Florida HB 657 (2026): Community Associations Bill That Died in the Senate

Quick Answer

Florida CS/CS/CS/CS/HB 657 (2026), "Community Associations," did not become law. It passed the House 108-2 on March 5, 2026, went to the Senate Rules Committee the same day, and "Died in Rules" on March 13, 2026. Its Senate companion, CS/SB 1498, also died in committee that day. Because nothing was enacted, current Florida law is unchanged by this bill.

The bill is worth knowing about because it shows what the House was willing to pass on community associations: required "Kaufman" language, HOA termination, a loyalty duty for HOA officials, an end to presuit mediation, and a court program for association disputes.

At a Glance

What the Bill Would Have Done

The bill went through four committees and four committee substitutes. The Commerce Committee House analysis (March 3, 2026) and the bill title describe these main items:

• Kaufman language. New HOAs and condominium associations would have had to include "Kaufman" language in their governing documents, which the analysis says "effectively subjects an HOA or COA, as applicable, to Florida's current community association laws and any future enactments." Existing associations would have had to vote on whether to amend their governing documents to add it, or hold a meeting by a date certain, per the bill title.
• HOA termination. The analysis says HOAs could be terminated under a plan of termination meeting specified requirements, and that the governing documents of a dissolved HOA would be deemed terminated and unenforceable. The title also mentions a termination trustee, distribution of assets and payment of debts, and easements of a dissolved HOA, with retroactive applicability.
• Duty of loyalty and conflicts. HOA directors, officers and committee members would have owed a duty of loyalty to the HOA and its members, with a defined conflict of interest.
• Presuit mediation. The analysis says the bill "eliminates presuit mediation requirements for community associations." The title also says it would require that specified arbitrators conduct arbitration proceedings.
• Community association court program. Each circuit court could have created a program with jurisdiction over disputes under the Condominium, Cooperative and Homeowners' Association Acts, with duties for chief judges, annual reports and funding for additional judges.
• Other items listed in the title. Changes to official records, electronic ballots, turnover inspection reports and roofs, and the analysis says it would define "financial statements" in the HOA Act.

We did not read the full text of every committee substitute or the enrolled House version. Specific numbers, deadlines and thresholds are not described here because we did not verify them.

What Current Law Still Is

With HB 657 dead, the sections it would have amended stay as they were. Among the sections it cited are 718.111, 718.112, 718.1255, 718.128, 719.106, 720.303, 720.3035, 720.306 and 720.311. Presuit mediation provisions in the condominium and HOA dispute resolution sections were not repealed by this bill. Boards should read each current section (the 2026 Florida Statutes) and not rely on summaries of the bill as if it were law.

Some 2026 changes did pass in other bills. See our pages on HB 797 and HB 803.

What This Means in Practice

For boards

No action is required by HB 657 because it never took effect. Our reading: bills of this type are often refiled in later sessions, but we did not find a refiled version and make no prediction. Boards can still review whether their documents contain Kaufman language, since the topic matters to termination and amendment questions (see the Avila case page).

For owners

Do not rely on news about "new association laws" mentioning HB 657. If someone cites it, check the bill page: the status is "Died in Rules."

Open questions

We did not review the House floor amendment text or the committee substitutes line by line. If you need the exact language of any provision, read the final House-passed version at the Senate bill page.

Timeline

Related Florida Law

• CS/SB 1498 (2026): the Senate companion that also failed
• Avila v. Biscayne 21 Condominium (2025): Kaufman language and termination
• Section 718.1255: condominium dispute resolution
• Section 720.311: HOA dispute resolution
• HB 913 (2025): condominium and cooperative law changes
• Florida HOA laws complete guide

Board Checklist

• Do not change procedures based on HB 657. It is not law.
• Locate your declaration's clause adopting the statute "as amended" and see whether it is Kaufman language.
• Keep following dispute resolution requirements that exist now (presuit mediation provisions in sections 718.1255 and 720.311) and confirm with counsel.
• Watch the Legislature's website for association bills in the 2027 session, which we did not review.
• Ask counsel which proposed ideas in this bill, if any, you want to prepare for in your documents.
• Tell owners clearly that a House vote is not enactment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did HB 657 become law?

No. The bill page lists its last action as "3/13/2026 Senate - Died in Rules."

How close did it come?

It passed the House 108-2 on March 5, 2026. The Senate referred it to Rules the same day and it died there on March 13, 2026.

Would the bill have ended presuit mediation?

According to the House analysis it would have eliminated presuit mediation requirements for community associations. Since it died, those requirements were not changed by this bill.

Would it have required Kaufman language?

For new HOAs and condominium associations, yes, and existing ones would have had to vote or hold a meeting about adding it. None of that took effect.

Was there a Senate version?

CS/SB 1498 by Senator Bradley was listed as a companion. It died in the Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government on March 13, 2026.

Will it come back?

We cannot say. Any new bill would have to be filed and pass again.

Where This Comes From

We read the Florida Senate bill page for CS/CS/CS/CS/HB 657 (title, history, votes, related bills, citations) and the House Commerce Committee bill analysis dated March 3, 2026 (summary section only). We did not read the full text of the committee substitutes or the House-passed version. Official page: flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/657.

How APM Helps

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Legal disclaimer: This article is general information, not legal advice. Laws change and associations differ. Confirm the current statute text and how it applies to your governing documents with a licensed Florida attorney before acting.