Press
Press and media
For reporters covering Florida's in-building firefighter radio rule: existing high-rises had to comply by January 1, 2025 under F.S. 633.202(18). In the last 24 months, 518 South Florida buildings had ERRCS / BDA permit activity and 40 of those jobs expired, stalled or were cancelled without a final inspection. Media contact: Gustavo Mitchell, gustavo@errcscheck.com, 561-541-8842.
Media contact
Gustavo Mitchell, ErrcsCheck (WhenLeads, a division of DV8 WEB LLC, Lake Park, FL) Email: gustavo@errcscheck.com Phone: 561-541-8842
We answer the same day. We can send a building count for any South Florida city, ZIP code or building type within a day. For technical questions about radio systems, we suggest you ask your local fire marshal or a licensed installer of your choosing; we are not engineers.
The story in one paragraph
Florida law requires buildings to carry firefighter radio signal inside, so fire crews can talk from stairwells, garages and upper floors. Existing high-rises had to comply by January 1, 2025. Public permit records in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach show 518 buildings with permit activity for these systems, known as ERRCS or BDA systems, in the last 24 months. 40 of those jobs expired, stalled or were cancelled without a final inspection, 116 are in progress, and 324 are finished and owe a yearly test. For condo associations already paying for milestone inspections and reserve studies, it is one more required cost. ErrcsCheck is a free guide with a building checker that shows owners what the rule says for their building.
Key facts
| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| The law | F.S. 633.202(18): buildings must meet the minimum radio signal strength for fire department communications set by the local fire marshal | Florida Statutes |
| Deadline for existing high-rises | Apply for a permit by January 1, 2024; comply by January 1, 2025 | s. 633.202(18)(a), F.S. |
| If cited | The owner gets at least one year from the notice of violation to finish the work | s. 633.202(18)(g), F.S. |
| Who is exempt | One- and two-family homes and townhouses; buildings under 12,000 sq ft with no underground area; some low-rise apartments and wood-frame buildings | s. 633.202(18)(h), F.S. |
| Coverage standard | Fire codes commonly ask for signal on 95% of each floor and 99% of critical areas such as stairs and elevator lobbies, at -95 dBm or better; the local fire marshal sets the level | Our IFC 510 guide |
| Re-checks | The fire marshal may require a coverage assessment of an existing high-rise no more than once every 3 years, with exceptions | s. 633.202(18)(c)2, F.S. |
| Citations reported | Fort Lauderdale cited 69 of its 484 high-rises for weak radio signal in November 2025 | Firehouse / Sun Sentinel |
Our numbers
| Miami-Dade | Broward | Palm Beach | All three | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buildings with ERRCS / BDA permit activity, last 24 months | 323 | 74 | 121 | 518 |
| Expired, stalled or cancelled without a final inspection | 22 | 9 | 9 | 40 |
| In progress | 85 | 19 | 12 | 116 |
| Finished, owe a yearly test | 192 | 43 | 89 | 324 |
Run of November 2, 2026. The city-by-city table, the week-by-week trend and the list of permit systems we read are on the permit report. An open or stalled permit does not mean a building breaks the law; the fire marshal decides. Broward and Palm Beach coverage is partial: see the report for which systems we can read.
News release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
518 South Florida buildings pulled firefighter radio permits in two years. 40 of those jobs expired, stalled or were cancelled without a final inspection.
A free building checker at ErrcsCheck.com shows condo boards and property managers what Florida's radio coverage law asks of their building, with the code section behind every answer.
LAKE PARK, Fla. Florida law required existing high-rises to bring firefighter radio coverage inside their buildings by January 1, 2025. Public permit records in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties show 518 buildings with permit activity for these systems, known as ERRCS or BDA systems, over the last 24 months. Forty of those jobs expired, stalled or were cancelled before a final inspection, 116 are still in progress, and 324 are finished and owe a yearly test. About eight buildings a week add a new permit record.
The systems carry fire department radio signal into stairwells, garages and upper floors, where concrete and glass can block it. In November 2025, Fort Lauderdale cited 69 of its 484 high-rises for weak radio signal, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Retrofits for large buildings commonly run into six figures.
"Most boards we hear from know about milestone inspections and reserve studies. Radio coverage is a separate rule with its own permit and its own yearly test, and it is easy to miss until a fire marshal asks," said Gustavo Mitchell, who runs ErrcsCheck. "We built the checker so a board can see what applies to its building before that conversation, not after."
ErrcsCheck publishes a weekly South Florida ERRCS Permit Report with counts by county and city at www.errcscheck.com/report/, a plain-English guide to Florida Statute 633.202(18), and a free building checker at www.errcscheck.com/check/.
An open or stalled permit does not by itself mean a building is out of compliance; the local fire marshal decides after a signal test.
About ErrcsCheck: ErrcsCheck is run by WhenLeads, a division of DV8 WEB LLC, 1335 Old Dixie Hwy Ste 27, Lake Park, FL 33403. Building owners never pay to use it. Licensed installers may pay for a weekly permit watch or for quote requests that owners choose to send. Details: www.errcscheck.com/legal/how-we-make-money/.
Media contact: Gustavo Mitchell, gustavo@errcscheck.com, 561-541-8842
How we are paid
Building owners never pay ErrcsCheck. Licensed installers may pay WhenLeads for a weekly permit watch, and for quote requests that owners choose to send them. Several installers can buy in each county. We are not a fire department, a government agency or an installer, and nothing on this site is endorsed by a fire marshal or the state. How we make money.
Corrections
If you find an error, email gustavo@errcscheck.com. We fix it the same day and log it on the updates page.
Sources
Primary documents we read for this page. Rules change; confirm with your fire marshal (AHJ).
- Florida Statutes 2026, section 633.202, subsection (18), The Florida Senate
- Fort Lauderdale cites 69 high-rises with weak radio signals, Firehouse (from the South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Related
South Florida ERRCS Permit Report
South Florida firefighter radio (ERRCS / BDA) permits by county and city: buildings, stalled jobs and finished systems. Updated every Monday.
Florida's ERRCS law in plain English
What Florida Statute 633.202(18) requires for in-building firefighter radio coverage, who is exempt, the 2024 and 2025 deadlines, and how retrofits work.
About ERRCSCheck
Who runs ERRCSCheck, how we research fire code radio rules, how the site makes money without charging owners, and how to report a correction.