Florida lawmakers pass bill for stricter condo safety requirements, heads to DeSantis’ desk

FLORIDA — After almost 100 people were killed in a Surfside condo collapse last summer, Florida lawmakers added condo safety to their list of priorities this special session, especially with more than two million Floridians living in condo units.

Legislators in both the House and Senate passed a bill that would require inspection of condos three stories and taller after 30 years (and 25 years if they’re within three miles of the coast), then every ten years from then on.

“When you live on an oceanfront condo like this, salt and air is constantly a problem, and you have to maintain it,” Jon McGowan said. He’s lived at his 17th Avenue Jax Beach condo for 20 years. It’s currently undergoing early, preventative renovations to protect its structure -- the exact kind of work addressed in Florida’s condo bill, McGowan explained.

“Surfside is a good example of what happens if you don’t maintain your building, and why the current legislation in Tallahassee is so important for certain buildings that haven’t been maintaining the way we have.”

The bill would also require condo associations to budget for repairs, starting in 2025.

“This is actually a project we had been looking at right before the collapse. It was time to get into it. When Surfside collapsed, we decided it was time to move forward,” McGowan explained.

He says the project costs close to $400,000 but is well worth it. “It’s worth spending the money to protect life,” he added.

The condo bill is headed to Governor Ron DeSantis to be signed into law.

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