My Safe Florida Condominium Pilot Program

Florida Senate
-
2026

CS for SB 1706

By
the Committee on Appropriations; and Senator Pizzo

576-03008-26 20261706c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the My Safe Florida Condominium
3 Pilot Program; amending s. 215.55871, F.S.; defining
4 the term “area median income”; deleting the definition
5 of the term “service area”; revising definitions;
6 revising eligibility requirements for participation in
7 the My Safe Florida Condominium Pilot Program;
8 requiring the Department of Financial Services to
9 adopt rules to verify household income; authorizing
10 the department to require periodic recertification;
11 specifying that condominium property with mixed-income
12 occupancies is eligible to participate in the pilot
13 program under certain circumstances; authorizing
14 financial grants to be used by associations for a
15 specified purpose; requiring that an application for a
16 mitigation grant include documentation to verify
17 household income; making clarifying changes; requiring
18 a hurricane mitigation inspector to verify the
19 possession of water intrusion mitigation devices;
20 limiting the award of grant funds; requiring an
21 association to complete a certain percentage of
22 opening protection improvements; providing an
23 effective date.
24
25 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
26
27 Section 1. Subsections (1), (2), and (5) of section
28 215.55871, Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
29 215.55871 My Safe Florida Condominium Pilot Program.—There
30 is established within the Department of Financial Services the
31 My Safe Florida Condominium Pilot Program to be implemented
32 pursuant to appropriations. The department shall provide fiscal
33 accountability, contract management, and strategic leadership
34 for the pilot program, consistent with this section. This
35 section does not create an entitlement for associations or unit
36 owners or obligate the state in any way to fund the inspection
37 or retrofitting of condominiums in the state. Implementation of
38 this pilot program is subject to annual legislative
39 appropriations. It is the intent of the Legislature that the My
40 Safe Florida Condominium Pilot Program provide licensed
41 inspectors to perform inspections for and grants to eligible
42 associations as funding allows.
43 (1) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section, the term:
44
(a)

“Area median income” means the median household income,

45
as published annually by the United States Department of Housing

46
and Urban Development, for the county in which the condominium

47
property is located.

48
(b)
(a)
“Association” has the same meaning as in s. 718.103.
49
(c)
(b)
“Association property” means property, real and
50 personal, which is owned or leased by, or is dedicated by a
51 recorded plat to, an association for the use and benefit of its
52 members
and is located in the service area
.
53
(d)
(c)
“Board of administration” has the same meaning as in
54 s. 718.103.
55
(e)
(d)
“Condominium” has the same meaning as in s. 718.103.
56 For purposes of this section, the term does not include detached
57 units on individual parcels of land.
58
(f)
(e)
“Condominium property” means the lands, leaseholds,
59 and personal property that are subjected to condominium
60 ownership, whether or not contiguous, and all improvements
61 thereon and all easements and rights appurtenant thereto
62 intended for use in connection with the condominium
and are

63
located in the service area
.
64
(g)
(f)
“Department” means the Department of Financial
65 Services.
66
(h)
(g)
“Property” means association property and
67 condominium property, as applicable
, located in the service

68
area
.
69
(h)

“Service area” means the area of the state which is 15

70
miles inward of a coastline, as that term is defined in s.

71
376.031.

72 (i) “Unit” has the same meaning as in s. 718.103.
73 (j) “Unit owner” has the same meaning as in s. 718.103.
74 (2) PARTICIPATION.—
75 (a) Participation in the pilot program is limited to
:

76
1.

Condominium associations in which the structures or

77
buildings on the condominium property were constructed before

78
January 1, 2008.

79
2.

Condominium associations in which at least 80 percent of

80
the occupied units within the condominium property are owned and

81
occupied by a person or family whose household annual income is

82
at or below 80 percent of the area median income, adjusted for

83
household size, applicable to the county in which the

84
condominium is located. Eligibility must be determined using the

85
area median income published at the time an application is

86
submitted. For purposes of determining whether a condominium

87
association meets the 80 percent unit-occupied threshold:

88
a.

Only occupied residential units may be counted.

89
b.

Owner-occupied residential units may be counted as long

90
as the persons or families living in such residential units

91
provide income documentation to the department and the

92
department has verified that such person or family meets the

93
income requirements of this subparagraph.

