This bill amends section 553.80 of the Florida Statutes, which governs the enforcement of the Florida Building Code. It revises the requirements for local governments regarding the use of excess funds collected from fees associated with building code enforcement. Specifically, it stipulates that local governments must use any excess funds they cannot carry forward to either rebate and reduce fees, upgrade technology systems, or for training programs related to building code enforcement. The bill also introduces a provision that local governments are ineligible to receive state funds through local funding initiatives if they have been audited by legislative committees within the past year or fail to submit an affirmation to their legislative delegation confirming they are not under audit.

Additionally, the bill removes the previous allowance for excess funds to be used for constructing buildings that house local building code enforcement agencies. It mandates that each legislative committee report local governments that have been audited or have not submitted the required affirmation to the presiding officers and appropriations chairs. The effective date for this act is set for July 1, 2026.

Statutes affected:
S 1614 Filed: 553.80
S 1614 c1: 553.80