If your Phase 2 milestone inspection report identified substantial structural deterioration, your association must
begin repairs within 365 days of the date the local enforcement agency received that report. Not finish them — begin them. That one-year window has to absorb engineer-prepared repair specifications, a competitive bid process, a funding vote, permitting, and contractor mobilization. Most boards lose the first four months deciding who is responsible for starting. The practical deadline for having a plan approved is closer to month six.
What the milestone inspection actually requires
Florida Statute §553.899 requires a milestone inspection for buildings three habitable stories or more that are under condominium or cooperative ownership. The inspection is due by December 31 of the year the building turns 30, and every 10 years after that. Your local enforcement agency has the authority under §553.899(3)(b) to move that to 25 years where local conditions — proximity to salt water, for example — justify it, which is why two similar buildings in different Pinellas jurisdictions can be on different clocks.
The inspection runs in two phases:
- Phase 1 is a visual examination by a licensed architect or engineer, producing a qualitative assessment of the building's structural condition. If nothing substantial turns up, you're done for another 10 years.
- Phase 2 is triggered only when Phase 1 identifies substantial structural deterioration. It can involve destructive or nondestructive testing, and it's scoped to whatever it takes to assess the areas of distress.
The distinction that trips up boards is the definition. Under §553.899(2)(b), "substantial structural deterioration" specifically
excludes surface imperfections — cracks, distortion, sagging, deflection, misalignment, signs of leakage, peeling finishes — unless the inspector determines otherwise. So a report full of alarming photos of cracked stucco and rusting railings does not automatically mean you're in Phase 2 territory. Read what your engineer actually concluded, not what the photos suggest. Conversely, if your engineer did make that determination on something that looks cosmetic, it is not cosmetic, and treating it that way is how boards end up in front of a building official.
The three clocks running against you
Boards consistently track the wrong deadline. There are three, and they're independent.
45 days — Distribute the inspector's report summary to all unit owners by mail or personal delivery, post it conspicuously on the property, and publish it to the association website if you're required to maintain one. (§553.899(9))
180 days — Submit the Phase 2 progress report after the Phase 1 report is filed. (§553.899(7)(b))
365 days — Commence repairs of the structural deficiencies identified in the Phase 2 report, measured from when the local enforcement agency received it, unless your local governing body requires them to start sooner. (§553.899(11))
That last parenthetical matters. Some Florida jurisdictions have adopted shorter local timelines, and §553.899(10) explicitly lets local enforcement agencies set their own deadlines and penalties. Before you build a schedule around 365 days, have your manager confirm the local requirement in writing with your building department. Assuming the state maximum applies to you is the single most common scheduling error we see.
What happens if you miss it: under §553.899(11), if the association fails to submit proof that repairs have been scheduled or commenced within the required timeframe, the local enforcement agency must review the building and determine whether it is unsafe for human occupancy. That's not a fine. That's a habitability determination on a building where people live, and it flows directly into your insurance renewal and every unit owner's ability to sell or refinance.
The first 90 days: a working sequence
Days 1–14 — Establish the record
Confirm in writing the exact date the local enforcement agency received the Phase 2 report. That date, not the date your board read the report, starts the 365-day clock. Get it from the agency, not from your engineer's cover letter. Open a dedicated project file for every document from this point forward; you will be asked to produce it, either by the building department, by your insurer, or by an owner's attorney.
Days 1–45 — Distribute and communicate
Send the inspector's summary to owners within the 45-day window and document the mailing. Then get ahead of it. Owners who receive a sealed engineering summary with no context assume the worst and organize accordingly. A one-page cover letter in plain language — what was found, what the law requires, what the board is doing next, when the next update comes — costs you an hour and prevents six months of recall-petition energy.
Days 15–60 — Convert findings into a repair scope
A milestone inspection report is a diagnosis, not a set of construction documents. You cannot competitively bid from it, and contractors who quote off one are guessing. Engage an engineer to produce repair specifications: quantities, materials, methods, sequencing, and access requirements.
This is where §553.899(12) becomes load-bearing. A design professional or contractor involved in the inspection must disclose in writing whether they intend to bid on the repair work the inspection identified. If that disclosure isn't made, the contract for services is voidable and terminates upon the association filing written notice. Ask for the disclosure explicitly and put the answer in the minutes. There are legitimate reasons to retain your inspecting engineer for the repair design — continuity and familiarity are real advantages — but the board needs to make that choice knowingly, on the record, rather than discover the overlap later when an owner does.
Days 45–90 — Bid it properly
Three qualified bids on identical specifications. Not three bids on three different interpretations of the engineer's report — that's the version boards get, and it produces a spread so wide the numbers are meaningless. Structural repair work on an occupied residential building demands a narrower vendor field than routine maintenance: verified experience with concrete restoration on occupied condominiums, current Florida licensure, insurance limits appropriate to the contract value, and references from associations that will actually take your call. Our
guide to evaluating service vendors covers the qualification process in more detail.
Build resident impact into the bid documents rather than discovering it during construction. Balcony access, parking loss, staging areas, working hours, pool and amenity closures, and noise windows are all negotiable before award and expensive afterward.
How associations are paying for this
Funding is where most boards stall, and the 2025 legislation opened options that didn't exist when the milestone requirements first landed.
Reserves for the covered components can't be waived. Under §718.112(2)(g), residential condominium associations with buildings of three or more habitable stories must complete a Structural Integrity Reserve Study at least every 10 years, covering eight components: roof, load-bearing structure, fire protection, plumbing, electrical, waterproofing and exterior painting, windows and exterior doors, and any other item with a deferred maintenance or replacement cost above the statutory threshold that affects those systems. Reserve funding for those specific components can no longer be waived or reduced by owner vote. HB 913 also clarified what counts as a habitable story — floors used for living, sleeping, eating, or cooking count; garages, mechanical penthouses, and storage levels don't — which moved some buildings out of scope entirely. If your building is borderline, it's worth re-confirming.
