri-county area. There’s also the permitting component. Permitting in South Florida is significantly more complex than in other states like Texas or Louisiana – places that also get hit hard by hurricanes.

While builders in Houston or New Orleans may be able to get back to the job site relatively quickly, here in Florida, we need to navigate the permit process. This can be a slow and agonizing process if you don’t work with a local and knowledgeable construction team to help speed things up.

Contact us at Seacoast Consulting Group

At Seacoast Consulting Group, we know the process of building in hurricane-prone territories like Miami-Dade and Broward counties. We can help guide your project from start to finish while being mindful of realistic challenges like permitting or working through hurricane season to successfully complete your build.

To learn more about how we can help you and to set up a free consultation, get in touch with our team at Seacoast Consulting Group.