Condos would be eligible for home hardening grants if Legislature agrees

Ron Hurtibise, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Updated ·3 min read

Since Florida began making thousands of dollars available to single-family homeowners for storm-hardening improvements, condominium owners have wondered why they were left out.

That could change on July 1 if a bill introduced to the Florida House of Representatives on Wednesday is enacted during the upcoming legislative session that begins on Jan. 9.

The proposed My Safe Florida Condominium Pilot Program would make inspections and grants available to condo associations and unit owners for improvements similar to those funded under the existing My Safe Florida Home Program:

  • Wind-resistant windows and exterior doors, including garage doors

  • Reinforcing roof-to-wall connections

  • Improving the strength of roof-deck attachments

  • Secondary water barrier for roofs

Typically, the three roof-related improvements require replacement of the entire roof covering and underlying materials as needed.

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Broward County Rep. Christine Hunschofsky is co-sponsoring the bill with Miami-Dade Rep. Vicki Lopez.

In an interview, Hunschofsky said the bill is similar to a proposal she made during last November’s special legislative session to expand the My Safe Florida Home program to include condos.

In November, the Legislature authorized $176 million on top of $225 million previously committed to the program. In his budget proposal, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced plans to seek $107 million for the program on a recurring basis, beginning in 2024.

Hunschofsky said her amendment was shot down in November, but legislative leaders urged her to file a separate bill during the 2024 session.

At a Town Hall meeting in July attended by Lopez and Sen. Jennifer Bradley, condo unit owners complained about sharply rising costs and being excluded from the My Safe Florida Home program, Hunschofsky said.

“They’re being squeezed in so many different directions,” she said. “I don’t see why they shouldn’t be able to take advantage.”

Condo owners, she said, “are also homeowners who have been impacted by increased property insurance costs and the structural reserve requirement that went into effect after (the) Surfside (condo building collapse).”

The bill does not include an amount of funding for the pilot program or maximum grants for unit owners or condo associations. It states that dollar amounts would be set in the state’s General Appropriations Act.

Hunschofsky said she hopes allowable grant amounts will match what she proposed in the amendment: $2,500 per unit if sought for a project that benefits an entire association or $500,000. Improvements for individual condominium units would be eligible for $5,000 each.

Unlike the My Safe Florida Home program, individual unit owners would not be able to apply for grants on their own. Participation would require a favorable vote by association governing boards or eligible unit owners. Unanimous approval would also be required of all unit owners within the structure or building “that is the subject of the mitigation grant,” the bill states.

The program would be operated by the Department of Financial Services, which oversees the My Safe Florida Home program.

The department would contract with licensed inspection teams to determine what measures would be needed to improve condo buildings’ ability to withstand damage from windstorms.

Once those improvements are identified, the association would select a contractor. After the project is completed, a final inspection would take place and the state would reimburse associations $2 for every $1 spent, up to the maximum allowable grant.

Devin Geletta, spokesman for the Department of Financial Services, said the proposed legislation is under review by the department.

“The My Safe Florida Home program exists to help Floridians harden their homes against storms and reduce insurance premiums, and the Department looks forward to continuing to work with the legislature this session towards that goal,” Galetta said in an email.

Travis Moore, lobbyist for the Community Associations Institute, a trade group, said the organization supports expansion of the program and expects it to be introduced in other upcoming bills as well.

“CAI believes that homeowners should get the benefit of this good state program whether the home they are hardening is in a single-family detached home or a unit in a multi-family common ownership building,” Moore said via email.

Ron Hurtibise covers business and consumer issues for the South Florida Sun Sentinel. He can be reached by phone at 954-356-4071, on Twitter @ronhurtibise or by email at rhurtibise@sunsentinel.com.