Jesse Scheckner
A state grant program that helps Florida homeowners strengthen their properties against seasonal storms will soon allow condo owners to tap into its funds.
Lawmakers have approved legislation (HB 1029) to create the My Safe Florida Condominium Program through which condo associations within 15 miles of the shoreline can access hurricane mitigation inspections and guidance for roof and entryway improvements.
The pilot program, which begins July 1, is an offshoot of My Safe Florida Home, a 17-year-old home-hardening grant program lawmakers resurrected in 2022. They’ve since poured $433 million into the program for roof-, door- and window-improving projects.
The Senate voted 39-0 for the bill Wednesday, six days after House lawmakers gave it similarly uniform approval.
Under the condo program, for every $1 an association spends on an upgrade, the state will spend $2. The state will also cover up to half the cost of roof-related projects and up to $1,500 per unit for doors and windows.
Grants will be capped at $175,000 per association. Lawmakers agreed last week to set aside $30 million for the program in the next state budget.
Miami Republican Rep. Vicki Lopez sponsored the bill, which St. Petersburg Republican Sen. Nick DiCeglie substituted for his version (SB 1366) in the Legislature’s upper chamber Wednesday.
He noted a few differences between the two versions, including that while the Senate bill limited grants to condos of three stories or fewer, the House bill that passed includes no such cap.
HB 1029 is part of a wave of legislation lawmakers filed following the June 2021 collapse of the Champlain Towers South building in Surfside that killed 98 people.
Others include a measure Lopez successfully sponsored with Fleming Island Republican Sen. Jennifer Bradley to broaden condo board oversight and accountability and a controversial proposal by Miami Springs Republican Sen. Bryan Ávila and North Fort Myers Republican Rep. Spencer Roach to allow the owners of locally designated historic structures to demolish and replace their buildings with bigger, denser properties that meet modern safety strictures.
Speaking to Florida Politics in January about HB 1029, Lopez said the bill is meant to enhance the safety of condos through inspection and mitigation efforts and, consequently, reduce insurance premiums for their owners.
“It’s part of what I’m trying to do,” she said, “to help lower the cost of insurance for some of these buildings on the coastline where the higher risk is.”
The bill will next go to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who can either sign or ignore it to allow it to become law, or veto it.
