Condo milestone inspections and SIRS on Hutchinson Island: the deadlines and what owners should expect

If you own a condo on Hutchinson Island, two Florida laws shape your building’s future. One is the milestone inspection, a safety check of the structure. The other is the structural integrity reserve study, or SIRS, a plan for saving money for big repairs. Both were changed again in 2025. Here is what the law says today.

Which buildings need a milestone inspection

The milestone law, Florida Statute 553.899, covers condo and co-op buildings that are three habitable stories or taller. Many communities on the island mix building types. Ocean Village on South Hutchinson Island, for example, has garden villas, townhomes and high-rise buildings. A one- or two-story villa building is not covered. A tall building is.

The first inspection is due by December 31 of the year the building turns 30. Age is counted from the date its certificate of occupancy was issued. After that, it repeats every 10 years. The first version of the law in 2022 used 25 years for buildings within 3 miles of the coast. That rule is gone. Now, a local building department may choose to require it at 25 years, based on local conditions such as being near salt water.

Older buildings had catch-up dates. Buildings that turned 30 before July 1, 2022, were due by December 31, 2024. Buildings that turned 30 after that and before December 31, 2024, were due by December 31, 2025. The local building department can give more time for good cause.

How the inspection works, step by step

1. The local building department mails the association a notice by certified mail. The notice names the agency in charge of your building, which may be the county or a city.
2. The association must tell owners within 14 days and give the date the inspection must be done.
3. Phase one is a visual check by a licensed engineer or architect. It must be done within 180 days of the notice.
4. If phase one finds substantial structural deterioration, phase two follows. It can include testing. A progress report with a timeline is due within 180 days after phase one.
5. Within 45 days of getting the report, the association must give every owner the inspector’s summary, post it on the property, and post the full report on its website if it is required to have one.
6. Repairs found in phase two must begin within 365 days after the building department receives that report. If they don’t, the department must decide if the building is safe to live in.

The reserve study deadline: December 31, 2026 at the latest

A SIRS is a study of eight key parts of a building and how much money is needed to fix or replace them over time. The eight are the roof, the structure, fireproofing and fire protection, plumbing, electrical, waterproofing and exterior painting, windows and exterior doors, and any other item costing more than $25,000 whose failure would hurt those parts. A licensed engineer or architect, or a certified reserve specialist, must do or check it.

Owner-run associations that existed on or before July 1, 2022, had to finish a SIRS by December 31, 2025. The 2025 law, House Bill 913, moved that date from December 31, 2024. An association whose milestone inspection is due by December 31, 2026, may combine the two. But the law says no SIRS may be finished after December 31, 2026. After that, a new study is due at least every 10 years.

New ways to pay, and a short pause

The 2025 law gave associations more options. Reserves may be paid through regular dues, special assessments, lines of credit or loans. A special assessment, line of credit or loan needs a majority vote of all voting interests, not just those at the meeting.

There is also a pause. If a milestone inspection was finished in the past two years, a majority of all voting interests may approve pausing or cutting reserve payments for up to two budget years. This applies to budgets adopted on or before December 31, 2028. A new SIRS must be done before reserve payments start again.

Questions to ask your board

• When was our building’s certificate of occupancy issued, and when is our milestone inspection due?
• Did we get a notice from the building department? Which agency sent it?
• Was phase two needed? If so, when must repairs begin?
• When was our SIRS finished, and did we report it to the state within 45 days?
• How much does the SIRS say we should save each year, and are we saving that much?

Living on a barrier island: know your zone

Florida says storm surge is the greatest threat to life in a hurricane. Evacuation zones run by letter, and Zone A is usually the first to leave. Ahead of Tropical Storm Nicole, St. Lucie County urged people in zones A and B, which include the barrier island, to evacuate. Before Hurricane Milton in 2024, the county closed the bridges to North and South Hutchinson Island to all traffic, residents included, until the storm passed and the bridges were inspected.

What to do

1. Ask your board or manager for the milestone summary and the SIRS. You have a right to see them.
2. Check if your association reported its SIRS to the state. Search the SIRS list at myfloridalicense.com, or call the state condo division’s SIRS line at (954) 202-6831 or email ctmheducation@myfloridalicense.com.
3. If your building is outside city limits, questions about milestone notices can go to the St. Lucie County permitting and building office at (772) 462-1553, 2300 Virginia Ave., Fort Pierce.
4. Look up your evacuation zone at floridadisaster.org/knowyourzone.
5. Bookmark readystlucie.org for storm updates. During past storms, the county’s question line has been 772-460-HELP (4357).