Gabriel (Gabe) Coelho published an Op-Ed piece detailing new legislation in the wake of the Champlain Towers Surfside condominium collapse on 7/7/2022. In his column, Gabe highlights the most significant changes that condominium associations must be aware of for buildings over 30 years old and built with materials similar to the Champlain Towers.
“Florida finally began to address those concerns by passing Senate Bill 4D, which establishes new structural inspection requirements and inspection of reserve funds held by an association, including the requirement to use them only for their designated purpose,” he writes. “At 30 years old, a Milestone Structural Inspection must be conducted for each building three or more stories tall. It must be completed, again, every ten years. If a building is less than three miles from the coast, the milestone inspection must be done at 25 years and again every ten years.”
He continues, “Associations must also have a Structural Integrity Reserve Study conducted to examine the funds set aside for required repairs to maintain the structural integrity of a property.” Gabe also advises associations to be fully prepared for higher insurance premiums, assessments, reserves, and difficult decisions concerning funding for building repairs that fit the bill’s criteria.
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