Florida is its own market with its own code, its own licensing and its own wind rules. A1 works there with builders in Orlando, Tampa and Miami, including Texas builders taking their work east. Nick holds a Florida PE license.
One statewide code, with local differences
Texas builders are used to each city adopting its own code edition and amendments. Florida works the other way. The Florida Building Code applies statewide and is updated on a regular cycle, so a house in Kissimmee and a house in Clearwater are generally reviewed against the same base code. Electrical work follows the NEC edition the Florida Building Code adopts.
Local differences still show up. Counties and cities run their own permitting portals, have their own submittal checklists, and may add local requirements on top of the state code, especially in the coastal counties. The code is shared. The paperwork is not.
Wind and the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone
Wind drives a lot of Florida design. Across the state, sets are expected to show how the building handles wind loads, and reviewers look for it. In Miami-Dade and Broward, the Florida Building Code's High-Velocity Hurricane Zone provisions apply, with stricter structural requirements and closer scrutiny of products like windows, doors and roofing.
HVHZ structural work, along with any structural sheets or letters on a Florida job, goes through a licensed structural engineer in our network who is licensed in Florida. Electrical engineering on those jobs is Nick's. You send one set to A1 either way.
Where we work in Florida
| Region | Counties | Metro |
|---|---|---|
| Central Florida | Orange, Seminole, Osceola | Orlando |
| Tampa Bay | Hillsborough, Pinellas | Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater |
| South Florida | Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach | Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach |
If your job is in a Florida county not listed here, ask. The license covers the state.
Texas builders expanding to Florida
If you already build in Dallas-Fort Worth and you're taking on Florida jobs, a few things will feel different:
- The seal has to be Florida. A Texas PE seal doesn't carry over. Nick's Florida license means the same engineer can seal your electrical in both states.
- Wind is on every set. Plans that sailed through in DFW may come back asking how the design handles Florida wind loads.
- Product approvals matter. Windows, doors and roofing often need documented approval for use in Florida, and in the HVHZ the bar is higher.
- Moisture and corrosion. Coastal jobs bring salt air and humidity into equipment selection and location, including outdoor electrical gear.
- New portals. Each Florida county and city has its own submittal process. Permit support can take that off your plate while you learn the market.
How Florida jobs run
Most of the work is handled the same way as Texas jobs, digitally. Plan reviews, code-cited redlines, load calcs and letters come from A1 directly. When a job needs someone on site, the inspection is done in person by a Florida-licensed engineer in our network, and the report comes back through A1.
- Plan reviews and redlines: A1, cited to the Florida Building Code and the adopted NEC
- Electrical design, load calcs and seals: Nick Burton, PE, Florida license
- Structural and HVHZ structural: licensed structural engineer in our network, licensed in Florida
- On-site inspections: Florida-licensed engineer in our network, details on our inspections page
Adding heat pumps, EV chargers or generators is common in Florida remodels. For those, see PE electrical, which covers the load calc methods Nick uses.
Questions
Is Nick licensed in Florida?
Yes. Nick Burton holds a Florida PE license through the Florida Board of Professional Engineers.
Do you handle HVHZ jobs in Miami-Dade and Broward?
Yes. Structural work in the HVHZ goes through a Florida-licensed structural engineer in our network. Electrical on those jobs is sealed by Nick.
Who does inspections in Florida?
A Florida-licensed engineer in our network does in-person inspections. You still coordinate with A1, and the report comes through us.
We build in both Texas and Florida. Can one firm handle both?
Yes. Same process, same point of contact, with the seal from an engineer licensed in each project's state.
Do you have an office in Florida?
Our office is in Dallas. Florida reviews, calcs and letters are handled digitally, and site work is done by our Florida-licensed network.
Starting a Florida project or moving your work there? Send the set and the county, or call (214) 382-9584 to talk with Nick.