What to expect
legislative lens
2026 Legislative Session:
What to expect
Matt Kuisle, Delegate and Reserve Specialist
By the time you read this, Florida’ s 2026 legislative session will be right around the corner. The 2026 session begins January 13 and is slated to end March 13. However, the work of CAI’ s Florida Legislative Alliance began in July 2025 with a planning session in Sarasota. We have also scheduled dozens of in-person meetings at the Capitol in mid- November to connect our members with the lawmakers who impact them and to provide feedback.
After many years of refining condominium laws in the wake of the Surfside tragedy, CAI is urging lawmakers to take a measured approach to additional condominium reforms in 2026. Instead, the focus for condominiums and boards should be understanding and coming into compliance with the changes implemented over the past four years.
The debate over homeowners associations( HOAs) is likely to take center stage this year, in part due to one state representative’ s call to abolish HOAs altogether. Juan Carlos Porras( R – Miami) called HOAs a“ failed experiment” after one of Florida’ s largest HOAs saw board members arrested and accused of large-scale embezzlement and intimidation. Porras’ district includes the Hammocks in West Kendall, where the crime took place, which is likely one factor driving his views and the proposed reforms he has sponsored since being elected to the Florida House in 2022. He cites longstanding frustrations from residents who feel burdened by assessments, rigid rules, opaque decision-making, and aggressive enforcement practices. In response to his remarks, CAI is urging caution, arguing that an outright ban would do more harm than good for Florida homeowners and local governments alike.
CAI’ s core message is that community associations, when well run, provide tangible value.“ Community associations create stable, well-managed neighborhoods where families invest, connect, and thrive,” said Dawn Bauman of CAI, calling the abolition proposal“ a solution in search of a problem” that would cause“ needless disruption for millions of Floridians.” She points to data from the Foundation for Community Association Research’ s Homeowner Satisfaction Survey, which has consistently found that a strong majority of residents in association-governed communities report positive experiences. While satisfaction levels can vary by community and management quality, this track record aligns with what many homeowners observe: associations fund maintenance, uphold standards that protect property values, and deliver amenities that individual owners would struggle to support on their own.
Florida law already gives homeowners meaningful choice regarding dissolution. Chapter 720 of the Florida Statutes provides a clear process for dissolving an association if a community collectively decides it no longer fits its needs. That pathway requires a vote and due process, ensuring any major change reflects the will of the community rather than the views of a vocal minority. In this view, abolition at the state level would substitute a blunt political instrument for community self-determination.
On fiscal grounds, banning HOAs would shift substantial private responsibilities onto public ledgers. Today, associations pay for roads, stormwater systems, lighting, security, landscaping, and amenities through assessments.
Abolishing that private funding mechanism would force city and county governments to take over those operations or let them languish. As Bauman notes, local officials could face pressure to raise millage rates, create special taxing districts, or cut other services to absorb the costs. With property taxes expected to dominate the upcoming legislative session, she argues that this policy would move Florida in the wrong fiscal direction and could destabilize housing markets by introducing uncertainty about maintenance, safety, and service levels.
14 community • December 2025 WWW. CAIWESTFLORIDA. ORg