Florida HOA Hurricane Preparedness: What Every Board Needs to Do Before June 1

I grew up in Sebastian, Florida. In 2004, Frances and Jeanne hit the Space Coast back to back within three weeks of each other. I was old enough to understand what was happening and young enough that it left a permanent impression. By the time I bought my first beachside condo years later, hurricane preparedness was not an abstract concept for me. It was something I took seriously from day one.

When I became board president, that same instinct applied to the whole community. Preparing for hurricane season is not a checkbox. It is one of the most consequential things a Florida board does all year. Get it right and a storm becomes a manageable event. Get it wrong and you are dealing with uninsured damage, legal exposure, a fractured community, and a financial hole that takes years to climb out of.

Here is what Florida HOA and condo boards need to do before June 1, including a 2024 law change that most boards still have not dealt with.

The 2024 Hurricane Protection Law: Something Every Florida Board Must Do Right Now

Before we get to the seasonal checklist, there is a legal requirement that every Florida HOA and condo board needs to address if it has not already.

Under HB 293, signed by the Governor on May 28, 2024, and effective that same day, every Florida homeowners association is now required to adopt formal hurricane protection specifications for each structure type it governs. These specifications define the permitted materials, styles, colors, and methods for hurricane shutters, impact windows, storm doors, and other protective systems that owners may install on their units or parcels.

The critical consequence of that requirement is this: once the specifications are adopted, an owner whose application for hurricane protection conforms to those specifications cannot be denied by the association or its architectural review committee. The old dynamic where a board could arbitrarily reject a homeowner's request to install impact windows over aesthetic concerns is no longer permissible under Florida law. If the application meets your adopted specs, you must approve it.

This matters for two reasons. First, it protects owners who want to harden their homes. Second, it protects boards from liability. A board that has not adopted specifications and then denies a hurricane protection application has no legal leg to stand on. A board that has adopted clear specifications and applied them consistently is on solid ground.

If your association has not adopted hurricane protection specifications, this needs to go on your next board meeting agenda. Work with your attorney to draft specifications that reflect your community's architectural standards while complying with Florida Building Code requirements. Once adopted, communicate them clearly to all owners so everyone knows what is and is not permitted.

Before Hurricane Season: The Board's Pre-Season Checklist

Florida's hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30. Every year, before June 1, Florida boards should work through the following.

Review and confirm your insurance coverage. Pull out your current property policy and confirm three specific things. First, that the insured value reflects a professional appraisal done within the last 36 months. Florida's construction costs have risen significantly and an outdated appraisal likely understates your replacement value. Second, that you know your hurricane deductible expressed as a dollar amount based on the current insured value, not just as a percentage. If your building is insured at $2 million with a 5% deductible, your out-of-pocket exposure before insurance pays anything is $100,000. Third, that your operating account or designated reserves can actually cover that deductible. If they cannot, that gap needs to be part of your budget conversation now, before a storm arrives.

Document property condition with photographs. Walk the entire property before the season begins and photograph everything systematically. The roof, the stucco, the windows and doors, the balconies, the walkways, the parking areas, the drainage systems, the landscaping, the common area furniture and equipment. Do this before June 1 every year. If storm damage occurs, those pre-storm photographs are your baseline for the insurance claim. Without them, the insurer has no obligation to assume the damage was storm-related rather than pre-existing.

Inspect and clear all drainage. Standing water from heavy rain and storm surge causes damage that compounds quickly. Before season starts, confirm that all roof drains, gutters, downspouts, surface drains, and retention areas are clear and functioning. Walk the property after a heavy rain and see where water pools. Address those areas before a named storm creates pressure.

Clear potential projectiles from common areas. Dead limbs, loose signage, unsecured trash cans, patio furniture on common area pool decks, decorative items in landscaping beds. Anything that can become airborne in high winds should be secured or stored. Do not wait until a storm is 48 hours out to deal with this. In a named storm situation, vendors are unavailable and your board is scrambling. Do the clearing in May.

Inspect and test emergency lighting. If your building has emergency exit lighting in stairwells, hallways, or common areas, confirm it is operational before season begins. After a storm knocks out power, that lighting is what allows owners to safely navigate the building.

Build and confirm your vendor contact list. Who is your licensed roofing contractor? Your plumber? Your electrician? Do you have a contact for emergency board-up services? A contact for debris removal? In the aftermath of a significant storm these vendors are overwhelmed with calls. The communities that have relationships established before the storm get called back first. Build that list in the spring, not the day after a hurricane.

