After Michael: Updating Florida's Building Code to Better Weather Future Storms

Code requirements for wind resistance vary substantially across Florida, with less stringent building requirements in areas of the Panhandle hit hard by Hurricane Michael.

2 minute read

October 14, 2018, 9:00 AM PDT

By Philip Rojc @PhilipRojc


Florida - Hurricane Frances Approaching (2004)

Roger Wollstadt / Flickr

In Hurricane Michael's aftermath, it's devastatingly clear that structures in the storm's path were unable to weather a Category 4 storm. Florida code requirements are the most stringent in South Florida, Andres Viglucci, David Ovalle, Caitlin Ostroff, and Nicholas Nehamas report. However, "they taper down the farther north you move along the peninsula. In most of the Panhandle, the code requirements are significantly less stringent."

For instance, structures in Miami-Date County must be able to withstand winds of 175 miles an hour, while "along the stretch of the Panhandle hit hardest by Michael — including Mexico Beach, Apalachicola and Panama City — the design standard drops to as low as 120 miles an hour before rising gradually to 150 mph around Pensacola at the state's far western edge."

These discrepancies originate from the process used to develop the code, which takes into account storm history and the likelihood of future hurricane strikes in a particular locality. As the first known Category 4 hurricane to strike the area it did, Michael was an outlier that hammered home the need the revise rules.

Touring the hard-hit town of Mexico Beach, Governor Rick Scott suggested such revisions. "After every event, you always go back and look what you can do better. After Andrew, the codes changed dramatically in our state," Scott said. "Every time something like this happens, you have to say to yourself, 'Is there something we can do better?'"

Saturday, October 13, 2018 in The Miami Herald

View form second story inside Southdale Mall in Edina, Minnesota with escalators and model cars parked on downstairs floor.

The Mall Is Dead — Long Live the Mall

The American shopping mall may be closer to its original vision than ever.

March 21, 2024 - Governing

View of Austin, Texas skyline with river in foreground during morning golden hour.

The Paradox of American Housing

How the tension between housing as an asset and as an essential good keeps the supply inadequate and costs high.

March 26, 2024 - The Atlantic

Houston, Texas skyline.

Report: Las Vegas, Houston Top List of Least Affordable Cities

The report assesses the availability of affordable rental units for low-income households.

March 22, 2024 - Urban Edge

Aerial view of high-rise buildings on waterfront in Boston, Massachusetts

Boston Moves Zoning Reform Forward

The ‘Squares + Streets’ plan creates form-based zoning templates for neighborhoods that promote mixed use and denser housing near transit.

32 minutes ago - The National Law Review

Aerial view of Anchorage, Alaska downtown with mountains in background at golden hour.

Anchorage Leaders Debate Zoning Reform Plan

Last year, the city produced the fewest new housing units in a decade.

March 28 - Anchorage Daily News

Young man in wheelchair crossing zebra crosswalk.

How to Protect Pedestrians With Disabilities

Public agencies don’t track traffic deaths and injuries involving disabled people, leaving a gap in data to guide safety interventions.

March 28 - Governing

News from HUD User

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.