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Miami Herald
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Florida Legislature passes bill regulating construction cranes during hurricanes
Politics Florida Legislature passes bill regulating construction cranes during hurricanes Workers are seen in a basket suspended near part of a crane that sits atop 490 First Ave. S. building Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024 in St. Petersburg. The crane broke off and landed on the building during the high winds of Hurricane Milton. TNS After Hurricane Milton's winds brought part of a crane crashing into an office building in downtown St. Petersburg, new regulations could soon be required for construction managers during storms. Lawmakers near-unanimously passed a bill last week that requires all hoisting equipment for a construction project be secured no later than 24 hours before a hurricane's impacts. The move comes after a Times investigation last year revealed significant gaps in oversight for heavy equipment like cranes. Florida lawmakers more than a decade ago passed a law that prevented local governments from writing regulations for cranes, including measures regarding 'hurricane preparedness or public safety.' When it came to hurricane crane safety, there were 'really no requirements for crane operators to have a plan in place or anything to do with hurricane preparedness,' said Sen. Nick DiCeglie, R-Indian Rocks Beach. He and Rep. Fiona McFarland, R-Sarasota, championed SB 180, which also deals more broadly with hurricane relief and emergency preparedness. The bill passed on the final day of the regular legislative session. The legislation would leave in place the law that stops local governments from setting their own crane regulations. It instead creates new statewide requirements for crane safety. That includes ensuring that booms on hydraulic cranes are retracted, tower cranes are set in a weathervane position and all power at the base of cranes is disconnected ahead of a storm. Anyone who intentionally violates the law could be subject to administrative discipline, including having their business license suspended. Worksites also must have a hurricane preparedness plan for their crane available for inspection. The bill also requires the Florida Building Commission to put together a report on the best practices for using cranes during hurricane season by the end of 2026. The section of tower crane that toppled from The Residences at 400 Central in October pulverized a building on First Avenue South that housed the Tampa Bay Times, a law office and other businesses. The building still has a gaping hole. Gov. Ron DeSantis has yet to sign the bill. Shortly after the crane in St. Petersburg toppled, DeSantis held a news conference near the wreckage where he dismissed the need for additional oversight, saying, 'Do we have to regulate everything?' DiCeglie said it was important to strike a balance with the crane language because some regulation is the responsibility of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. In 2008, a group of contractors sued to challenge a local ordinance in Miami-Dade that regulated cranes, including regulations for hurricane preparedness. A federal judge sided with the contractors, who argued the ordinance was inappropriate because regulation belonged in OSHA's hands. But the court made clear that OSHA doesn't regulate storm requirements, said Carol Bowen, the chief lobbyist for the Associated Builders and Contractors of Florida, who was involved in the lawsuit. A few years after that decision, though, state lawmakers passed a bill banning local governments from creating their own safety rules for cranes, including for hurricanes. Two St. Petersburg Democrats this year tried to remove that preemption language, but their idea got little traction. Rep. Lindsay Cross, D-St. Petersburg, said she knew removing the local preemption wouldn't be popular with the construction industry. But she said, 'Sometimes you put something out there and use it to start the conversation.' Cross said she worked with McFarland's staff on the final bill and said the language was 'getting closer to where we need to be.' The Associated Builders and Contractors of Florida opposed removing the preemption because they want a uniform crane standard throughout the state, Bowen said. But she said the organization 'signed off 100%' on the final crane requirements. She said she thinks it's a great addition to the law. David Thompson, St. Petersburg's director of government affairs, on Friday told city council members that the bill's language was 'a vital first step in making our community safer' and said the city would keep trying to get 'stronger language' in the law. Tampa Bay Times reporter Colleen Wright contributed to this report.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Florida Legislature passes hurricane crane safety requirements after crash
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways TALLAHASSEE — After Hurricane Milton's winds brought part of a crane crashing into an office building in downtown St. Petersburg, new regulations could soon be required for construction managers during storms. Lawmakers near-unanimously passed a bill last week that requires all hoisting equipment for a construction project be secured no later than 24 hours before a hurricane's impacts. The move comes after a Tampa Bay Times investigation last year revealed significant gaps in oversight for heavy equipment like cranes. Florida lawmakers more than a decade ago passed a law that prevented local governments from writing regulations for cranes, including measures regarding 'hurricane preparedness or public safety.' When it came to hurricane crane safety, there were 'really no requirements for crane operators to have a plan in place or anything to do with hurricane preparedness,' said Sen. Nick DiCeglie, R-Indian Rocks Beach. He and Rep. Fiona McFarland, R-Sarasota, championed SB 180, which also deals more broadly with hurricane relief and emergency preparedness. The bill passed on the final day of the regular legislative session. The legislation would leave in place the law that stops local governments from setting their own crane regulations. It instead creates new statewide requirements for crane safety. That includes ensuring that booms on hydraulic cranes are retracted, tower cranes are set in a weathervane position and all power at the base of cranes is disconnected ahead of a storm. Anyone who intentionally violates the law could be subject to administrative discipline, including having their business license suspended. Worksites also must have a hurricane preparedness plan for their crane available for inspection. The bill also requires the Florida Building Commission to put together a report on the best practices for using cranes during hurricane season by the end of 2026. The section of tower crane that toppled from The Residences at 400 Central in October pulverized a building on First Avenue South that housed the Tampa Bay Times, a law office and other businesses. The building still has a gaping hole. Gov. Ron DeSantis has