Establish and communicate your emergency protocol to owners. How will the board notify owners before a storm is approaching? How will you communicate damage assessments and recovery status afterward? Who is the single point of contact for owners to report common area damage? If your condo association is required to have a website, make sure it is updated and accessible. Post emergency contact information, evacuation routes for your area, and links to local emergency management resources before the season begins, not during it.

Emergency Powers Florida Law Grants to Boards During a Declared State of Emergency

Most Florida board members do not know that the law gives them significantly expanded authority during a declared state of emergency, and that authority can make the difference between a slow, complicated recovery and a fast, effective one.

Under Florida Statute 718.1265 for condominium associations and 720.316 for HOA communities, when a state of emergency is declared in the locale where the community is located, the board has the authority to hold meetings with whatever notice is practicable rather than the normal statutory notice requirements. The board can name assistant officers who are not directors to carry out functions during the emergency. The board can determine that portions of the property are unavailable for occupancy based on the advice of emergency management officials or licensed professionals. The board can require evacuation of the property when necessary to protect health and safety. The board can contract for debris removal, emergency repairs, and mitigation of further damage including removing wet drywall, insulation, and flooring even from individual units when necessary to prevent further damage to the building. And critically, the board can levy special assessments without a vote of the owners and borrow money and pledge association assets as collateral to fund emergency repairs when operating funds are insufficient.

These are significant powers. They exist specifically so that boards can act quickly and decisively in a crisis rather than waiting for the normal procedural machinery to catch up with an emergency. Board members who understand these powers before a storm hits can use them effectively when they are needed. Board members who learn about them for the first time in the aftermath of a storm are already behind.

After the Storm: The Post-Hurricane Procedure

The hours and days immediately after a hurricane are chaotic and decisions made in that window have long-term consequences. Having a process in place before it is needed is what separates communities that recover smoothly from those that are still fighting insurance battles two years later.

Safety first, always. Do not enter the property until it is safe to do so. Downed power lines, flood water, structural instability, and other hazards are real in the immediate post-storm period. Wait for clearance from local emergency management before sending anyone, including board members and vendors, onto the property.

Document everything before touching anything. Once it is safe to enter, do a systematic damage documentation walkthrough before any cleanup or repairs begin. Photograph and video every piece of damage you can find. Every section of missing roofing, every cracked wall, every flooded common area, every damaged vehicle in the parking lot. The more comprehensive your documentation before cleanup begins, the stronger your insurance claim. Cleanup that begins before documentation is complete can undermine your claim.

File your insurance claim promptly. Florida law requires insurers to acknowledge claims within specific timeframes and begin the adjustment process quickly, but the process still takes time. The sooner you file the sooner the clock starts running. Keep copies of everything you submit and document every communication with the insurer in writing.

Use only licensed contractors for repairs. This cannot be said strongly enough. After a major hurricane, unlicensed contractors appear everywhere offering quick work at cash prices. Hiring an unlicensed contractor for storm repairs can void your insurance coverage for that work, create personal liability for board members who authorized it, result in fines from the county, and leave you with repairs that fail to meet code. Verify every contractor's license through the DBPR portal before signing anything. Every permit required for repair work must be pulled by the licensed contractor, not by the association.

Communicate consistently with owners throughout the recovery. Even when the news is not good, regular communication is what maintains trust during a difficult period. A weekly written update on the damage assessment, the insurance claim status, the repair timeline, and the financial picture keeps owners informed and reduces the volume of individual inquiries the board has to manage.

The Reserve Suspension Provision Worth Knowing

One final point that is genuinely useful for boards managing cash flow in the aftermath of a significant storm. If a building becomes uninhabitable due to a natural disaster, the association may temporarily suspend its reserve contributions during that period. This provides some cash flow relief when the association needs every dollar focused on recovery.

The key word is temporarily. Once the building is again habitable, reserve contributions must resume immediately. This provision is a relief valve for a genuine emergency, not a reason to stop funding reserves indefinitely. Board members who use it correctly document the suspension, the reason for it, and the date contributions resumed. That documentation protects the board if the decision is ever questioned.

Hurricane preparedness is not glamorous board work. It is the kind of thing that matters enormously when it is needed and disappears into the background the rest of the time. The communities I have watched handle storms best all had one thing in common: they had done the unglamorous work in May before anyone was paying attention.

For a complete guide to running a Florida HOA or condo association including finances, compliance, vendor management, and everything a board faces over the course of a year, pick up a copy of Run the Board.