Condo Association Insurance Requirements in Jacksonville and St. Augustine, Florida

Florida Statute 718.111(11) requires every condominium association to carry adequate property insurance based on replacement cost, redetermined by an independent appraisal at least once every 3 years, and insurance or fidelity bonding for everyone who controls or disburses association funds. The statute does not mandate general liability; lenders do, and Fannie Mae requires at least $1 million per occurrence for financed condo projects. HOA requirements come from the community's governing documents rather than statute. For Jacksonville and St. Augustine boards the practical list adds the lender deductible caps (5% of coverage and $50,000 per unit), the manager-licensing duty in FS 718.111(3)(g), and the flood discount that follows the city limits (Jacksonville CRS Class 6, St. Augustine Class 4).

What Florida condo and HOA boards must insure under FS 718.111: replacement-cost coverage, 3-year appraisals, fidelity bonding, lender caps, local pricing.

What Jacksonville and St. Augustine boards are asked to show

The statute is statewide; the file an underwriter and a lender read is local. These are the items Northeast Florida boards get asked for at renewal and at every financed unit sale.

Duval County

Citizens held only 5 condo-association multiperil policies in Duval at December 31, 2025, so a Jacksonville board is buying from private carriers, and those carriers ask for the same four documents.

  • A replacement-cost appraisal or update no more than 3 years old (FS 718.111(11)(a)) — the number every other figure on the declarations page hangs on.
  • The fidelity bond or crime policy covering everyone who controls or disburses funds, sized to the maximum in custody at any one time (FS 718.111(11)(h)).
  • Proof of the structural integrity reserve study for buildings three habitable stories or higher (FS 718.112(2)(g)) and the milestone inspection where the building's age requires it (FS 553.899).
  • A deductible structure that passes the lender caps at unit sales: no more than 5% of the coverage amount, and $50,000 per unit where the policy carries a per-unit deductible (Fannie Mae B7-3-03; Freddie Mac for applications on or after July 1, 2026).
  • Jacksonville's protection class helps: JFRD is ISO Class 1, and the city's CRS Class 6 earns a 20% discount on the association's federal flood policy.

St. Johns County

The county has grown 26.7% since 2020, so many of its associations are newer buildings on newer codes. Citizens held 3 wind-only condo-association policies here at December 31, 2025, and no multiperil ones.

  • Flood discounts follow the city limits: St. Augustine is CRS Class 4 (30% off federal flood premiums, since April 2026), unincorporated St. Johns County is Class 5 (25%), St. Augustine Beach is Class 8 (10%).
  • Fire protection runs Class 3, 3X or 10 by distance to a station and a hydrant in the county, and Class 1 inside St. Augustine; the class is priced directly into the master policy.
  • Since July 1, 2025 every board member and officer has a statutory duty to ensure the community association manager or management firm is properly licensed under Chapter 468 before signing the contract (FS 718.111(3)(g), added by HB 913); if the license is later suspended or revoked, the association may terminate the contract on written notice (FS 718.111(3)(h)-(i)).
  • Lenders now read the master policy at every financed sale, and a fast-selling county sees more of them: a stale appraisal or an oversized per-unit deductible stops a closing before it stops anything else.

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Data sources

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a Jacksonville condo association have to carry flood or general liability insurance by law?

No. Florida Statute 718.111(11) mandates adequate property insurance and fidelity bonding; flood and directors-and-officers coverage are permitted, not required, and general liability is not mentioned. The liability and flood requirements come from lenders (Fannie Mae requires $1 million per occurrence of general liability for financed condo projects) and from the association's own documents. Jacksonville's CRS Class 6 earns a 20% discount on the federal flood policy most boards buy anyway.

What does a St. Johns County board have to verify about its manager since HB 913?

Since July 1, 2025, Florida Statute 718.111(3)(g) gives every board member and officer a duty to ensure the community association manager or management firm is properly licensed under Chapter 468 before the association signs the contract, and paragraphs (h) and (i) let the association terminate the contract on written notice if the license is later suspended or revoked. It is a board duty, so it belongs on the annual compliance checklist next to the appraisal date and the fidelity bond.

What insurance is a Florida condo association legally required to carry?

Under Florida Statute 718.111(11), every condominium association must carry adequate property insurance based on replacement cost, covering all condominium property as originally installed per the original plans and specifications, and must maintain insurance or fidelity bonding for everyone who controls or disburses association funds. The statute does not mandate general liability insurance; lenders and most governing documents do, and Fannie Mae requires at least $1 million per occurrence for condo projects it finances.

How often must a condo association get an insurance appraisal in Florida?

Florida law requires the replacement cost behind the master policy to be determined at least once every 3 years, by an independent insurance appraisal or an update of a previous appraisal (Section 718.111(11)(a)). That figure is what the association's property insurance is based on, so the cycle keeps coverage in step with construction costs.

What are the SB 4-D milestone inspection requirements?

SB 4-D requires milestone structural inspections for condominium buildings that are 3 or more stories and at least 25 years old (or 15 years old if located within 3 miles of the coastline). Associations must also complete a Structural Integrity Reserve Study (SIRS) every 10 years and fully fund reserves for major structural components. Reserve waivers for SIRS components are no longer permitted after December 31, 2024.

What happens if a condo association does not carry the required insurance?

Board members can face personal liability for failing to maintain required insurance coverage. The association may be unable to obtain financing or refinancing for common element repairs. Unit owners may face difficulty selling their units since lenders typically require proof of adequate association insurance. In the event of a loss, the entire cost falls on unit owners through special assessments.

Does the condo association's insurance cover individual unit interiors?

The association's master policy covers all condominium property as originally installed per the original plans and specifications. However, it specifically excludes personal property within units, floor/wall/ceiling coverings, electrical fixtures, appliances, water heaters, built-in cabinets, countertops, and window treatments. Unit owners need their own HO-6 policy to cover these items and any improvements or upgrades they have made.

Who pays the insurance deductible when there is a claim on the master policy?

Under Florida Statute 718.111(11)(j), all property insurance deductibles and any damages in excess of the association's coverage are a common expense of the condominium, so all unit owners share the cost through assessments. The statute carves out damage caused by a unit owner's intentional conduct or negligence, which the association can charge to that owner. An association may also opt out of this allocation by a vote of a majority of its total voting interests (Section 718.111(11)(k)).

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