Florida Condo Fees Skyrocketing in 2026: What the New Laws Mean for Owners, Buyers, and Sellers

Are Florida condo fees really skyrocketing in 2026?

Yes. Florida's post-Surfside condo reform — the full reserves requirement, the Structural Integrity Reserve Study (SIRS), and the Milestone Inspection — fully took effect on December 31, 2024. A year and a half in, many condo associations have raised monthly dues by 25–60% or higher, and special assessments running into the tens of thousands of dollars per unit have become common. If you own, are buying, or are selling a Florida condo right now, this is the single most important factor in your decision.

By Melissa Carbonell | May 11, 2026

I made the video above back in 2023, warning condo owners about what was coming. At the time, this was theoretical — a deadline on the horizon, a webinar topic, a thing to plan for. Now we're a year and a half into the new reality, and the conversations I have with condo owners every week are very different from the ones I was having then.

If you're sitting on a Florida condo — or thinking about buying one — here's the actual state of things in 2026 and what to do about it.

The short version of the law

Florida's condo reform came directly out of the Surfside collapse in June 2021. The state moved fast, then kept tightening. Three things matter for owners' wallets:

• Milestone Inspection. Buildings three stories or taller get a structural safety inspection by a licensed engineer or architect at 30 years (or 25 if within three miles of the coast), then every 10 years after.
• Structural Integrity Reserve Study (SIRS). Every 10 years, the same buildings need a SIRS — a study that prices out the remaining life and replacement cost of every major structural and life-safety component: roof, load-bearing walls, floor, foundation, fireproofing, plumbing, electrical, waterproofing, windows, and anything else with a deferred-maintenance cost over $10,000.
• Mandatory full reserves. Associations must fund reserves to match what the SIRS says is needed. The old practice of "waiving reserves" each year to keep monthly dues artificially low — gone, for the components on the SIRS list.

The result: condo budgets that quietly under-funded reserves for 20, 30, sometimes 40 years now have to make up the gap. Fast.

What this actually looks like on a monthly statement

Every building is different, but here's the pattern I've watched play out over the last 18 months in South Florida.

A typical mid-rise condo on the beach with an older roof, aging plumbing, and a long-deferred waterproofing project ran a $450/month maintenance fee before the law. The SIRS came back saying the building needed an extra $1.4M over the next ten years for the components on the list. The board had two choices: raise the dues, or do a special assessment.

Most went with both. Dues went to $700–$800/month, plus a $15,000–$40,000 per-unit special assessment to backfill the existing shortfall on roof and plumbing work that was already overdue.

That's not an unusual story. That's the median story in a lot of older South Florida buildings right now.

Why owners didn't see this coming (even though I told them)

Three reasons.

Boards waived reserves. For decades, Florida condo associations could vote each year to skip funding reserves. Most did — it kept monthly dues looking competitive in the listings. The bill came due all at once when the waivers stopped.

The "we've always done it this way" tax. Older buildings are full of owners who bought when fees were $300/month and budgets had no real reserves. The actual structural cost of keeping the building safe never showed up on a monthly statement — until now.

SIRS reports get specific. A SIRS doesn't deal in generalities. It says "the roof has 4 years of life remaining at a replacement cost of $620,000." Once that number is written down by a licensed professional, the board has to plan around it.

If you're trying to figure out whether to sell, hold, or buy a Florida condo right now — and the math depends on the SIRS, the assessments, and the building's age — that's the conversation I have with condo owners every week. Schedule a quick call and we'll look at your specific building together — no pressure, no obligation.

If you own a Florida condo

Three things to do this month if you haven't already.

1. Get the SIRS. Your association is required to make it available. Read the executive summary at minimum. The numbers in the back are the real budget for the next ten years of your home.
2. Get the Milestone Inspection report if your building is at the trigger age. Pay attention to "substantial structural deterioration" findings — those drive emergency assessments.
3. Look at the reserves schedule and the assessment history. If the board has been quietly funding a "deferred maintenance" line for the last few years and now wants to switch to formal reserves, the dues math gets ugly. If they're behind on plumbing or waterproofing, the next assessment is probably already in draft.

None of this is fun. All of it is better to know than not know.

If you're thinking about selling

Selling a Florida condo in 2026 is fundamentally different from selling one in 2022. The buyer pool is more cautious, lenders ask harder questions, and disclosure expectations are tighter.

What's working:

• Sellers in buildings with a clean SIRS and fully-funded reserves are commanding a real premium right now. Buyers will pay more for a building where the math is already settled.
• Pricing the assessment into the offer. If a special assessment has been announced but not yet paid, you can either pay it at closing or credit the buyer. Pretending it doesn't exist doesn't work — it'll show up in the estoppel letter.
• Selling sooner rather than later in buildings where the Milestone Inspection hasn't happened yet. The pre-inspection window is often the best pricing window because the uncertainty isn't quantified yet.

What's not working:

• Older buildings with no SIRS, no inspection, and aging components on the list. Lenders are reluctant. Buyers are skeptical. Cash buyers are coming in well below ask.
• "Wait it out" strategies. Building costs are still climbing. The next ten years are going to be more expensive than the last, not less.

If a move to a single-family home, a townhome, or a newer 55+ community is on the table, this is the moment a lot of long-time condo owners are making that switch. Newer construction in Saint Lucie and Martin County is one of the most common landings.

If you're thinking about buying

The good news: there's more leverage in the condo market for buyers than there's been in years.

Before you write an offer:

• Get the SIRS and the Milestone Inspection as part of due diligence — both are public to unit owners and most associations will share them with serious buyers under a confidentiality agreement.
• Read the assessment history. Special assessments in the last 24 months tell you a lot more than the marketing brochure.
• Talk to the property manager. Ask directly about pending assessments and upcoming projects. Boards are required to disclose, but you want it confirmed verbally.
• Underwrite the realistic monthly cost. Not the "current" dues number on the listing. The number after the SIRS-funded reserves are fully baked in. That can be 30–50% higher.

Buyers who do this homework are buying confidently. Buyers who skip it are getting blindsided.

The honest takeaway

Florida condos still make sense for plenty of buyers — beach access, lock-and-leave living, walkable communities, no yard. But the days of looking at a $400/month maintenance fee and assuming it'll stay that way are over. The math has changed. The disclosures have changed. The buyer pool has changed.

The condo owners who thrive in 2026 are the ones who looked at the numbers, asked the hard questions, and either positioned themselves to ride out the increases or sold strategically before they hit. The condo buyers who thrive are the ones treating the SIRS and Milestone Inspection like the most important documents in the file — because they are.

If you'd like a second pair of eyes on your specific building — or you're trying to decide whether to sell now, hold, or move to a different kind of home — that's the work I do every day. Book a no-pressure call and we'll go through it together.

This article is general information, not legal or financial advice. The specifics of Florida condo law are complex and updated periodically. For decisions about your building, your unit, or your sale, talk to a licensed Florida attorney, your association management, and a local real estate agent.

About Melissa Carbonell
Melissa Carbonell is a real estate agent in South Florida who helps long-time homeowners, empty nesters, and retirees sell the family home and move on to their next chapter. She also helps people relocate to the Saint Lucie County and Martin County area from South Florida and the Northeast. Connect with Melissa on YouTube or schedule a call.