A Day in the Life of a County Building Official: Miami-Dade County

Most city building officials oversee the permit and inspection process of commercial and residential properties, but the job of a county building official can be a bit more extensive. In Miami-Dade County, Deputy Building Official Sergio Ascunce manages the permit process for all airports and seaports within the county. 

“That is quite unique,” said Ascunce. “Our largest airport is Miami International Airport, one of the largest in the U.S. This airport facility is huge, they are constantly renovating, they are constantly adding. They have large projects that are coming in the next few years that have costs going into the billions of dollars.” 

To keep up, the Miami-Dade County building department has built a satellite office within the airport. 

“It’s tailored for their needs,” Ascunce continued. “We have a set of staff there that processes and reviews their permits. They do the inspections from that office. We’re able to meet with airport facility contractors there onsite, so we have that office specifically to cater to the airport. It’s an everyday operation as far as keeping that staff active. There are also three smaller regional airports in Miami-Dade; they don’t have as much activity, but we service them as well.” 

Safety, Differing Materials and More 

On the surface, airport permitting may not seem that different from other construction projects. Plans are reviewed, permitted and buildings are ultimately inspected in a similar manner. But airports come with additional requirements from both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which regulates aviation, and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which oversees security for all modes of transportation. There are also airport-initiated design guidelines that go above and beyond the minimum code requirements. 

“We see millions of people come through the airport every year and there is jet fuel all around,” said Ascunce. “Airplanes are parked relatively close to the building itself and connected by the jet bridge. There’s a lot of consideration for safety in a facility like that. They have a guideline they have developed over a decade that enhances the standard codes, the base codes.” 

Design professionals are given these guidelines for both new construction projects and remodels, but with a building as complex as an airport, Ascunce works hard to ensure that everyone is on the same page. This is easier said than done.

In a simple example involving piping, Ascunce noted how the code states that regular PVC is sufficient. However, the airport guidelines state that copper must be used instead. If contractors aren’t reading the guidelines correctly or do not understand them, problems are bound to occur. Then, when the inspections are completed, the contractors discover that they cannot use PVC. Ascunce and his team must then explain why copper is required. 

This very confusion – and the goal to eliminate issues going forward – is part of the reason why Miami-Dade placed a satellite office within the airport. This allows the building department to more easily hold meetings with the contractor and/or designer at the start of a project. These meetings are used to better prepare designers for the challenging, and sometimes confusing, work that comes with airport construction. 

“Likewise for the contractors,” said Ascunce. “Prior to a project breaking ground, we try to meet with the contracting team and go over the plans, make sure they understand the requirements and what their role is for the project. That helps minimize delays because obviously, for all these projects, their lead time to get to that point is long. Then they want to build these things quickly so they can occupy them and make use of it. A lot of times, airlines are waiting for these additional facilities to be built to expand their services. So, when it gets to our hands, we make sure that things are streamlined, and everyone works hand in hand for a successful project.” 

A Critical Pathway for Tourism and Commerce 

As assembly buildings, seaports are used by thousands of passengers every month and are designed and built to meet some of the most rigorous requirements of the building codes. 

Ascunce said they are plan reviewed for compliance, permitted and followed by onsite inspections just like airports and other buildings. These tasks are managed by the same specialized team that works from the airport satellite office. 

“Seaport buildings are generally a bit more complicated in design and code compliance than the ordinary building,” Ascunce explained. “One unique aspect is their compliance with flood regulations. Due to their proximity to the sea, seaport buildings are generally built at sea level. Designing and elevating buildings for localized flooding, or even storm surge from an incoming hurricane, becomes a challenge for the designer as well as for the building official. [Another] difference is that airports are a mode of transportation [while] cruise terminals [serve as] the start of what is hoped to be a great vacation. The port buildings are built to process passengers leaving on a cruise ship much like passengers boarding airplanes.” 

Seaports aren’t limited to passengers alone – they also provide a critical pathway for container ships and open the economy to more than $117 billion in economic value. This is yet another area in which Ascunce’s job differs from that of a traditional building official. 

“The seaport is one of the most popular for tourism and distribution of goods in the U.S.,” Ascunce added. “It sees lots of tourism from south Florida as well as from nearby geographical locations. The cargo section of the seaport is one of the busiest, bringing in merchandise and products from around the world for local and logistical distribution throughout Florida.” 

Tackling County-Specific Challenges 

In addition to airports and seaports, the Miami-Dade County Building Department also has jurisdiction over all county buildings, as well as some agricultural buildings. The latter group has created unanticipated challenges as agritourism increased in popularity. 

As farmers look for new ways to generate revenue, some have opened their pole barns and other properties to weddings and other large gatherings. For traditional farmers, they may conduct their normal farming activities during the week and rent their venue once a week or once a month. The laws in Florida have evolved to account for this activity and allow farmers to use their pole barns to host these events even though they were not permitted as assembly areas. 

Ascunce said that this has created new challenges as entrepreneurs catch on to the success of agritourism and attempt to take advantage of laws that were intended for genuine farmers. 

“They want to build buildings that cater partly to farm operations but also partly to tourism and the generation of additional revenues,” said Ascunce. “They want to create something different from producing a crop. They say, ‘We’re going to install beehives and harvest honey and make it into wine or beer.’ Yes, honey is a farm product in Florida, but that line has become really, really vague. Are you building a building that should be exempt from the [assembly area requirements]? That is one very unique circumstance the county must deal with as far an application of the building code and state law.” 

To learn more about the differing career opportunities available in the building safety industry, visit the International Code Council’s Safety 2.0 webpage here.