TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — There is bipartisan support in the Florida House for a proposal giving condo associations money to harden their buildings against hurricanes.

What You Need To Know

  •  A home-hardening grant program for condos is gathering bipartisan support in the Florida House

  •  The proposal is an expansion of the My Safe Florida Home Program

  •  It comes as lawmakers brainstorm relief amid the property insurance crisis

The proposal (House Bill 1029) is a pilot program designed to expand the My Safe Florida Home Program. It would allow condo associations, like residential homeowners, to pursue matching grant dollars.

The House Insurance & Banking Subcommittee unanimously approved the legislation on Tuesday. It needs one more committee vote before the Florida House can deliver a final vote on the measure. 

"We were listening to the concerns of a lot of the 55-and-older people who are on limited fixed incomes in older buildings," said Parkland Democratic State Rep. Christine Hunschofsky, a bill cosponsor. "The question came up: Why can't they access this grant program?"

The pilot program proposal comes as state leaders work to address Florida's property insurance crisis. Experts say rates in Florida are among the highest in the nation, in part because it is among the most disaster-prone states. 

"A lot of condominiums have been placed on the coastal line," said Coral Gables Republican State Rep. Vicki Lopez, the bill sponsor. "They're the first in line when a hurricane hits. Many of them are not hardened, and so they've had a difficult time getting insurance." 

Despite numerous reforms, lawmakers and insurance leaders in Florida remain unable to estimate when, if at all, property insurance rates may decrease. They say the current proposal, though, may offer some relief.

"They can now tap into what everybody else has been tapping in to," Key Largo Republican State. Rep. Jim Rooney said of condo associations. "They're more resilient. They're hardened. It should overall help the insurance rates in the state." 

Meanwhile, there are negotiations over property insurance relief within the state budget. Gov. Ron DeSantis is proposing a one-year insurance tax break for Floridians. The House, meanwhile, is offering similar relief to commercial companies instead. 

"At this stage in session, there are always differences between our initial proposal and what the Senate and the governor each put forward respectively," said House Communications Director Andres Malave.

The My Safe Florida Home Program isn't new. In recent years, though, it has gathered a renewed interest, and lawmakers are now contemplating a move to flush the program with roughly $225 million in the upcoming state budget.