This bill introduces several significant changes to Florida's laws regarding commercial construction projects. It creates a new section, 287.05702, which defines the term "awarding body" and establishes that any provisions in public construction contracts that attempt to waive a contractor's rights to recover costs or obtain time extensions for delays caused by the awarding body are void and unenforceable. Additionally, it mandates that such void provisions must be severed from the contract while allowing other provisions to remain effective. The bill also creates a uniform commercial building permit application that must be accepted statewide without modification, while allowing local enforcement agencies to require supplemental forms for specific projects.

Furthermore, the bill amends existing statutes to define "commercial construction project" and requires local enforcement agencies to reduce permit fees by specified percentages when private providers are retained for plans review or inspection services. If the agencies fail to comply, they forfeit the ability to collect any fees for the project. The bill also revises the list of products requiring statewide approval to include mitigation products. The effective date for these changes is set for July 1, 2026.

Statutes affected:
S 526 Filed: 553.842