MIAMI—It's a decision that attorneys say impacts most multifamily developers and builders in Florida. The Florida Building Commission recently granted a petition set forth by Robert S. Fine, shareholder at the Miami office of Greenberg Traurig, that clarifies new additions to the state's accessibility code.

The code was designed to ensure commercial buildings and other public facilities are accessible to people with disabilities and in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act's (ADA) architectural standards. But the vague language was being misinterpreted to impose the same stringent requirements on numerous new multifamily properties across the state that would not otherwise be covered by the accessibility code.

“With this decision, the code will continue to provide protection and access to those who need it and relief for multifamily developers and others negatively impacted by the confusion,” Fine says. “It will enable the code to be interpreted and enforced how its authors intended.”