South Florida exterior lighting conditions
Exterior commercial lighting in South Florida has to handle sun, heavy rain, heat, and — near the coast — salt air. An IP rating describes dust and water ingress. It does not describe corrosion. Both have to be specified, and neither is a substitute for looking at the actual site.
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What does an IP rating actually say?
An IP rating is two digits. The first is solid-particle protection, the second is water. A wet-location parking-lot or facade fixture is typically chosen at a rating intended for rain, often discussed in the IP65 or IP66 range, depending on the exposure and the manufacturer’s listing. The number is not a quality score, and a higher number is not automatically the right product if the beam, the mounting, or the finish is wrong.
Interior dry rooms do not need exterior ratings. Putting an outdoor flood in a party room because the IP number looks serious is not a specification. Location rating follows the environment: dry, damp, or wet.
Why does salt air matter more than the IP number?
Salt air attacks finishes, fasteners, and dissimilar metals even when water is kept out of the driver. A sealed housing can still shed paint and seize screws. Coastal and near-coastal sites in Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade counties should call for corrosion-resistant housings and hardware, not only a water rating. How close “coastal” is depends on the site, not on a county name alone.
Avision does not publish a house brand or a coating system on this page. The project submittal is where the finish, the fastener spec, and the listing belong, after the exposure is known. The Sky Zone facade photos show a finished color wash; they do not document the housing material.
What else fails outdoors in this climate?
Heat shortens driver life when fixtures are buried in insulated canopies or aimed at surfaces that reflect sun back into the housing. Surge is a separate specification from IP. Wind load matters for poles. None of these are solved by choosing the brightest LED on a cut sheet.