Condo HOA fees are surging in Florida, here's why

(NewsNation) — A new building safety law and skyrocketing insurance costs have sent condo HOA fees soaring in Florida.

Condo homeowners association (HOA) dues are up more than 15% in Tampa, Orlando, and Fort Lauderdale compared to a year ago, according to a new Redfin analysis. That’s nearly 10 points higher than the 6% median gain across the 43 metros Redfin analyzed.

HOA fees also rose in West Palm Beach (12.8%) and Jacksonville (7.6%). In dollar terms, Miami led all cities with median monthly dues of $835.

“Many buildings — even those without amenities — now have HOA dues north of $1,000 a month,” Rafael Corrales, a Redfin Premier agent in Miami, said in a statement.

Rising property prices aren’t the reason why condo prices are falling across much of the state.

Instead, there are two main drivers: New safety requirements and the state’s ongoing housing insurance crisis.

After the tragic Surfside condo collapse, Florida lawmakers passed Senate Bill 4D, requiring structural inspections for condos and reserves to be set aside for repairs. To comply with those regulations, many condo associations are raising fees and doling out costly special assessments, sometimes as high as $100,000.

Those fees are hitting Florida seniors especially hard, many of whom are now being forced to move.

“With special assessments getting tacked on, a lot of condo owners who are retired and/or on a fixed income are being forced to sell and relocate because they can’t keep up with the payments,” Corrales said.

The Sunshine State’s insurance woes are also pushing up HOA fees. Extreme weather and a wave of fraudulent property claim scams have driven major carriers out of the market, raising costs.

Now, Floridians have the highest average premiums in the nation, with some paying six figures for homeowners insurance.

HOA dues have become so expensive that they’re driving down condo prices. In Jacksonville, condo sale prices fell 6.6% year over year in July, the biggest drop among the cities Redfin analyzed. Tampa saw a 4.9% drop, while Fort Lauderdale saw a 4.2% decline from a year ago.

Although it’s the epicenter of soaring HOA fees, Florida isn’t alone. HOA dues are also rising faster than average in Fort Worth, Texas (14.6%), Sacramento, California (13.1%) and Atlanta, Georgia (12.2%).

Redfin’s analysis examined condo/co-op HOA dues and sale prices on MLS listings in 43 of the most populous metropolitan areas. HOA dues are maintenance fees required by shared housing developments that go toward building repairs, staff and amenities like pools, among other things.

The ten cities where monthly HOA dues are up the most from a year ago, according to Redfin: