HB 913 is a broad condominium and cooperative association reform bill that updates Florida law governing community association managers, condominium associations, and cooperative associations. It strengthens licensing and ethics rules for community association managers and management firms, including a 10-year prohibition on revoked licensees holding ownership or leadership roles in management firms, mandatory online licensure accounts, and new disclosure duties for managers, firms, and associations. The bill also expands conflict-of-interest rules, requires more detailed notice and agenda disclosures for conflicted transactions, and makes certain undisclosed conflicted contracts voidable.
A major portion of the bill focuses on building safety, reserve funding, and structural integrity. It revises milestone inspection requirements, mandates written disclosures from professionals bidding on inspections or related repair work, and requires local enforcement agencies to report milestone inspection data to the state and OPPAGA. It also revises structural integrity reserve study requirements for condominiums and cooperatives, including the items that must be studied, how reserve funding plans must be presented, when studies must be updated, and when studies may be delayed after a milestone inspection. The bill further changes reserve funding rules by allowing certain funding through regular assessments, special assessments, lines of credit, or loans, while imposing member-approval requirements and restrictions on using reserve funds for other purposes.
The bill also modernizes association governance and transparency requirements. It expands electronic participation by authorizing board and unit-owner meetings by video conference, requiring recordings of such meetings to be kept as official records, and allowing electronic voting and electronically transmitted ballots under specified conditions. It revises official-records rules, requires more documents to be posted on association websites or mobile applications, and changes financial reporting deadlines and delivery methods, including electronic delivery. Associations must also create and maintain online accounts with the Division of Florida Condominiums, Timeshares, and Mobile Homes and provide specified information on buildings, assessments, and reserve studies.
HB 913 affects both condominium and cooperative statutes, including chapters 718 and 719, and also makes conforming changes to related statutes governing milestone inspections, sales disclosures, emergency powers, hurricane protection, transfer of control, and developer/bulk buyer obligations. It also revises disclosure requirements for purchasers of residential units and cooperative interests so buyers are informed when milestone inspections or structural integrity reserve studies are required or completed, and it extends voidability rights tied to those disclosures. The bill includes technical and conforming amendments and applies most provisions beginning July 1, 2025, with some website and reporting provisions phased in later.
The overall sentiment reflected by the bill text and its structure is strongly pro-transparency, pro-safety, and pro-accountability, with an emphasis on preventing conflicts of interest and ensuring associations are financially prepared for major repairs. Because no committee transcripts or vote history were provided, there is no recorded debate to indicate opposition or support in the materials supplied. Based on the bill’s extensive compliance, disclosure, and reserve-funding requirements, the most likely points of contention are the increased administrative burden on associations, the cost of inspections and reserve funding, the limits on waiving reserves, and the new restrictions on managers, contractors, and conflicted transactions.
The bill substantially amends Florida’s condominium and cooperative statutes, especially chapters 718 and 719, and also revises related provisions in chapter 553 and other cross-referenced laws. It expands state oversight through the Division of Florida Condominiums, Timeshares, and Mobile Homes, requires online accounts and reporting by associations, changes official-records and financial-reporting obligations, and adds new disclosure, meeting, voting, and conflict-of-interest requirements. It also tightens reserve-funding and structural-integrity rules for affected buildings, with direct effects on associations, unit owners, developers, community association managers, engineers, architects, contractors, and local enforcement agencies.
The bill appears to have been framed as a consumer-protection and building-safety measure, with a clear policy emphasis on transparency, financial preparedness, and prevention of self-dealing in association management and inspection work. No committee discussion or vote record was provided, so the available materials do not show recorded opposition or support. On its face, the legislation suggests a generally favorable posture toward stronger regulation of condominium and cooperative governance, while also acknowledging operational flexibility through video meetings, electronic voting, and certain reserve-funding alternatives.
The main likely points of contention are the bill’s more prescriptive requirements for reserve funding, structural integrity reserve studies, and milestone inspections, which may increase costs for associations and owners. Another likely area of dispute is the expanded regulation of managers and vendors, including conflict-of-interest disclosures, bid restrictions, and voidability of contracts, which could be seen as necessary safeguards by supporters but burdensome by associations and service providers. The bill also imposes new reporting and website obligations on associations and gives the state more oversight authority, which may be viewed as improving accountability but also as adding administrative complexity.