yet to sign the bill. Shortly after the crane in St. Petersburg toppled, DeSantis held a news conference near the wreckage where he dismissed the need for additional oversight, saying, 'Do we have to regulate everything?' DiCeglie said it was important to strike a balance with the crane language because some regulation is the responsibility of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration. In 2008, a group of contractors sued to challenge a local ordinance in Miami-Dade that regulated cranes, including regulations for hurricane preparedness. A federal judge sided with the contractors, who argued the ordinance was inappropriate because regulation belonged in OSHA's hands. But the court made clear that OSHA doesn't regulate storm requirements, said Carol Bowen, the chief lobbyist for the Associated Builders and Contractors of Florida, who was involved in the lawsuit. A few years after that decision, though, state lawmakers passed a bill banning local governments from creating their own safety rules for cranes, including for hurricanes. Two St. Petersburg Democrats this year tried to remove that preemption language, but their idea got little traction. Rep. Lindsay Cross, D-St. Petersburg, said she knew removing the local preemption wouldn't be popular with the construction industry. But she said, 'Sometimes you put something out there and use it to start the conversation.' Cross said she worked with McFarland's staff on the final bill and said the language was 'getting closer to where we need to be.' The Associated Builders and Contractors of Florida opposed removing the preemption because they want a uniform crane standard throughout the state, Bowen said. But she said the organization 'signed off 100%' on the final crane requirements. She said she thinks it's a great addition to the law. David Thompson, St. Petersburg's director of government affairs, on Friday told city council members that the bill's language was 'a vital first step in making our community safer' and said the city would keep trying to get 'stronger language' in the law. Tampa Bay Times reporter Colleen Wright contributed to this report.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Hurricane Milton crane collapse: Why city leaders say it wasn't taken down before the storm
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - On the night Hurricane Milton hit, Taylor Dove's biggest worry became a reality. "My heart kind of dropped to my stomach, because the entire night, the only anxiety I had was that the crane was going to fall," she said. RELATED: New questions over why crane fell during Hurricane Milton No one was hurt when the crane from the 400 Central construction site fell into an office building. Dove lives just a couple of blocks away. It raised a lot of questions from neighbors who wanted to know why it wasn't taken down before Milton slammed the city with winds of more than 100 miles per hour. "At first, I think it was incredibly frustrating. We felt like our leaders did not have our back," Dove said. Follow FOX 13 on YouTube What they're saying "People were scared, and I had to look them in the eye and say, 'right now, there is nothing that we can do to protect you,'" Council Member Gina Driscoll, who represents downtown St. Pete, said describing a recent community meeting. "That is a really tough thing for a city council member to have to do." Why you should care State law prohibits cities and counties from regulating cranes, even in hurricane season. St. Pete leaders said that needs to change. "There does need to be some reform at the state level and the Florida Building Commission that way we can have kind of a uniform, consistent approach with all the different jurisdictions in Florida," Don Tyre, the city's building official, said. Thursday, the St. Pete Public Services and Infrastructure Committee voted to draft a resolution that would repeal and replace the state's crane statute with something, city leaders said, as simple as requiring that cranes be designed to withstand the same wind speeds as the buildings they're attached to. PREVIOUS: St. Petersburg construction crane falls from high rise during Hurricane Milton Two state lawmakers also filed a bill proposing the repeal of the state's crane statute. "It feels nice to know that they seem to be going to bat for our community and trying to make sure that they can get the right laws into place to keep us safe," Dove said. "I think that in addition to getting the cranes to the same wind speed as the building, there needs to be a better notification system because it was literally paper fliers. It wasn't even posted on every door in our building." Driscoll agrees. "In some cases, it was just a sign on a wall, and hopefully everybody sees it. And the mayor in a press conference saying, 'maybe you want to go into a stairwell,'" Driscoll said. "You have folks who are caught off guard. They thought they were planning things right. Suddenly, they're scared." Dig deeper City staff said they now will ask contractors at the beginning of development to give them information about the cranes they plan to use, so they're more proactive about looking at those sites before a storm. They can't force contractors to give them that information, though, because of the state's law related to cranes. READ: St. Petersburg residents could face code violations amid hurricane rebuilds "That's something we've learned, and we will adjust that," City Administrator James Corbett said. "I do absolutely agree that we can notify residents when our project is in the initial stages that, 'hey, you have a project within your area, it has a crane. And if the crane were to fail, you potentially …,' we could tell them that in the beginning." With more and more cranes and buildings going up in St. Pete, Dove and Driscoll said changes are needed. "What if that had been a residential building? We can't stop it from happening, but we can try to do better to help residents prepare. And we can push really hard for some assistance on the state level," Driscoll said Thursday. "I can only imagine if that had been an apartment building. Someone would have died," Dove said. Friday, Driscoll said in a statement, "Keeping residents safe is a top priority, but without the ability to have regulations there is little we can do. I hope state lawmakers will take reasonable steps to change the building code and make construction sites safer for Floridians who live in these vulnerable areas." The other side FOX 13 asked Governor Ron DeSantis about crane regulations when he visited St. Pete after Milton. "I think the question is should there be more regulation or should there just be more common sense. I mean, do we have to regulate everything? I mean, I think most people take the cranes down. I know. Kevin [Guthrie], isn't that the standard practice? I don't think we've had to mandate that," DeSantis said in October. The Source The information in this story was gathered from St. Pete leaders, residents and previous FOX 13 News reports. WATCH FOX 13 NEWS: STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app:Apple |Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
