Florida’s Building Code (8th Edition, effective December 31, 2023) adopted a higher wind-load design standard — ASCE 7-22 — meaning enclosures built before that date were engineered to a lower requirement than what’s required for new construction today. This doesn’t mean an older enclosure is unsafe, but it does mean a like-for-like replacement built to current code will be measurably stronger than what it’s replacing, particularly in Collier County’s 170 mph design wind zone and the equivalent high-wind zones across Lee and Charlotte counties.
What actually changed, and why
The 8th Edition Florida Building Code adopted ASCE 7-22 as its reference standard for wind-load calculations, replacing the older standard the previous edition used. In practical terms, this raised the bar for how much wind force new structures — including screen enclosures — need to be engineered to withstand. Code updates like this typically follow real-world storm performance data; Florida’s building code has a documented pattern of tightening wind requirements after major hurricanes expose where older standards fell short.
This is a code fact, not a marketing claim: any enclosure permitted after December 31, 2023 was required to meet the higher standard. Any enclosure permitted before that date was engineered correctly, for the standard that existed at the time — but that standard has since been superseded.
How to tell if your enclosure predates the update
The most reliable way is to check your enclosure’s original permit date, which is public record through your county’s building department (Lee, Collier, or Charlotte County, depending on your address). If your enclosure was installed more than a few years ago — and especially if you don’t have documentation of an engineering review since 2023 — it’s worth assuming it was built to the older standard until you confirm otherwise.
What “engineered to exceed code” actually means in practice
It’s not a vague quality statement — it means a specific structure has been calculated, by an engineer, to withstand a defined wind load at a defined design speed for your location, and that calculation is what a building permit is approved against. Most Florida enclosure framing runs 2 to 3 inches wide; RP Built’s Open View enclosures are built on a 4″ × 8″ aluminum beam specifically to meet or exceed this current requirement — removing the center support post doesn’t remove structural strength, it relocates that strength into a significantly larger beam. A Robert Palmer Contracting customer’s own Google review notes their enclosure “endured 100+ mph winds/gusts from Hurricane Ian” and held up.
What this means if you’re deciding whether to replace
An older enclosure isn’t automatically a safety problem, but if you’re already considering a replacement — because of age, storm damage, or wanting the open-view look — doing it now means building to the code that’s actually current, not the one your existing structure was built under years ago. See how Open View compares to a standard rebuild or talk to us about your specific property.