Proposed Multifamily Residential Building Inspection Bill

In response to the devastating collapse in Surfside last June, a new bill (SB 1702) has been proposed to mandate statewide “milestone inspections” for multifamily residential buildings with more than three stories. Such buildings that are within three miles of a coastline would require inspections on their 20th year and every seven years following that. Buildings outside the three-mile coastline threshold would be inspected on their 30th year and every 10 years after that.

The inspection would be conducted by a licensed Florida engineer or architect. It would be mandatory for the completed reports to be distributed to each unit owner. Under this bill, buildings cleared for occupancy prior to July 1, 1992 will have until December 31, 2024 to complete their first inspection.

This proposed legislation advanced after receiving unanimous approval from the Senate Community Affairs Committee on January 25, 2022. It will need to clear two more committees before reaching the full Senate.