Can a Florida condo association stop paying into reserves to pay for repairs?

Only in a narrow case. Section 718.112(2)(f) lets an owner-controlled association that completed a milestone inspection within the previous 2 calendar years pause or reduce reserve contributions for no more than two consecutive annual budgets, to fund repairs the milestone inspection recommended. It applies to budgets adopted on or before December 31, 2028, and needs the approval of a majority of the total voting interests.

What vote does a condo need to pause reserves after a milestone inspection?

The statute requires the approval of a majority of the total voting interests. That means more than half of all the votes in the association, not just more than half of those who attend a meeting.

How long can a Florida condo pause reserve contributions?

No more than two consecutive annual budgets. Before reserve contributions continue, the law requires the association to have a structural integrity reserve study performed to set its funding needs and recommend a funding plan.

Can a condo delay its SIRS after a milestone inspection?

Section 718.112(2)(g) says an association that completes a milestone inspection may delay a required SIRS for no more than the 2 consecutive budget years immediately following the inspection, so it can focus its money on the inspection's repair and maintenance recommendations. Ask your association attorney how this fits your building's deadlines.

Which condo associations cannot use the reserve pause?

The law says it does not apply to an association controlled by the developer, an association where owners have been in control for less than 1 year, or an association controlled by one or more bulk assignees or bulk buyers.

Reserves & SIRS

Can your Florida condo pause reserve payments to pay for milestone repairs? The two-year rule, explained

Florida law gives condo associations a short, temporary option: after a milestone inspection, owners can vote to pause or reduce reserve savings for up to two annual budgets so the money goes to the repairs first. Here is how it works, who it leaves out, and what comes after.

By The Breezeway staff · October 29, 2026 · 5 min read · Florida

A milestone inspection can end with a long list of repairs. At the same time, Florida law now requires most condo buildings three stories and taller to save money every year for the big parts of the building. For many owners, that means paying for repairs now and filling the savings account at the same time.

A 2025 law, House Bill 913, added a short-term option to Florida's condo law. It lets some associations pause or reduce their reserve contributions for a limited time so the money can go to the repairs the milestone inspection recommended. This article explains what the law says, who can use it, and what has to happen afterward. It is a guide to the law, not legal advice. Your association attorney is the right person for questions about your building.

Terms to know

Milestone inspection: a structural inspection of a condo or co-op building three habitable stories or taller, done by a Florida-licensed architect or engineer. The first one is generally due by December 31 of the year the building turns 30 (local officials may require it at 25 where conditions such as salt water call for it), and then every 10 years. Reserves: money the association sets aside each year for big future repairs and replacements. SIRS: the structural integrity reserve study, which tells the association how much to save for the main parts of the building, such as the roof, structure, waterproofing, windows and doors, plumbing, electrical and fireproofing. Majority of the total voting interests: more than half of all the votes in the whole association, not just more than half of the owners who show up to vote.

What the law says

The rule is in section 718.112(2)(f) of the Florida Statutes. It says that for a budget adopted on or before December 31, 2028, if the association has completed a milestone inspection within the previous 2 calendar years, the board, upon the approval of a majority of the total voting interests, may temporarily pause reserve fund contributions, or reduce the amount of reserve funding, for no more than two consecutive annual budgets.

The purpose is spelled out in the law: the pause or reduction is for funding repairs recommended by the milestone inspection. It is not a general break from saving.

Put simply, four things have to line up: a milestone inspection finished in the last two calendar years, a budget adopted by the end of 2028, a yes vote from more than half of all the votes in the association, and money that goes toward the milestone repairs.

Who cannot use it

The statute says the pause does not apply to three kinds of associations:

An association still controlled by the developer.
An association where the owners (not the developer) have been in control for less than one year.
An association controlled by one or more bulk assignees or bulk buyers, which, in general terms, are buyers who took over a large block of units, as Florida law defines those terms.

What has to happen before saving starts again

The pause comes with a catch. The law says an association that has paused reserve contributions must have a structural integrity reserve study performed before reserve contributions continue. The study is meant to work out the association's reserve funding needs and recommend a funding plan.

In plain words: when the break ends, the association does not simply go back to the old number. A fresh SIRS sets the new one. Owners should expect that the savings they skipped may show up later in that plan.

A separate rule: delaying the SIRS itself

There is a second, related rule in section 718.112(2)(g). It says that if an association completes a milestone inspection, or an inspection done for a similar local requirement, it may delay a required structural integrity reserve study for no more than the 2 consecutive budget years immediately following the milestone inspection. The law says the reason is to let the association focus its money on the milestone inspection's repair and maintenance recommendations.

These are two different tools. One pauses or cuts reserve savings and needs the owner vote described above. The other delays when the SIRS study is done. Ask your association attorney how each one fits your building's dates and your other deadlines before relying on either.

Why the vote matters

Since budgets adopted on or after December 31, 2024, owners in an owner-controlled association that must have a SIRS may not vote to provide no reserves or less reserves than the law requires for the SIRS items. The milestone pause is a narrow, time-limited exception written into the same section of the law. That is why the vote bar is high: a majority of all the votes in the association, so staying home works the same as a no.

What to do

If you are an owner:

If you get a notice about a vote to pause or reduce reserves, look for three things: the date the milestone inspection was completed, how many budgets the pause would cover, and how the money will be spent on milestone repairs.
Vote, or send in a proxy or ballot if your documents allow it. Because the law counts all the votes in the association, not voting has the same effect as voting no.
Ask the board when the new SIRS will be done and when owners will see what it recommends.

If you are on the board:

Talk with the association attorney before putting a pause on the agenda. Confirm the milestone inspection date falls inside the previous 2 calendar years and that the association is not in one of the groups the law leaves out.
Ask your engineer which repairs the milestone inspection recommends and what they are expected to cost, so owners can see where the money would go.
Plan the next SIRS early. The law requires one before reserve contributions continue after a pause.
Keep clear records of the vote and of how the money was spent on milestone repairs.

Questions about how the law applies to a specific association can also go to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation's Division of Florida Condominiums, Timeshares and Mobile Homes, the state office that oversees condo associations.

Common questions

Can a Florida condo association stop paying into reserves to pay for repairs?: Only in a narrow case. Section 718.112(2)(f) lets an owner-controlled association that completed a milestone inspection within the previous 2 calendar years pause or reduce reserve contributions for no more than two consecutive annual budgets, to fund repairs the milestone inspection recommended. It applies to budgets adopted on or before December 31, 2028, and needs the approval of a majority of the total voting interests.
What vote does a condo need to pause reserves after a milestone inspection?: The statute requires the approval of a majority of the total voting interests. That means more than half of all the votes in the association, not just more than half of those who attend a meeting.
How long can a Florida condo pause reserve contributions?: No more than two consecutive annual budgets. Before reserve contributions continue, the law requires the association to have a structural integrity reserve study performed to set its funding needs and recommend a funding plan.
Can a condo delay its SIRS after a milestone inspection?: Section 718.112(2)(g) says an association that completes a milestone inspection may delay a required SIRS for no more than the 2 consecutive budget years immediately following the inspection, so it can focus its money on the inspection's repair and maintenance recommendations. Ask your association attorney how this fits your building's deadlines.
Which condo associations cannot use the reserve pause?: The law says it does not apply to an association controlled by the developer, an association where owners have been in control for less than 1 year, or an association controlled by one or more bulk assignees or bulk buyers.