Bill expanding flood risk disclosure requirements to renters coasts through first Senate stop

A bill that would extend to renters the same flood risk disclosures now mandated in home sales just sailed through its first stop in the Senate.

Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 11-0 to advance the measure (SB 948), which would require landlords to share certain flood risk information with potential tenants.

If a tenant doesn’t receive the disclosure and later suffers significant losses in a flood, they can terminate the lease and receive a refund of any rents paid in advance.

“This bill goes a long way to giving tenants the information they need to assess the risks before they enter into a residential lease and also incentivizes the purchase of flood insurance when they get that material information,” said Fleming Island Republican Sen. Jennifer Bradley, the bill’s sponsor.

Lawmakers in 2024 unanimously passed HB 1049, sponsored by Bradley and Parkland Democratic Rep. Christine Hunschofsky, to require sellers of residential real estate to disclose details about the property’s flood risks. The required information includes whether any insurance claims related to flooding have been filed and if federal assistance was ever given due to flooding.

Before the change, property owners and real estate agents didn’t have to share such information with prospective buyers.

Rachel Rhode of the nonprofit Environmental Defense Fund praised HB 1049, which she said evidenced “a strong commitment to fostering informed decision-making by enabling homebuyers to access critical information about their flood risk.”

The Florida Association of Realtors backed the bill too and was among three groups, including the Community Associations Institute and Audubon Florida, to signal support for SB 948 Wednesday.

SB 948 will next go to the Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee, after which it has one more stop before reaching a floor vote. On Tuesday, a similar bill (HB 1015) by Hunschofsky cleared the first of three committees to which it was referred.

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Editor’s note: This report was updated to provide that HB 1015 advanced Tuesday.