Tallahassee, FL — In its 2018 edition of Rating the States, the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) has ranked Florida #1 in building code protection, noting that Florida’s modern building codes are “highly effective in reducing the amount of storm-related damage.” This report comes after evaluation of 47 critical data points throughout hurricane-prone states. On a scale of 100 possible points, Florida earned a score of 95, standing out among US states in the IBHS analysis of three key areas: code adoption and enforcement, licensing, and building official training and certification.
ISF, Inc. developed and continues to support the Building Code Information System (BCIS) under the purview of the Florida Building Codes and Standards section of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR). Originally launched in 2000, BCIS houses a wide range of tools and information for building inspectors, contractors, builders, manufacturers, consumers, and the general public.
During ISF’s 18-year partnership with DBPR, BCIS has served Florida’s building community and its citizens, providing notable value to the State of Florida. The system streamlines access to formerly disparate processes into one central interface, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of licensing, regulation, and customer service. In the last fiscal year, BCIS has facilitated the following:
- Supporting the needs of 129,090 construction-related professionals located across Florida, the United States, and in some cases worldwide.
- Collecting over $10 million online through the BCIS credit card and electronic checks process.
- Collecting over $8 million in building permit surcharge fees.
- Issuing over 35,000 insignias to 119 manufacturers, schools, and other organizations for modular buildings.
- Submission of 1,524 product approval applications, including nearly 130,000 products.
The success of BCIS reflects ISF’s commitment to supporting DBPR in its mission to license efficiently and regulate fairly. ISF is proud to support this critical system as Florida takes its place as a national leader in building code protection.