Following the tragic 2021 Surfside condo collapse that killed 98 Floridians, state lawmakers enacted sweeping reforms to ensure the structural safety of aging condominium buildings. But as implementation flounders, a legislative split has emerged—and with it, a broader reckoning over the failure of municipalities like Jacksonville to enforce life-saving mandates.

Now, two dueling bills—SB 1742 from Sen. Jennifer Bradley (R–Fleming Island) and HB 913 from Rep. Vicki Lopez (R–Miami)—offer sharply different paths forward. And Governor Ron DeSantis is taking sides.

Bradley’s SB 1742: Flexible Reform Rooted in Accountability

Sen. Bradley’s bill is a measured course correction to Surfside-era mandates. Rather than gutting requirements, it addresses flaws in rollout, data management, and financial practicality for associations:

Key Provisions:

• Standardized statewide inspection forms to focus on structural risks rather than cosmetic issues.

• Temporary relief from mandatory reserve funding for up to two years after inspections—giving associations time to adapt without compromising safety.

• Creation of a central building database and a partnership with UF to identify and assess vulnerable properties.

• Stronger guardrails for community association managers to prevent financial mismanagement or abuse.

The bill has received unanimous support in Senate committees and appears positioned for Senate floor approval.

“Each of these options ensures that milestones are completed, buildings are safe, while providing more flexibility...”—Sen. Bradley

Lopez’s HB 913: A Developer-Centric Approach

Rep. Lopez’s proposal, by contrast, tilts heavily toward market expediency:

• Authorizes condo associations to take out loans for repairs without a membership vote, reducing owner oversight.

• Bars Citizens Insurance from covering condos that fail to meet inspection requirements—a punitive measure critics argue would penalize residents more than boards or management firms.

Gov. DeSantis recently blasted the bill during a press conference, accusing Lopez of prioritizing developers over residents and calling the House “unwilling to provide real relief.” He threw his support behind the Senate version, even if he mistakenly credited the wrong sponsor.

“I want to thank the folks in the Florida Senate... I don’t know what has gotten into the Florida House.”—Gov. DeSantis

Jacksonville: A Case Study in Local Failure

If Sen. Bradley’s SB 1742 seeks to impose clarity and consistency, then Jacksonville offers a troubling example of why that clarity is urgently needed. Nearly three years after the Surfside collapse, the city remains paralyzed by bureaucratic delay, deficient data systems, and a culture of evasive non-responsiveness that undermines the very safety reforms the state has tried to implement.

Failure to Track or Enforce

State law required all Florida condominium buildings with three or more stories—and at least 25 years old—to submit a Phase I milestone inspection by December 31, 2024. But according to city sources, only 29 milestone reports have been filed in Duval County, a fraction of the estimated 167 qualifying properties. In reality, that figure may be higher, as the city has failed to provide a complete and verified list of buildings subject to the mandate.

Despite repeated requests for public records and clarification, Jacksonville officials have not released a comprehensive accounting of:

• How many buildings in the city fall under the mandate

• Whether those buildings have submitted inspections

• What the city is doing to compel compliance

This opacity isn't just poor governance—it’s a failure of the most basic safety responsibility. When asked in February 2025, Joshua Gideon, Chief of the Building Inspection Division, acknowledged the request for milestone data and promised delivery “within a week.” By late-April, no data had been provided. Gideon is now retiring on April 26, leaving behind a backlog of unanswered public safety questions.

Requests for updates have since been met with vague deflections. Mayor Donna Deegan’s office, through City Council liaison Bill Delaney, has resorted to form-letter responses directing residents to “make another request.”

Collapse on Main Street

On March 17, 2025, Jacksonville’s lax approach to building oversight became dangerously visible. A roof collapse occurred at the historic Solomon’s Auction House at 2301 N. Main Street in the Phoenix Arts District—a building not covered under Surfside-inspired mandates but emblematic of the city’s larger problem: inspections are reactive, not preventive.

The century-old structure had visibly deteriorated over years, yet there is no public record that the city ever inspected or flagged the building as a safety hazard. It took a physical collapse—thankfully without injuries—to trigger emergency attention. The city’s default approach? Wait until something falls.

The City’s Own Neglected Properties

Perhaps the most damning evidence of dysfunction lies in the city’s own real estate portfolio. Take 324 N. Broad Street, a 1904 building owned by the City of Jacksonville since 1994. Once home to the Black-owned National Mercantile Realty & Improvement Co., it now stands gutted and near-collapse. Despite holding title for three decades, the city never stabilized the roof, never invested in maintenance, and never pursued adaptive reuse or partnership to preserve it.

Only when the structure became visibly unsalvageable did the city act—by allocating $195,000 for partial demolition. The façade may be preserved, but the damage was done long ago, not by time, but by neglect.

This government-owned building joins a growing list of municipally neglected sites, even as private developers face code enforcement fines, foreclosures, and public scrutiny for similar offenses.

Double Standards: Laura Street vs. Broad Street

Consider the Laura Street Trio, where private developer SouthEast Development Group is facing city-led foreclosure over nearly $800,000 in unpaid fines for missed code deadlines—after receiving millions in city incentives.

On one hand, the city is right to hold private developers accountable. On the other, how can it enforce those rules when it fails to follow them itself?

• The city fines others for roof damage it ignores on its own buildings.

• The city sues others for stalled timelines while its own assets crumble over decades.

• The city calls for transparency from developers, yet hides basic data from the public.

Why SB 1742 is the Better Bill—for Residents and Reform

Bradley’s bill doesn’t just patch technical holes—it begins to correct a broken feedback loop between state mandates and local enforcement. By enabling consistent standards, centralizing data, and providing financial flexibility, it empowers both associations and regulators without gutting protections.

Lopez’s bill, in contrast, erodes owner rights and risks creating loopholes for mismanagement—while imposing harsh penalties on the very residents the law seeks to protect.

The Larger Lesson: Laws Alone Won’t Save Us

SB 1742 may be a smarter bill. But without transparency and accountability at the municipal level, even the best legislation falls flat. Jacksonville’s failure to enforce its own mandates—let alone maintain its own buildings—shows that neglect isn’t just a private-sector problem.

If local governments can’t comply with the safety rules they set for others, then what hope is there for broader reform?

Until cities like Jacksonville start leading by example, even the most well-intentioned legislation will amount to little more than damage control after the next disaster.