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Bill requiring landlords to disclose potential flood risks heads to governor's desk

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Published  May 20, 2025 7:27pm EDT
Florida
FOX 13 News
Tenant flood disclosure bill awaits governor's signature

Tenant flood disclosure bill awaits governor's signature

A bill currently waiting for the governor's signature would require landlords to disclose to tenants the potential flood risks of a potential rental property. Aaron Mesmer reports

The Brief

    • A bill requiring landlords to disclose to tenants the potential flood risks of a property is heading to the governor's desk.
    • The law would also apply to condominium developers and mobile home land owners.
    • If Gov. DeSantis signs the bill, the new law would go into effect Oct. 1.

TALLAHASSEE - A bill currently waiting for the governor's signature would require landlords to disclose to tenants the potential flood risks of a potential rental property.

Senate Bill 948, passed unanimously through both chambers of the Florida legislature, would expand the flood disclosure law that passed last year, which mandated flood risk disclosures in property sales.

Big picture view:

The expansion would require landlords to make similar disclosures to potential tenants. If they don't, the landlords could be responsible for refunding rent and deposits if the tenant suffers a substantial loss in a flood.

A bill requiring landlords to disclose to tenants the potential flood risks of a property is heading to the governor's desk.

The law would also apply to condominium developers and mobile home landowners.

What they're saying:

"As state lawmakers, we've stepped in to mandate the transparency," said State. Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orange. "It's not fair for a tenant or a homeowner to not be made aware of the risk of where they're living, especially when they could potentially not only see damage to their personal property, but also, of course, the risk of impacting a loved one."

This comes several months after tens of thousands of homes in Tampa Bay were impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

READ: Governor Ron and Casey DeSantis ‘double down’ on Hope Florida

Timeline:

Eskamani pointed to a recent study that showed why this expansion is so important. First Street found that nearly half of all homes in Pinellas County and about a third of homes in Hillsborough County have a risk of flooding in the next 30 years.

A bill requiring landlords to disclose to tenants the potential flood risks of a property is heading to the governor's desk.

If Gov. DeSantis signs the bill, the new law would go into effect Oct. 1.

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The Source: Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Aaron Mesmer.

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