The Impact of Varying Wind Risk on the Economic Effectiveness of a Statewide Building Code

Abstract

As losses from natural disasters steadily increase, communities search for ways to increase resilience. The state of Florida enacted stronger building codes in 2002 as a way to limit losses from windstorms. This study uses realized insured loss data to examine the effect of the Florida Building Code (FBC) on windstorm losses. Further, we analyze the effectiveness of the FBC in different regions within the state. We find that overall the FBC passes a Benefit Cost test with the exception of the use of the higher cost option for impact protection.