A Democratic state senator from Tamarac plans to introduce legislation in Tallahassee aimed at easing the financial burden on condo owners, especially seniors, caused by a contentious new building safety law passed by the Florida Legislature in 2022.
“ Many of our seniors are retired to Florida, and they just don't have the money,” said State Sen. Rosalind Osgood, D-Tamarac. “They're accustomed to passing inspections and doing the right thing. Now that they have to come up with all of this extra money, people are leaving, and when they leave, it's very hard to sell the unit because of all the fees.”
Legislation passed in the wake of the deadly 2021 Surfside condo collapse and rising property insurance premiums have resulted in huge increases in homeowner association (HOA) fees and special assessments for condo owners across the state.
The state now requires associations to keep financial reserves that could be used for future building repairs, but had previously allowed HOAs to waive that responsibility. When the new laws went into effect, that loophole closed, and associations scrambled to fill their reserves, leading to rising costs for owners. In response, condo sales have plummeted as owners try to offload their units to avoid higher fees. This impacts condos 30 years or older and those above three stories tall.
READ MORE: Bipartisan summit tackles Florida condo crisis, warns that payment deadlines will remain
Osgood unveiled her legislative proposal at a press conference last week at the clubhouse of the Sunrise Lakes condominium community in Sunrise.
Osgood’s bill, if passed, would delay the deadline for HOA's to fully fund their reserves, adjust the exemption from buildings taller than three stories to those taller than five stories, and delineate between condos in high risk areas, such as those on the coast.
Senate Minority Leader Jason Pizzo, a Democrat from Hollywood, says Osgood’s concerns are valid but predicts the Republican-majority Legislature likely moving in a different direction.
“We’re not gonna bend on the physical requirements and the spirit of the bill in the legislation,” he said.
Pizzo, whose district includes Surfside, has said that he is unwilling to support any changes to the timeline of the payments because they could endanger the safety of residents.
“I will tell you that we're doing a disservice — and a dangerous one at that — if we just continue to push deadlines back without justifying why,” he said, “Father time can't be slowed down and mother nature is undefeated.”
Pizzo pointed out that insurance companies are also playing a role in the increasing fees faced by condo owners.
“ If you look at the budget of a building, or an association over the last couple of years, the largest cost drivers are insurance,” he said.
In addition, Pizzo says that even if the legislature removed all of its regulations, condo owners would still need to make improvements to be insurable.
“ Here's the bottom line in the marketplace; they're not going to give you an insurance policy with the way your roof is. Whether the law tells you to have to or not, they're telling you we're not going to give you an insurance policy if you don't replace your roof,” he said.

Still, Osgood says that something has to change.
“ I have residents, older people, in tears. They’re afraid that they're not going to have somewhere to stay when they've worked their entire life,” she said.
Pizzo agreed that change needed to be made to help those struggling to afford the increases, and said it would likely come in the form of loan or financing programs.
“ Any bill language, any legislation is not going to be more restrictive and more cost prohibitive. It is going to be really opening a pathway for people and they should feel good about what's coming… No condo bill, condo reform, condo changes should be tantamount or result in displacing people from their units,” he said.
Those solutions will be hashed out when the Legislature begins its session on March 4.
On Monday, Gov. Ron Desantis called for the Legislature to convene a special legislative session at the end of the month. Among the topics the governor wanted the Legislature to address was the state’s condo crisis. However, later that same day, top Republican legislative leaders said a special session would be “premature” and “irresponsible."
In a strongly-worded joint statement released Monday afternoon, Senate President Ben Albritton and House Speaker Danny Perez said that without any specific guidance from the incoming administration and only “fragments of ideas” from the governor, it's too soon for lawmakers to hold a special session.
While the governor can call a special session, Albritton and Perez said that "the Legislature, not the Governor, will decide when and what legislation we consider."