Bill extends deadlines, offers funding flexibility to help condo associations meet safety requirements
Florida lawmakers have approved a series of changes to the state’s condominium safety laws, aiming to ease financial pressures on condo owners while maintaining essential safety measures introduced after the 2021 Surfside condo collapse that killed 98 people.
On Wednesday, the Florida House and Senate unanimously passed House Bill 913, sending it to Governor Ron DeSantis, who has identified reforming condo regulations as a top priority for this year’s legislative session.
The original safety laws, passed in 2022 and adjusted in 2023, required “milestone inspections” of older, multi-story buildings and mandated “structural integrity reserve studies” to ensure sufficient funds for future repairs. These measures were introduced following the tragic collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside.
However, as condo associations rushed to meet the looming end-of-2024 deadlines, many imposed large assessments on owners, on top of their regular fees, to comply. Lawmakers say the new revisions respond to widespread concerns from residents about rising costs.
“This bill comes from a lot of listening to owners talk about how they know their building needs to be safe but pleading that the process be fair and workable,” said Sen. Jennifer Bradley (R-Fleming Island), who has led the issue in the Senate.
The bill extends the deadline for structural integrity reserve studies by one year, pushing it beyond the original December 31 cutoff. Bradley noted that many condo associations are “struggling to meet” the current timeline.
Other changes include clarifying that inspections and reserve studies apply to buildings with three or more habitable stories (where the current law ambiguously applies to “three stories or more”) and allowing a two-year temporary pause in reserve funding immediately following a milestone inspection. Condo associations would also be permitted to use lines of credit or loans to meet reserve obligations if a majority of owners approve.
“With each milestone inspection, our condos are becoming safer, but financial impacts are reverberating,” Bradley told the Tampa Bay Times. “Our commitment remains steadfast to assist condo owners who have absorbed a tremendous amount of change.”
The bill represents a compromise between House and Senate versions and addresses additional issues, including reporting requirements for local officials and new disclosure rules for architects, engineers, and contractors bidding on related work.
Sen. Nick DiCeglie, R-Indian Rocks Beach, whose district contains hundreds of condo associations, called it “one of the most important pieces of legislation” this year.
“Folks are hurting financially,” he said. “They are up against making decisions of whether or not they are going to leave the dream called Florida. Safety is also at the forefront of this issue. It is so incredibly difficult to balance that.”
Read more: Florida condo owners flee market as expenses spiral
Sen. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart, praised the legislation as an evolution of past efforts.
“We had two condos in my district that were on the verge of falling down,” she said. “You have really saved lives along the way, but you’ve also listened.”
In the House, Rep. Vicki Lopez, R-Miami - nicknamed the “condo queen” by colleagues - called the legislation an “incredible bill” that provides needed financial relief.
“We have tried to reach that delicate balance between the safety of our constituents as well as understanding the incredible financial impact that sometimes these particular bills that we passed have,” Lopez said.
Stay updated with the freshest mortgage news. Get exclusive interviews, breaking news, and industry events in your inbox, and always be the first to know by subscribing to our FREE daily newsletter.
