PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Condominiums that have failed to complete their milestone inspections are the target of a new bill making its way through state legislation.
House Bill 913 aims to block Citizens Insurance from issuing or renewing policies for condominiums deemed in violation. This bill has already passed its first hurdle, garnering unanimous support from Florida House members. It has also raised alarms about potential insurance repercussions.
WATCH: Resident shares her thoughts on new bill
"You know we’re in a place where you have hurricanes and we have natural disasters and you never know what’s going to happen," said Sharlena Morgan.
Morgan said her condo has completed its inspections.
But with the looming threat of new legislation, those who haven't completed their milestone assessments may find their insurance at risk.
"You need your insurance and it's not getting any cheaper these days," Morgan.
Coverage Collapse has been an issue WPTV has been working to find solutions on for months.
Many people expressing fears of the rising cost of condo living, worried that the pricey cost of assessments may force them to move.
WATCH: Seniors fear they'll soon have to move amid surging condo fees
The bill specifically targets condominium associations that have failed to complete necessary inspections, which were required by the end of last year.
“It’s terrifying, it’s truly terrifying,” Morgan emphasized, highlighting how essential insurance coverage is for residents and how difficult it can be for some to find coverage.
Some feel tightening requirements may leave many condo owners vulnerable, especially those who have yet to complete their crucial milestone assessments.
“Condo assessment fees have those been financially feasible?" asked Lopez.
WATCH: How Palm Beach County will penalize condos on inspection violations
"They’re definitely quite expensive," said Morgan.
In January, the Palm Beach County took action to address this issue of incomplete assessments, agreeing to issue warnings and consider fines for noncompliant condominiums.
“Sometimes if you don't put some teeth behind it, they're going to drag their feet to come into compliance," said Palm Beach County Commissioners Joel Flores.
WPTV reached out to Palm Beach County Officials to see what the latest numbers are on condo assessments:
| Phase 1 | Due 2024 |
| Total Required | 566 |
| Total Submitted | 515 |
| *Total In-Review | 176 |
| Total Accepted | 339 |
| Total Not Submitted | 51 |
*In review means either the report has been reviewed and more information is requested or the submitted report is in the queue for initial review.
| Phase 2 Reports | Due Date Varies |
| Total Required | 133 |
| Total Submitted | 37 |
| Total In-Review | 15 |
| Total Accepted | 22 |
| Total Not Submitted | 96 |
| Total Overdue | 29 |
*For the Phase 2 reports, the due dates are determined by the submittal dates of the Phase 1 reports, which have various submittal dates. Once the Phase 1 reports are submitted, the Phase 2 reports must be submitted within 180 days. Although Phase 2 reports are due on several buildings, only the reports that haven’t been submitted within 180 days of the Phase 1 submittals are overdue. The others are pending but not yet overdue.
Seeking solutions on the Coverage Collapse, our Matt Sczesny traveled to Tallahassee to speak with State Representative Toby Overdorf.
“We’re now hopefully going to expand the My Safe Florida Home program for condominiums,” Overdorf said.
The program originally launched with $30 million in grants for wind mitigation and storm-related improvements. The program experienced high demand and quickly maxed out, halting the acceptance of new applications.
WATCH: My Safe Florida Condo hits maximum capacity after launching 6 days ago
“Yes, there’s going to be some discussions on how we can ameliorate that,” Overdorf stated, acknowledging the challenges ahead.
"The reality is some of these condominiums have not acted in their best interest, have not acted in the resident's best interest," said Overdorf. "And so I think those are some things we're going to be looking at hard."
At the heart of the discussion lies one critical issue.
“It’s really affordability at the end of the day,” noted Morgan.
As the deadline approaches, condominium owners are urged to act swiftly in fulfilling their compliance requirements to avoid jeopardizing their insurance and, consequently, their safety.