The partially collapsed Champlain Towers South in Surfside at night, June 2021.
Champlain Towers South after the June 24, 2021 partial collapse. Photo: Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Department, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Special Report

TALLAHASSEE, Oct. 31, 2026 —

Champlain Towers South partially collapsed in Surfside on June 24, 2021, an event that federal investigators say "took the lives of 98 people." On June 22, 2026, the National Institute of Standards and Technology released its technical findings: the collapse "began in early June 2021, when two connections between garage columns and the pool deck failed."

Florida's response is now reaching the bank accounts of condo owners across the state.

Timeline from the 2021 Surfside collapse to the Dec. 31, 2026 reserve study deadline.
From collapse to the final reserve-study deadline. Chart: Florida Condo & HOA Brief, from NIST, flsenate.gov and Florida Statutes

The laws

Senate Bill 4-D passed 38-0 in the Senate and 110-0 in the House and was approved by the Governor on May 26, 2022. Under section 553.899, Florida Statutes, condo buildings "three habitable stories or more" need a milestone inspection "by December 31 of the year in which the building reaches 30 years of age … and every 10 years thereafter."

Section 718.112 requires a structural integrity reserve study, and "In no event may the structural integrity reserve study be completed after December 31, 2026." For budgets adopted on or after Dec. 31, 2024, owners in those associations "may not determine to provide no reserves or less reserves than required" for the covered items.

In 2025, CS/CS/HB 913 passed 113-2 and 112-0 in the House and 37-0 in the Senate (Chapter 2025-175). Current law now lets associations fund those reserves through "regular assessments, special assessments, lines of credit, or loans." Through budgets adopted by Dec. 31, 2028, it also lets them, with owner approval, "temporarily pause, for a period of no more than two consecutive annual budgets, reserve fund contributions" to pay for milestone repairs.

The Old and New Florida Capitol buildings in Tallahassee.
The Florida Capitol in Tallahassee. Photo: DXR, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The bills landing on owners

  • The Galleon, Fort Lauderdale. CBS News Miami reported that a repair "that began at $1.6 million has grown into a $36 million overhaul," with owners "assessed between $135,000 and $320,000 each." Contractor Hartzel told the station that the association "elected to significantly expand the project through numerous owner-approved change orders."
  • 1060 Brickell, Miami. The Real Deal reported that the association, after a $21 million assessment and a board recall, sued its contractor, calling its liens "willfully exaggerated." The contractor didn't return the outlet's requests for comment.
  • Biscayne 21, Edgewater. The Third District Court of Appeal ruled that changing a termination vote "from 100% to 80% impacts the voting rights of the unit owners." The Biscayne Times reported that a $50 million settlement followed and the building is set to be demolished.

Read the full report

The Florida Condo & HOA Brief, Launchpad Digital's condo and HOA publication, has the full special report, with separate reports on each building: read it on condohoabrief.com.

This report summarizes Florida statutes and official sources. It is not legal advice. Figures for individual buildings are as reported by the named outlets.

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