Reserve funding plan in Miami-Dade County

Paying for reserves and repairs in Miami-Dade County

• In the state's 2025 milestone data, Miami-Dade building officials reported 308 required Phase 2 inspections, the highest count among the counties that reported that year.
• Of the 24 buildings found unsafe or uninhabitable statewide in 2025, 23 were in Miami-Dade, and Aventura alone reported 19.
• The county has run a Condominium Special Assessment Loan Program with loans up to $50,000, at zero percent for 40 years for eligible households earning up to 140 percent of area median income, with priority for owners 62 or older. Its page gives a June application window without a year, so ask the county whether a round is open.
• A missed deadline brings a citation without further notice, an initial penalty of $510, accumulating penalties up to $10,000 per violation and possible referral to the county's Lien Collection Unit.
• Where the reports call for repairs, the county requires the work to go through proper permitting before it will recertify the building.

How we handle reserve funding plans in Miami-Dade County

The county recertification packet already documents the structure, the electrical system, parking lot lighting and, on glazed towers, the facade adhesive. We hand the latest recertification and milestone reports to the reserve professional so the SIRS starts from what the engineers found, which matters in a county that reported 308 required Phase 2 inspections in 2025.[3][1]

Permits in Miami-Dade County

• Miami-Dade County Building, Recertification: Recertification notices, filings and fees for unincorporated Miami-Dade, and the county code every city follows
• City building departments (for example City of Miami, Miami Beach): Run recertification and milestone filings inside their own city limits

What funding options does the law allow?

• Regular assessments set in the annual budget
• Special assessments, with a majority of the total voting interests
• A line of credit or loan, with a majority of the total voting interests, sized to cover any previously waived or unfunded reserves and immediately available to the board
• Pooling, but only of SIRS components with other SIRS components

Can we pause reserves to pay for milestone repairs?

For a budget adopted on or before 31 December 2028, if a milestone inspection was completed in the previous 2 calendar years, owners may approve by a majority of the total voting interests a pause or reduction of reserve contributions for up to two consecutive budgets to fund the milestone repairs. A new SIRS is required before contributions resume. The option does not apply to developer-controlled associations or associations controlled by owners for less than a year.[4]

What if the building is uninhabitable after a disaster?

If the local building official decides the whole building is uninhabitable because of a natural emergency, the board may pause or reduce reserve funding until the building is habitable again, and may spend reserves to make it habitable.[4]

Frequently asked questions