94
3.
Structures or buildings on the condominium property
95 which are three or more stories in height, provided that each
96 structure or building that is the subject of a mitigation grant
97 contains at least two single-family dwellings.
98
(b)

The department shall adopt rules establishing

99
acceptable methods for verifying household income, including,

100
but not limited to, owner self-certification, tax returns,

101
income statements, or other documentation deemed sufficient by

102
the department. The department may require periodic

103
recertification of income eligibility to ensure compliance with

104
this section.

105
(c)

A condominium property with mixed-income occupancies is

106
eligible to participate in the pilot program under this section

107
if the income threshold in subparagraph (a)2. is met.

108
(d)
(b)
In order to apply for an inspection under subsection
109 (4) or a grant under subsection (5) for association property or
110 condominium property, an association must receive approval by a
111 majority vote of the board of administration or a majority vote
112 of the total voting interests of the association to participate
113 in the pilot program. An association may not apply for an
114 inspection under subsection (4) or a grant under subsection (5)
115 for association property or condominium property unless the
116 association has complied with the inspection requirements in ss.
117 553.899 and 718.112(2)(g) and (h). An association may not apply
118 for a grant under
sub-subparagraph (5)(e)1.a.

subparagraph

119
(5)(e)1.
for association property or condominium property unless
120 the windows of the association property or condominium property
121 are established as common elements in the declaration.
122
(e)
(c)
In order to apply for a grant under subsection (5)
123 which improves one or more units within a condominium, an
124 association must receive both of the following:
125 1. Approval by a majority vote of the board of
126 administration or a majority vote of the total voting interests
127 of the association to participate in a mitigation inspection.
128 2. Approval by at least 75 percent of all unit owners who
129 reside within the structure or building that is the subject of
130 the mitigation grant.
131
(f)
(d)
A unit owner may participate in the pilot program
132 through a mitigation grant awarded to the association but may
133 not participate individually in the pilot program.
134
(g)
(e)
The votes required under this subsection may take
135 place at the annual budget meeting of the association or at a
136 unit owner meeting called for the purpose of taking such vote.
137 Before a vote of the unit owners may be taken, the association
138 must provide to the unit owners a clear disclosure of the pilot
139 program on a form created by the department. The president and
140 the treasurer of the board of administration must sign the
141 disclosure form indicating that a copy of the form was provided
142 to each unit owner of the association. The signed disclosure
143 form and the minutes from the meeting at which the unit owners
144 voted to participate in the pilot program must be maintained as
145 part of the official records of the association. Within 14 days
146 after an affirmative vote to participate in the pilot program,
147 the association must provide written notice in the same manner
148 as required under s. 718.112(2)(d) to all unit owners of the
149 decision to participate in the pilot program.
150 (5) MITIGATION GRANTS.—Financial grants may be used by
151 associations to make improvements
that

recommended in a

152
hurricane mitigation inspection
report which
increase the
153 condominium’s resistance to hurricane damage
as provided in this

154
subsection
.
155 (a) An application for a mitigation grant must:
156 1. Contain a signed or electronically verified statement
157 made under penalty of perjury by the president of the board of
158 administration that the association has submitted only a single
159 application for each property that the association operates or
160 maintains.
161 2. Include a notarized statement from the president of the
162 board of administration containing the name and license number
163 of each contractor the association intends to use for the
164 mitigation project.
165 3. Include a notarized statement from the president of the
166 board of administration which commits to the department that the
167 association will complete the mitigation improvements. If the
168 grant will be used to improve units, the application must also
169 include an acknowledged statement from each unit owner who is
170 required to provide approval for a grant under paragraph
(2)(e)

171
(2)(c)
.
172
4.

Include documentation deemed sufficient by the

173
department under paragraph (2)(b) for verifying household

174
income.

