Pasco County Commission Chairman Jack Mariano wants to tighten building codes and is willing to halt new construction until that happens.

Mariano plans to bring proposals for fire-safety code changes to the full commission on Wednesday, Sept. 9, in Dade City, Tampa Bay 28 reported. The proposals could require attic sprinklers and lightning rods in new buildings. Mariano also floated a construction moratorium while the county reviews its codes.

"I will not be afraid to even suggest a moratorium until we can look at these codes to make sure whatever's going to get built is going to be safer," Mariano said.

The push follows an Aug. 20 fire at the Cobalt Apartments on Jermyn Loop in Wesley Chapel. A lightning strike ignited the four-story building's attic, where no sprinklers or fire-detection equipment were installed. The fire burned for roughly 25 minutes before anyone called 911, according to Pasco County Fire Rescue (PCFR) Chief Ryan Guynn.

The blaze destroyed about 90 units and displaced about 200 residents. No injuries were reported. Pasco County building officials later condemned the structure, citing a high probability of collapse. Six sections of the building have already collapsed, Mariano said.

The building met current code. That is part of the problem, Mariano said. The Cobalt Apartments had an NFPA 13R sprinkler system, a type of residential fire sprinkler system permitted under Florida code for buildings up to four stories, WTSP reported. Under that standard, attics and certain concealed spaces do not have to be protected by sprinklers.

Because the fire started above the detection systems, alarms never activated and sprinklers never engaged. Investigators are still examining why the alarms failed to sound. Mariano said one theory is that the lightning bolt knocked out the alarm box, but no final determination has been made.

Patrick Competelli, a former fire marshal with about four decades of experience, now inspects commercial properties at Tampa Bay Safety. He said current codes do not require lightning rods for buildings like the Cobalt Apartments. The state fire code weighs the cost of additional protections against the risk, he said, which is why neither attic sprinklers nor lightning rods were required.

The fire response drew five ladder trucks from Pasco County, one from Hillsborough County and one from Tampa, Bay News 9 reported.

Susan Hooper, a displaced Cobalt Apartments resident, said she lost irreplaceable belongings collected over nearly 53 years of marriage. She called for building codes to be changed.

Any new building standards would apply across Pasco County's unincorporated areas, including Land O' Lakes, Odessa and Lutz. A moratorium, if approved, could pause new construction permits in those communities. The meeting agenda has not yet been posted.

Residents can weigh in during public comment at the commission meeting in Dade City.