hoaplaybook

State law spotlight

Why are Florida condo owners suddenly getting huge assessments?

The short answer: after the 2021 Surfside condo collapse, Florida passed condo safety laws requiring milestone inspections and fully funded reserves — ending the long-standing practice of waiving reserves to keep dues low. Associations that deferred maintenance for years are catching up all at once, and the cost is landing on owners as large special assessments. You still owe a properly levied assessment, but you have the right to the accounting, to verify the board followed procedures, to request a payment plan in writing, and to check the Florida-specific owner protections in the current statutes.

What changed

  • Milestone inspections. Older condo buildings must undergo structural inspections at set intervals — and the inspection findings become a repair list with a bill attached.
  • End of reserve waivers. Associations could previously vote each year to waive or underfund reserves. That option is gone: reserves must now be funded based on the structural needs of the building.
  • The catch-up is the crisis. Buildings that waived reserves for a decade didn't save money — they postponed it. Owners are now paying years of deferred maintenance in a single assessment cycle.

What you can actually do

  1. Run the standard assessment playbook. Demand a written accounting of what the assessment funds, verify the board's procedures (notice, quorum, vote), and check your governing documents. The full playbook →
  2. Get the inspection and reserve study yourself. These are association records — request them. If the assessment is based on the milestone inspection, read the inspection. Numbers that don't match the study are challengeable.
  3. Ask for a payment plan in writing. Florida associations facing a wave of owners who can't pay lump sums have strong incentives to offer plans. Get terms in writing and keep current dues paid.
  4. Check current Florida owner protections. Florida's legislature has continued to adjust the condo laws, including measures aimed at owner hardship. Statutes change — verify the current text of Florida's condominium act before relying on any summary.
The "sell before the assessment" trap Some owners consider selling to escape the assessment — but buyers and their lenders now ask about pending assessments and reserve funding, and the assessment obligation typically attaches to the unit. Talk to a Florida real estate attorney before making decisions based on assumptions about what transfers.
State law matters here — this page IS state law Everything on this page is Florida-condo-specific. The safety laws, reserve requirements, and owner protections described here come from Florida statutes, which the legislature continues to adjust. If you're in another state with aging condo stock, your state may be writing its own version of these laws — check.

Related playbooks

Informational only — not legal advice.

Florida's condo laws are detailed and still changing. Verify the current statutory text and talk to a Florida HOA/condo attorney before acting on this page.