Hurricane preparation in Northwest Florida includes a governance task: keeping architectural standards aligned with Florida's hurricane-protection law. HB 293 became Chapter 2024-205 and took effect May 28, 2024. The resulting section 720.3035(6) applies to homeowners associations regardless of when the community was created.
A board should not wait until an owner requests impact windows or a generator to decide what its standards are. The statute requires the board or relevant architectural committee to adopt hurricane-protection specifications for structures and improvements on association-governed parcels. Specifications may address color, style, and other relevant factors, but they must comply with the applicable building code.
Conforming applications receive statutory protection
The board or committee may not deny an application to install, enhance, or replace hurricane protection that conforms to its adopted specifications. The statute also permits requiring adherence to an existing unified building scheme concerning exterior appearance. These provisions should be read together rather than treating aesthetics as an unrestricted veto.
A denial should identify a real, applicable nonconformity and receive legal review where the statutory protection is disputed. The committee should avoid inventing new standards during an individual application or changing the requirements simply because directors dislike an otherwise conforming product.
The statutory definition is broad. It includes qualifying roof systems, fixed and roll-down shutters, impact-resistant windows and doors, polycarbonate panels, reinforced garage doors, erosion controls, exterior fixed generators, fuel-storage tanks, and other protective products. A policy limited to removable shutters may leave important requests unaddressed.
Keep association review and permitting coordinated
The current section 720.3035 also prohibits requiring a government-issued building permit as a prerequisite to association review. That sequencing rule does not authorize construction without required permits. A practical process can review plans and product specifications while making clear that governmental approvals and installation requirements must still be satisfied.
The board should ask appropriate professionals to help with technical criteria, including attachment details, product approvals, fuel storage, drainage, or electrical work when relevant. The association's approval should accurately describe what was reviewed and should not purport to certify engineering compliance beyond its role.
Practical board checklist
- Locate the current adopted hurricane-protection specifications and confirm their legal authority.
- Compare the covered products with the statute's broader definition.
- Obtain technical advice on building-code compatibility rather than relying on brand preferences.
- Remove application instructions that improperly require a permit before association review.
- Apply the same published criteria to comparable applications and document the result.
- Communicate installation, access, and common-property concerns without adding unlawful barriers.
These are HOA provisions. Condominium work on common elements, shared roofs, and exterior systems requires its own Chapter 718 and declaration analysis. Owners and boards should confirm the association type before borrowing a hurricane-protection approval form from another community.
Reviewed November 4, 2026. Florida educational information only. Obtain association-specific legal advice before acting.