But you can pause reserves to fund the repairs. HB 913 gives unit-owner-controlled associations that completed a milestone inspection within the previous two years the ability to pause or reduce reserve contributions for no more than two consecutive annual budgets, by majority vote of the total voting interests, specifically to fund repairs the milestone inspection recommended. If you use it, you must complete a SIRS before resuming contributions, to re-establish what you actually need. This is a real tool and it is also a trap if used casually — you are borrowing from the next repair to pay for this one.
Loans and lines of credit are now explicitly on the table. Associations required to have a SIRS may fund reserves through special assessment, line of credit, or loan with majority approval of voting interests. For a large repair, financing spread across several years is frequently easier to pass than a single assessment, and easier on owners on fixed incomes — which, in much of Pinellas County, is a meaningful share of your membership.
Talk to your association attorney and CPA before selecting a path. The vote thresholds and notice requirements differ by option, and getting the procedure wrong invalidates the funding decision after you've already awarded the work.
The mistakes that cost the most
Treating the report as the end of the process. It's the beginning. The clock started the day the agency received it.
Waiting for the "real" deadline. Boards read 365 days and schedule accordingly, then discover that engineering specs take 45 days, bidding takes 60, the funding vote requires a noticed membership meeting, and permitting in your jurisdiction runs eight weeks. Work backward from the deadline and the plan needs board approval around month six.
Scoping down to hit a budget. If the engineer identified it as substantial structural deterioration, deferring part of it doesn't satisfy the statute and doesn't protect the board. It converts a known repair cost into an unknown liability. We wrote about the compounding math of that decision in
the hidden cost of poor vendor management.
Letting the repair work and the routine work collide. Structural
restoration runs for months. Painting, pressure washing, landscaping, and pool service still have to happen around it, and sequencing them badly means paying twice — repainting a wall the concrete crew opens up three weeks later, or resurfacing a deck that becomes a staging area. Coordinate the maintenance calendar against the repair schedule before either one starts.
Where Ally Property Service fits
We are not your milestone inspector and we are not your structural engineer — those are licensed roles and, given the §553.899(12) disclosure requirements, roles that should stay independent from the maintenance side of your operation.
What we do is everything around the repair. Associations in structural restoration call us for the work that has to continue while the engineering project runs:
common area cleanup and janitorial through a construction period,
exterior painting and curb appeal sequenced behind the restoration crew,
pool and amenity service when access changes week to week, and the ongoing
maintenance and repair that doesn't stop because the building is under scaffolding. Boards use our
work order system to keep resident complaints during construction documented and answered rather than accumulating into a meeting.
We work across Tampa Bay and statewide Florida, and our people are used to occupied buildings, board reporting cycles, and residents who want to know why there's a lift outside their bedroom window.
Frequently asked questions
How long does an association have to start repairs after a milestone inspection?
Repairs to structural deficiencies identified in a Phase 2 milestone inspection report must commence within 365 days after the local enforcement agency receives the report, under Fla. Stat. §553.899(11). Local governing bodies may require repairs to begin sooner, so associations should confirm the applicable local deadline in writing with their building department.
What is the difference between a Phase 1 and Phase 2 milestone inspection?
Phase 1 is a visual examination by a licensed Florida architect or engineer that provides a qualitative assessment of the building's structural condition. Phase 2 is required only if Phase 1 identifies substantial structural deterioration, and may involve destructive or nondestructive testing to fully assess areas of structural distress.
Does a cracked wall mean my building failed the milestone inspection?
Not necessarily. Florida law specifically excludes surface imperfections — including cracks, distortion, sagging, deflection, misalignment, signs of leakage, and peeling finishes — from the definition of substantial structural deterioration, unless the inspecting engineer determines otherwise. What matters is the engineer's written conclusion, not the severity of the photographs.
Which buildings need a milestone inspection in Florida?
Buildings three habitable stories or more in height that are subject to condominium or cooperative ownership under Chapter 718 or Chapter 719. The inspection is due by December 31 of the year the building reaches 30 years of age, and every 10 years thereafter. A local enforcement agency may require inspection at 25 years where local conditions such as proximity to salt water warrant it.
Can a condo association pause reserve funding to pay for milestone repairs?
Yes, within limits. Under HB 913 (2025), a unit-owner-controlled association that completed a milestone inspection in the previous two years may pause or reduce reserve contributions for no more than two consecutive annual budgets, by majority vote of the total voting interests, to fund repairs recommended by the milestone inspection. The association must complete a Structural Integrity Reserve Study before resuming contributions.
What happens if an association misses the milestone repair deadline?
If the association fails to submit proof to the local enforcement agency that repairs have been scheduled or commenced within the required timeframe, the agency must review the building and determine whether it is unsafe for human occupancy. Local enforcement agencies may also prescribe their own timelines and penalties.
Do I have to send the milestone inspection report to unit owners?
Yes. The association must distribute the inspector's summary of material findings and recommendations to each unit owner by U.S. mail or personal delivery within 45 days of receiving the report, post it in a conspicuous location on the property, and publish it on the association website if the association is required to maintain one.
Managing a community through structural repairs?
Ally Property Service keeps the rest of the property running while your restoration project does. Call
(727) 609-2559 or
request a walkthrough and we'll build a maintenance plan that works around your repair schedule — not against it.
This article is general information for Florida community associations and is not legal advice. Consult your association attorney regarding your building's specific obligations.
