New Statute Creates Safety Design Standards for Office Surgery Suites
HB 1175 (2026) was signed into law by Governor DeSantis and takes effect on July 1, 2026. The bill creates a new section in Florida’s Building Code Act, section 553.884, Florida Statutes, which governs safety design standards for office surgery suites and states as follows:
553.884 Office surgery suites; safety design standards.
(1) By January 1, 2027, the commission must establish within the Florida Building Code and the State Fire Marshal must establish within the Florida Fire Prevention Code, safety design standards that allow office surgery suites to provide the following services or treatment simultaneously for up to six patients on an outpatient basis:
(a) Treatment for patients that renders the patients incapable of taking action for self-preservation under emergency conditions without the assistance of others.
(b) Anesthesia that renders the patients incapable of taking action for self-preservation under emergency conditions
(c) Treatment for patients who, due to the nature of their injury or illness, are incapable of taking action for self preservation under emergency conditions without the assistance of others.
(2) Such standards must be an alternative to the safety design standards for ambulatory health care occupancies. For purposes of this section, an "office surgery suite" is that portion of a physician's office where surgery is performed.
While the statute calls for new regulations to be created by January 1, 2027, those building or designing office surgery suites should keep an eye out for those changes and be careful to account for those upcoming changes in contracts that may be signed in 2026 but performed in 2027.
About the Author
Jason Lambert is a Florida Board Certified Construction Attorney and Partner in the Construction Industry Practice Group at Hill Ward Henderson, in Tampa, Florida. He is also the founder and chief contributor to the Hammer & Gavel construction law blog. Jason focuses his practice on representing contractors, subcontractors, and materials suppliers throughout the state of Florida. Before law school, Jason spent a decade working in the construction industry, primarily as a project manager and operations director for both new construction and remodeling. He can be reached at jason.lambert@hwhlaw.com or 813-227-8495.
