PINELLAS COUNTY — Starting July 1, condo associations will have the opportunity to apply for part of $30 million in grant funding to help harden their buildings and mitigate storm damage.

HB1029 which was approved by the Florida legislature in April, extended the existing My Safe Florida Home program to include condominiums. The program essentially provides mitigation inspections and guidelines for what hardening projects the funding can be used for.

The goal of the program is to assist condo associations in making structural improvements with the goal of reducing insurance costs. “Condo owners have been dealing with some significant challenges with the legislation we passed to avoid the Surfside tragedy, and they’re going to have to put more money into reserves which is unfortunately coming with additional costs from them, “ said Sen. Nick DiCeglie, who supported the bill. “They’re dealing with property insurance and increase in premiums and we recognize condo owners are going through difficult times. Knowing how popular this program is for single-family homes, we’re doing what we can to make sure more money is back in their pockets.” The state would give $2 for every $1 spent by the condominium association and cover up to half the cost of roof-related projects and up to $1,500 per unit for doors and windows. A maximum grant of $175,000 is available for each condo association. In order to apply, the condo association must receive approval by a majority vote of the board of administration or a majority vote of the total voting interests of the association. If approved, a unanimous vote from all unit owners who would benefit from the grant are needed.

The Land's End condo community in Treasure Island has to pay for the cost of replacing this boardwalk that was damaged in the 2023 storm season. Now, they're hoping grant funding can assist with new roofs

 

“We put that in there because its a pilot program and we wanted to make sure we had buy in from the community - from the condo association — and If we identify some kinks throughout this process we’re certainly willing to go back and make those changes,” DiCeglie explained.

Irene Gernon who serves as president of the Town Shores Master Association in Gulfport, says insurance rates at her 55+ community have gone up roughly 300% over the last couple of years.

“It breaks my heart for a lot of people living on a limited income,” she said.

At just over 1,300 units, Gernon says while grant money would be useful for keeping their condos storm-ready, getting every resident to participate in a vote has not proven possible.

“I don’t think there’s one building in Town Shores who will succeed in getting 100% of their membership to vote yes,” she said.

Across the bay in Treasure Island, Greg Wickham with the Land’s End condo community says they’re hoping to tap into the My Safe Florida condominium pilot program to get new roofs for some of their buildings.

While the community has kept up with roof maintenance and repairs, after more than 30 years it’s time for a replacement. Condo owners have already been smacked with increased insurance premiums and the cost of replacing their beach boardwalk which provides public access to Sunset Beach. The boardwalk was badly damaged during the 2023 storm season.

Then an engineering study done as part of state law following the Surfside condo collapse found saltwater intrusion damage which was another pricey repair.

“They found inside damage we didn’t know was there even, and you wouldn’t have known by looking. So we fixed it and repaired it but its expensive,” Wickham said.

Wickham and his board have been working diligently to gather information from the state to try and prepare to apply for grant funding as soon as the application period opens.

Sen. DiCeglie recommends interested condo owners keep a close eye on https://mysafeflhome.com/ and study how homeowners apply for the grant so when the application period opens they can be best prepared.