BASF: advocate for safe, affordable homes

South Florida CEO,  Oct, 2004  by Richard Westlund

Tags: BASF AG

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Nearly half a century ago, another powerful hurricane slammed into South Florida. It was Sept. 10, 1960, when Hurricane Donna's 135-mph winds ripped through the Keys and its center passed 60 miles west of Miami, pummeling the city with a powerful storm surge and heavy rainfall.

As Donna headed north--becoming the only hurricane on record to produce hurricane-force winds in Florida, the Mid-Atlantic states and New England--the Builders Association of South Florida (BASF) and civic leaders in Miami-Dade County discussed ways to ensure that future homes would be of stronger construction. The result was a tougher new building code.

"After Hurricane Donna struck South Florida, Dade County adopted the first hurricane-related provisions to its building code, and our association actively participated in that process," says Truly Burton, BASF's current government affairs director for Miami-Dade County. "Because our members take pride in their work and want consumers to live in a safe structure, in many cases they build over and above the current codes."

Providing safe, affordable shelter for South Florida's growing population has been a priority for the association since its founding in 1944. Working closely with Broward and Miami-Dade government leaders, and teaming with the Florida Home Builders Association (FHBA) in Tallahassee. BASF has been an effective advocate for the region's construction industry, which serves the constantly growing South Florida population.

"BASF's legislative team has helped to make homes safer and more affordable, helping to make the American dream of ownership come true for more South Floridians," says Toni Pacelli-Hinkley, BASF's executive vice president. "That's been a fundamental part of our mission for 60 years."

Immediately after World War II, and after the founding of BASF, the Association's mission was to help build homes for the thousands of returning soldiers looking to start their families in South Florida. Thousands of homes were built during this era and were financed with the relatively new Fair Housing Act (FHA) and Veterans Administration (VA) mortgage loan programs.

During the World War II era, for instance, BASF focused on ensuring quality home building without adding to contractors' costs. From 1947 to 1948, a nationwide shortage of materials pushed local home prices quickly up from the $6,000 to $7,000 range, making them less affordable to families moving to Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

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Protecting Homebuyers

By the early 1970s, Florida developers were cashing in on the latest trend: multifamily condominiums sold to retirees or seasonal visitors. However, at that time, there was virtually no regulation on sales, and buyers had little effective recourse for their grievances.

"BASF was one of the organizations advocating new rules for developers," BASF's Burton says. In concert with the Florida Home Builders Association, BASF members were part of a task force that established the state's laws governing condominium development, as this was almost exclusively a South Florida housing concept at that time.

"The legislature's passage of the condominium law in 1972, which imposed stricter rules for developers, was a big win for consumers. On a statewide level, builders understand the importance of making sure that regulation is fair for everyone without being overly burdensome on the industry," she says.

Following Hurricane Andrew in August 1992, BASF supported hurricane-hardening amendments to the Miami-Dade and Broward county building codes, which today are the strongest in the nation. Since 1994, the safety-enhancing features of the code have been gradually expanded, and now include requirements for storm shutters or impact-resistant glass on new homes, concrete and steel bar reinforcements to a home's exterior corners, heavier and thicker plywood roofing materials, and additional nails in the straps that hold roof trusses to the frame of a house. The revised code also prohibits the use of materials that did not stand up to Andrew's powerful winds.

"Unlike prior building codes, the current rules focus on a home's overall performance--how well the structure, as a whole can withstand the impact of a hurricane," Burton says. Today, homes in Miami-Dade County must be built to resist winds up to 146 mph, and in Broward to withstand winds up to 140 mph.

BASF's advocacy of safer homes extends beyond the region through support of a stronger statewide building code. "We believe in doing the right thing for consumers and we will continue to support those changes," Burton says. "As we move toward national building standards, such as the International Residential Code (IRC), we will strive to maintain all the South Florida hurricane hardening requirements."

Since the 1980s, BASF has also turned its attention to accelerating county government's review of building plans, permit approvals and home inspections, according to Burton. "We have encouraged Miami-Dade County to speed up its processes," she says. "A difficult permitting process encourages inexperienced 'weekend warriors' to attempt to do major remodeling project or additions themselves. That increases the risk of an unsafe structure and a potential injury to the owner."