Florida Legislature on Wednesday signed off on proposed changes to condominium safety laws passed after the 2021 collapse of the Champlain Towers South building in Surfside that killed 98 people.
The measure (HB 913), approved unanimously by the House and Senate, is now headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has made changing the condo laws one of his top priorities of this year’s legislative session. The laws, passed in 2022 and tweaked in 2023, included requiring “milestone inspections” of older buildings and “structural integrity reserve studies” to determine how much money should be saved for future major repairs.
The proposed changes include:
Extending the deadline for structural integrity studies by one year.
Milestone inspections and structural reserve studies apply to buildings that have three or more habitable stories.
A temporary pause in reserve funding for two years immediately following a milestone inspection.
Allow associations to use lines of credit or loans to satisfy reserve obligations, if a majority of owners approve.
Require design professionals and contractors who bid on milestone inspections and structural integrity studies, to disclose if they intend to bid on related maintenance, repair or replacement work.
Deferred-maintenance expenses of more than $10,000 raised to $25,000.
The measure also addresses a variety of other issues, including condominium association managers and management companies.
Source: Tampa Bay Times
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