Florida lawmakers add Surfside legislation to session

TALLAHASSEE – Legislation addressing the 2021 Surfside condominium collapse is now among the items lawmakers will take up this week in special session.

Lawmakers returned Monday to Tallahassee to address Florida's troubled property insurance market, which is ailed by skyrocketing rates and fraudulent claims, among other issues.

Legislative leaders agreed Tuesday, though, to expand the session's scope. Such a move requires the governor's blessing or majority agreement within the Legislature.

"I am grateful to all of the legislators and other stakeholders who worked diligently on this issue over the last several months," said outgoing Senate President Wilton Simpson. "While we can never replace the 98 lives we lost in the collapse of the Champlain Tower South, we can honor their memory with strong reforms that will better protect condo owners and residents moving forward."

Outgoing House Speaker Chris Sprowls explained the 101-page legislation will roll out several provisions helping ensure corporations stay up to speed on maintenance and inspections.

One provision stipulates that condos taller than three stories must be inspected every ten years after its certificate of occupancy reaches 30 years old. If the building is within three miles of the coast, the "milestone inspections" would begin after 25 years.

Another provision will require condo owners to maintain a reserve fund to address needed repairs.

The legislative effort comes nearly a year after the 12-story condo collapsed, killing 98 people in what is described as the worst building disaster in modern U.S. history.

Lawmakers failed in the 2022 Legislative Session to strike a deal.

"We will never forget the pain, confusion, and sorrow the community and state felt when the Surfside condominium building collapsed and took 98 lives with it," Sprowls said. "The Florida Legislature has grappled with reaching a consensus on what meaningful reform looks like, but today we have arrived at an agreement that will help to ensure this kind of tragedy never happens again."

It also comes after a judge ruled that condo-owners who survived the collapse will split a $96 million settlement. No one within the building survived the collapse, despite an international rescue effort.

Lawmakers will vote on legislation by the week's end.

Jason Delgado is a reporter for the USA Today Network-Florida. He's based in Tallahassee. Reach him at JDelgado@gannett.com