Government leaders are reminding Manatee
County condominium associations to plan for a new state law
requiring routine structural inspections. But owners have
more questions than answers.
The law, which the Florida Legislature approved in May, comes after the June 2021 collapse of a condo building in Surfside that killed 98 people. In response, lawmakers determined all condos that are at least three stories and at least 30 years old must be inspected every 10 years.
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Landmark at Pointe West is one of several Manatee County condo associations that will need to complete a full building inspection under a new Florida law in response to the June 2021 Surfside collapse. |
Manatee leaders plan condo inspections
Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth said
the Anna Maria Island city of about 3,000 people also plans
to conduct similar outreach to condominium associations. She
hailed the new law as a much-needed measure to ensure the
safety of Florida residents.
“It’s a necessary evil that the state had to get involved,”
Titsworth said.
The city of Bradenton is also discussing what its condo
inspection program will look like. In an interview with the
Bradenton Herald, City Administrator Rob Perry pointed to
the Surfside collapse as the impetus for the new rules.
“Surfside obviously was the horrific incident that drew
people’s attention to structural stability and the damages
it poses to human life,” Perry said. “We want to make sure
we keep people safe.”
Manatee County Administrator Scott Hopes compared the new
condo inspection law to building codes that have been
updated over the years to make Florida buildings more
resilient against hurricanes. As time passes, it becomes
more important to determine whether a building is safe, he
said.
“These inspections are going to result in some findings that
will probably end up saving people’s lives,” Hopes
predicted.
Condo experts frustrated by rules
The sudden requirement to perform full inspections could
jeopardize Manatee County condos, according to experts who
spoke with the Bradenton Herald.
Structural inspections, which can range from $10,000 to
$30,000 depending on the building, could place a significant
burden on local condo owners, said Kelly Helm, president of
At the HELM Property Management.
Helm said the inspection requirement has also caused
confusion among condo board members scrambling to determine
what the rules are. For example, said Helm, it’s unclear
whether the law applies to a three-story condo with a garage
on the first floor and two stories of units above.
“The ones that it does apply to, they are being very
proactive and putting steps in place to do some preventative
maintenance before they have the structural inspection
done,” Helm said.
Helm also criticized the Legislature’s decision to issue a
blanket rule, instead of an approach that gives more leeway
to older buildings that are not built on a barrier island.
“I do think it should apply to some, but not all,” said
Helm, who manages several Manatee County condos that will be
required to pursue a full structural inspection under the
new law. “My in-town properties, it just seems absurd that
they would have to apply the same way an island property
would.”
Patricia Staebler, a certified reserve specialist who
performs condo inspections, also panned the new law as a
“horrible mistake” by lawmakers who have “zero clue.”
“Instead of haphazardly putting into law rules that would
bankrupt an association, they should have come to us to get
more information on what they need to do to make this work,”
Staebler said.
What do Florida condo inspections require?
Under Florida’s condo inspection law, inspections must be
completed in two phases. In the first phase, a condo
association must hire a properly licensed architect or
engineer to perform a visual examination of the entire
building. The inspection must include a review of “major
structural components” and provide an assessment of the
structural conditions of the building at that time.
If no issues are found, the inspector finalizes the report
to share with the condo association and the local
government’s building official.
However, if the inspection reveals “substantial structural
deterioration,” a second inspection is required.
In the second phase, the inspector would be required to
fully assess “areas of structural distress” to determine
whether the building is structurally sound. That report must
also be shared with the condo association and the local
building official.
The inspection report must determine whether the building’s
structural deficiencies make it unsafe and recommend repairs
for damaged areas.