Senate Bill 948, also known as the flood disclosures bill, would require landlords, condominium developers and mobile home park owners to disclose details about a property’s potential flood damages before tenants sign any leasing agreements.
If a landlord does not disclose the risk of flooding or potential damages and a tenant experiences a serious loss or damage, the tenant may cancel their lease by providing a Notice of Lease Termination within a set time. Once the written notice is received by the landlord, the lease will officially end on the date specified in the notice.
SB 948 was primarily sponsored by Florida Senator Jennifer Bradley, with the hopes of increasing transparency in real estate transactions. House Bill 1015, sponsored by Representative Christine Hunschofsky, serves as SB 940’s companion bill, hoping to decrease the lack of awareness that residents may face when renting or buying properties in flood-prone areas.
Senator Bradley shared her thoughts regarding SB 948 during a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting.
“This bill goes a long way to giving tenants the information they need to assess the risks before they enter into a residential lease and also incentivizes the purchase of flood insurance when they get that material information,” Bradley said.
According to the Leon County Government website, many Tallahassee properties are subject to excessive rainfall, which can put their properties at risk of rain-related flooding.
“With an average rainfall of approximately 60 inches per year, Tallahassee is very prone to this type of flooding,” the site states. “Floods can be caused by many different conditions, including hurricanes or storms, storm surge, heavy rain, prolonged rain, failure of dams, above-average rainfall, or inadequate drainage.”
In April of 2024, Tallahassee faced a flash flood emergency that impacted numerous homes. The flooding was caused by a heavy downpour and draining system failures, which left many residents with damaged homes and destroyed belongings.
The flash flooding led to the displacement of families, with some seeking temporary shelter and assistance. The damages also prompted both the Tallahassee Fire Department and the Leon County Sheriff’s Office to coordinate relief efforts for affected residents.
When flooding occurs, many residents are left unable to find new housing or replace possessions that were lost during the flood. SB 948 works to decrease the likelihood of these occurrences or at least warn tenants of this possibility. For those preparing to enter the housing market, this bill would provide a necessary warning about potential flood risks before any damage can occur.
Representative Hunschofsky said in an interview with NPR that it’s important to acknowledge safety risks.
“It shows that people are paying attention, and resilience, flooding and climate change are all things that you can’t ignore in the state of Florida,” Hunschofsky said.
The most recent action on this bill occurred on March 13, and it is currently under review in the Regulated Industries Committee. If this bill is passed and becomes law, it will go into effect on Oct. 1.