International Code Council Board of Directors President Stephen D. Jones, CBO, officially opened ICC's 2014 Annual Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. "The great state of Florida and its jurisdictions show support for building safety and code officials in many ways," Jones said. "The state supports life safety in the built environment through strong building codes, its many disaster mitigation programs and requirements for licensed construction industry professionals. Florida has the longest coastline in the contiguous United States, encompassing approximately 1,350 miles. Since 1851, only 18 hurricane seasons passed without a known storm impacting the state. Strong building codes, knowledgeable design professionals, competent contractors and well-trained building code professionals have created a strong building code system protecting Florida residents and the many visitors who journey to the state each year."
The Code Council's Honorary Members and Master Code Professionals and were also recognized during the Opening Session, as well as Members of the Building Officials Association of Florida for their role in planning and making the Conference possible.
Recognized by numerous organizations for his outstanding work as a lawyer, legislator, volunteer and community advocate, the Honorable John P. "Jack" Seiler, Mayor of Fort Lauderdale, addressed conference attendees. Mayor Seiler served six years in the state House of Representatives prior to his election as Mayor. His commitment to public service includes serving on the Boards of Directors of the Florida League of Cities and the Orange Bowl Committee, as well as the Fort Lauderdale Federal Courthouse Committee and the South Florida Super Bowl Host Committee. Under the Mayor's leadership, Fort Lauderdale includes code enforcement and building permit activity as "big data" in its first-of-a-kind crime prevention program. The idea is to better position the city to evolve from a jurisdiction that responds to crime, to one that has the skills and operational resources to prevent crime before it happens.
In recognition of another ICC milestone, President Jones remarked on the 20-year anniversary of the birth of the International Code Council. "Last year, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the consolidation of the operational side of our legacy organizations into the International Code Council," Jones said. "This year, we celebrate the 20-year anniversary of the birth of the ICC, which was created in 1994, 20 years ago, with a focus to develop a single set of comprehensive, coordinated model construction codes that could be used throughout the United States and around the world. Good things take time. ICC was in existence for nine years before it began operating as a consolidated association in 2003."
"At the Public Comment Hearings this week, we will accomplish yet another milestone," Jones continued. "The 2015 International Green Construction Code will be the first I-Code to be completely developed using cdpACCESS. Once again, our association is a leader among its peers. We looked into the future and found a way to increase participation in the code development process while reducing travel and other costs associated with code development for all participants." |
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| Presentation of the colors by soldiers from the 766th Engineer Company, U.S. Army Reserves based in Fort Lauderdale. Among its many duties, the Company participates in Ardent Sentry to prepare and respond to natural disasters. |
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| The national anthem of the United States of America sung by vocalist Julia Dale. The 13-year-old Dale has performed the Star Spangled Banner at the National Basketball Association Finals, which was televised nationally, and at regular season Miami Heat and the Miami Marlins games. |
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| International Code Council Board of Directors President Stephen D. Jones welcomes attendees during the Opening Session. |
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| John P. "Jack" Seiler, Mayor of Fort Lauderdale, addresses conference attendees. |
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| Bob LaCosta, Construction Official, Township for Scotch Plains, N.J., reviews fire safety/evacuation procedures as one of the honorary crowd control co-leaders. |
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