DeSantis signs condo
reform bill — a response to Surfside building collapse —
into law.
On June 24, the entire South Florida region commemorated one
year since the fateful day that Champlain Towers South
collapsed, claiming 98 lives. This was one of the deadliest
building failures in US history.
While nothing can bring back the victims to their families,
as a society, we can move forward and use this tragedy as a
learning experience to make sure it never happens again.
Since the beginning of the Champlain Towers South collapse,
the construction industry has been involved in identifying
what went wrong to cause such a catastrophic event. Early
findings showed that a lack of proper maintenance was the
largest contributing factor. No matter how well designed,
engineered and constructed a building is, it is the
maintenance that is arguably the most important for its
long-term viability.
In the wake of the Surfside tragedy, it also became wildly
apparent that Florida needed stricter laws regarding the
maintenance of condominiums. The Governor and Florida
Legislature concurred and called a special session on May
25. As a result, SB 4-D passed, calling for stricter
requirements for the inspection and maintenance of
condominiums and other multi-story buildings throughout the
state.
It has been signed into law by Gov. DeSantis.
The newly passed law will require inspections of high-rise
buildings, three stories or higher located within three of
the coast at 25 years of age and for those more than three
miles inland, at 30 years of age.
Finally, the new law also requires inspections every 10
years thereafter, with inspection records made available to
buyers, renters, and individual unit owners.
For buildings occupied before July 1, 1992, the first
inspection must be completed by Dec. 31, 2024. Very
important, after Dec. 31, 2024, condo associations will be
prohibited from waiving the collection of reserve funds to
pay for routine or additional maintenance and repairs.
I praise Florida’s legislature for coming together to pass
these important reforms. The construction industry looks
forward to working with building owners, management and
condominium associations during the recertification process
to ensure the utmost of safety and structural integrity of
these structures.
The bottom line is we never want to have another Champlain
Towers tragedy happen again and I believe, with the measures
being taken, we are doing our part to help prevent any
future disasters.