175 (b) An association may select its own contractors for the
176 mitigation project as long as each contractor meets all
177 qualification, certification, or licensing requirements in
178 general law. A mitigation project must be performed by a
179 properly licensed contractor who has secured all required local
180 permits necessary for the project. The department must
181 electronically verify that the contractor’s state license number
182 is accurate and up to date before approving a grant application.
183 (c) An association awarded a grant must complete the entire
184 mitigation project in order to receive the final grant award and
185 must agree to make the property available for a final inspection
186 once the mitigation project is finished to ensure the mitigation
187 improvements are completed in a manner consistent with the
188 intent of the pilot program and meet or exceed the applicable
189 Florida Building Code requirements. Construction must be
190 completed and the association must submit a request to the
191 department for a final inspection, or request an extension of
192 time, within 1 year after receiving grant approval. If the
193 association fails to comply with this paragraph, the application
194 is deemed abandoned and the grant money reverts back to the
195 department.
196 (d) Grant projects shall be funded as follows:
197 1. All grants must be matched on the basis of $1 provided
198 by the association for $2 provided by the state toward the
199 actual cost of the project.
200 2. An association may receive grant funds for both roof
201 related and opening protection-related projects, but the maximum
202 total grant award may not exceed $175,000 per association.
203 3. The department may not accept grant applications or
204 maintain a waiting list for grants after the cumulative value of
205 the grants awarded have fully obligated the appropriation,
206 unless otherwise expressly authorized by the Legislature.
207 (e) Grant funds may only be used for
the following:

208
1.

water intrusion mitigation devices or
Mitigation
209 improvements
recommended in a hurricane mitigation inspection

210
report which

that
will result in a mitigation credit, discount,
211 or other rate differential for the building or structure to
212 which
the improvement is

such device or improvement is applied

213
or
made
, including
. When recommended by a hurricane mitigation

214
inspection report, grants for eligible associations may be used

215
for
the following improvements:
216
a.
1.
Opening protection improvements, including all of the
217 following:
218
(I)
a.
Exterior doors.
219
(II)
b.
Garage doors.
220
(III)
c.
Windows.
221
(IV)
d.
Skylights.
222
b.
2.
Roof improvements, including all of the following:
223
(I)
a.
Reinforcing roof-to-wall connections.
224
(II)
b.
Improving the strength of roof-deck attachments.
225
(III)
c.
Installing secondary water resistance for the roof.
226
(IV)
d.
Replacing the roof covering.
227
2.

Water intrusion mitigation devices designed to prevent

228
wind-driven rainwater intrusion through the tracks of sliding

229
glass doors.

Grant funds
authorized under
this subparagraph are

230
not contingent upon a recommendation in a hurricane mitigation

231
inspection report. However, a hurricane mitigation inspector

232
must verify the
use of such
a device.

233 (f)
Except for the water intrusion mitigation devices as

234
specified in subparagraph (e)2., mitigation
improvements must be
235 identified in the final hurricane mitigation inspection
report

236 in order for an association to receive grant funds.
237 (g) If improvements to protect the property
which

that

238 complied with the current applicable building code at the time
239 have been previously installed, the association must use a
240 mitigation grant to install improvements that do both of the
241 following:
242 1. Comply with or exceed the applicable building code in
243 effect at the time the association applied for the grant.
244 2. Provide more hurricane protection than the improvements
245 that the association previously installed.
246 (h) The association may not use a mitigation grant to:
247 1. Install the same type of improvements that were
248 previously installed; or
249 2. Pay a deductible for a pending insurance claim for
250 damage that is part of the property for which grant funds are
251 being received.
252 (i) The department shall develop a process that ensures the
253 most efficient means to collect and verify inspection and grant
254 applications to determine eligibility. The department may direct
255 hurricane mitigation inspectors to collect and verify inspection
256 and grant application information or use the Internet or other
257 electronic means to collect information and determine
258 eligibility.
259 (j) Grant funds may only be awarded for a mitigation
260 improvement
that addresses the common elements of the

261
condominium property

that will result in a mitigation credit,

262
discount, or other rate differential for the building or

263
structure to which the improvement is made
. As a condition of
264
receiving

awarding
a grant, the
association

department
must
265
complete 100 percent of the opening protection improvements to

266
the common elements which were recommended in the final

267
hurricane mitigation inspection report

require mitigation

268
improvements to be made to all openings
, including exterior
269 doors, garage doors, windows, and skylights
that are a part of

270
the common elements
, if doing so is necessary for the building

271
or structure to qualify for a mitigation credit, discount, or

272
other rate differential
.
273 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026.