One of the most talked about community association legislative bills this session was House Bill 653 (HB 653), which proposed changes to the Condominium Act and the Homeowners Association Act. Gov. Rick Scott vetoed HB 653 at 7:55 p.m. on June 26. HB 653 had many changes, one of which was an amendment easing the fire-protection requirements for condominium buildings in Florida.
HB 653 addressed requirements for retrofitting high-rise condominium buildings with fire sprinklers and other types of life safety systems. The bill, among other things, would have extended the date the condominium had to apply for a building permit, if it had not completed retrofitting or voted to forego retrofitting from Dec. 31, 2019 to Dec. 31, 2021. The bill also provided an exemption from retrofitting a fire sprinkler system or engineered life safety system.
