Article
Courtesy of Florida Politics
By Jesse Scheckner
Published February 5, 2024
‘Condominium residents in Florida deserve to live in
competently managed and structurally safe buildings.’
Florida condo owners who want to strengthen their properties against
seasonal storms are one step closer to getting financial help from the
state.
The House Insurance and Banking Subcommittee voted unanimously this week to
advance a proposal (HB 1029) that would create the My Safe Florida
Condominium Pilot Program within the Department of Financial Services.
In essence, the bill would allow condo owners to benefit from grants now
afforded to owners of single-family homes and townhouses across Florida
through the My Safe Florida Home program, which lawmakers resurrected in
2022.
The Legislature has since set aside $433 million to help homeowners harden
their domiciles through roof, door and window reinforcement upgrades.
“This important piece of legislation will allow condominium associations, by
majority vote, to participate in this grant program and harden their
buildings in order to reduce their insurance premiums. Condominium residents
in Florida deserve to live in competently managed and structurally safe
buildings,” said Rep. Vicki Lopez, a Miami Republican who is co-sponsoring
the measure with Democratic Parkland Rep. Christine Hunschofksy.
The bill is one of several efforts Lopez is championing this Session to
strengthen condo safeguards in Florida. Another, which she calls “Condo 3.0”
and developed with Fleming Island Republican Sen. Jennifer Bradley, is also
progressing.
Hunschofsky told the committee Thursday that HB 1029 began over the summer
when Bradley and Lopez visited her district in northwest Broward County to
speak with more than 150 condominium residents.
“This work came out of that,” she said. “And it shows that when we’re in our
communities, when we’re listening to the people we are elected to serve and
when we’re willing to work together, we can get things done.”
Jennifer Ashton of the Florida Association of Builders signaled support for
the measure, which has two more committee stops before it reaches the House
floor.
An identical companion bill (SB 1366) by Sen. Nick DiCeglie, a St.
Petersburg Republican, is scheduled for a Tuesday hearing before the first
of three committees to which it was referred.
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