SB 526 Florida Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Construction Regulations

Summary

Construction Regulations; Prohibiting a governmental entity that contracts for a public works project from taking certain actions; requiring the Florida Building Commission to adopt by rule uniform commercial building permit acceptance standards for a specified purpose by a specified date; requiring a local jurisdiction to include a certain reduction in the permit fee on its schedule of fees posted on its website; requiring nonresidential structures built in a flood zone after a specified date to have the lowest floor elevated above the required design flood elevation; revising the products requiring statewide approval to include mitigation products, etc.

Bill status died 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Last action Mar 13, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

S 526 Filed → S 526 c1 · 7 edits

MODERATE

The bill was revised from a general 'Commercial Construction Projects' title to a broader 'Construction Regulations' title, expanding its scope beyond just commercial buildings to include all public works projects and nonresidential structures. The revision adds new protections for contractors on public works contracts, introduces stricter rules on permit fee calculations based on actual costs, and establishes new requirements for floodproofing nonresidential buildings in flood zones.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from exclusively commercial construction projects to include all public works projects and nonresidential structures in flood zones, while retaining provisions for commercial construction.

SCOPE

Added new Section 1 prohibiting governmental entities from enforcing contract provisions that limit contractor rights to compensation or time extensions for delays caused by the government.

REQUIREMENT

Added Section 6 requiring nonresidential structures built in flood zones after July 1, 2026, to elevate their lowest floor above the required design flood elevation, with limited exceptions for impermeable structures.

Changed permit fee reduction requirements for private providers from fixed percentages (50% and 75%) to a requirement that fees be reduced by the actual cost savings realized by the agency.

Added Section 8 requiring the Florida Building Commission to incorporate specific National Electrical Code standards for pool construction into the Florida Building Code by December 31, 2026.

Added restrictions prohibiting political subdivisions from imposing glazing requirements on the primary facade of new commercial construction for the first 10 feet above ground level.

TIMELINE

Extended the deadline for the Florida Building Commission to adopt uniform commercial building permit acceptance standards from July 1, 2026, to December 31, 2026.

DEFINITION

Added new definitions for 'concurrent delays' and 'governmental entity' to clarify protections against unfair contract terms.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 3, 2026

Upper · Passed

Pending reference review under Rule 4.7(2) - (Committee Substitute)

upper

Jan 28, 2026

Upper · Passed

On Committee agenda-- Governmental Oversight and Accountability, 02/02/26, 3:30 pm, 110 Senate Building

upper

Jan 13, 2026

Introduced

upper

Jan 13, 2026

Upper · Passed

Favorable by Community Affairs; YEAS 8 NAYS 0

upper

Jan 8, 2026

Upper · Passed

On Committee agenda-- Community Affairs, 01/13/26, 1:30 pm, 37 Senate Building

upper

Dec 1, 2025

Committee

Referred to Community Affairs; Governmental Oversight and Accountability; Rules

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors