HB 423 (LaMarca) and CS/SB 644 (Brodeur) do the following:

•Increase the minimum hours of training required in multifamily training programs for a fire safety inspector to qualify to take the building inspector or plans examiner certification exam.

•Allow those that have completed a four-year internship certification program with a private provider (instead of with a local government) to qualify to take the building inspector or plans examiner certification exam.

•Prohibit the Florida Building Code Administrators and Inspectors Board from requiring employment with a local government as a condition for the issuance of a provisional certificate.

•Clarify that applicants that use private providers can only be charged permit fees based on the costs actually incurred by the local government to process the permit.

•Require that local governments give private providers equal access to permitting and inspection documents. 

•Require building officials to issue occupancy or completion certificates within 10 days of a "deemed granted" certificate.

•Provides that a local government may not prohibit or restrict a property owner to obtain a building permit to demolish any single-family residential structure located in certain flood hazard areas provided that the permit otherwise complies with applicable building code requirements. (Branch)