What the Missing 2,900 Florida Milestone Inspections Mean If You Are Buying a Condominium in Palm Beach County
Direct answer. Florida's first statewide accounting of post-Surfside milestone inspections, published in July 2026, found that about 25% of the 11,650 required inspections — roughly 2,900 buildings — were never completed, and that Palm Beach County had the weakest local reporting in the state, with about 44% of municipal building officials not submitting 2025 data. For a buyer, that means a building's silence is not proof of soundness. Before you go hard on a deposit, ask the association in writing for four documents: the milestone inspection report and its phase, the structural integrity reserve study, the last twelve months of board minutes, and the current schedule of special assessments.
What the report actually says
The report came from the Florida Legislature's Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA), using data collected by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR) for 2024 and 2025. The verified figures:
| Finding | Figure |
|---|---|
| Required milestone inspections covered by the law | 11,650 |
| Phase one inspections reported complete | 8,736 |
| Never completed | About 2,900, or 25% |
| Buildings where phase one found substantial structural deterioration | 2,535 |
| Phase two inspections required / completed | About 2,500 required, 1,575 completed |
| Extensions granted for initial deadlines | 1,587, with 94% in coastal counties and municipalities |
| Repair permit applications filed | 903 |
| Average repair permit value | About $337,230 in 2024, about $496,000 in 2025 |
| Highest single identified repair estimate | $30 million |
| Buildings flagged as not habitable | 30 in 2024, 24 in 2025 — 54 total, in eight counties |
Two limits on the data matter as much as the totals. DBPR received 2024 data from 71% of local enforcement agency jurisdictions and 2025 data from only 64% — so the true count of missing inspections is unknown and is very likely higher. And the report singled out three counties for weak 2025 municipal reporting: Palm Beach County at 44% of municipal building officials not reporting, Broward County at 23%, and Miami-Dade County at 21%. Palm Beach County's own county-level building department did report; the gaps sit at the municipal level, and each municipality files its own report.
Sources: OPPAGA milestone inspection report (PDF); WUSF, July 31, 2026; Insurance Journal, August 6, 2026; The Capitolist, July 27, 2026.
What a milestone inspection is, in plain terms
Florida's 2022 condominium law requires a milestone inspection for condominium and cooperative buildings three stories or taller once the building reaches 30 years of age — 25 years where the local building department determines certain conditions apply, such as proximity to salt water — and every ten years after that. Phase one is a visual review of the structure by a licensed engineer or architect. If phase one finds substantial structural deterioration, phase two follows: opening up the structure and testing materials. Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties accept a single combined inspection that satisfies both phases, which is one reason South Florida's numbers do not line up with the rest of the state.
The second requirement created by the same reform is the structural integrity reserve study, which sets what the association must fund for roof, structure, fireproofing, plumbing, electrical, waterproofing and similar items. A building can pass its milestone inspection and still be facing a large assessment because its reserve study says the money is not there yet.
Why this lands hardest on the older, less expensive buildings
Palm Beach County's affordable condominium stock is largely low-rise buildings from the 1960s through the 1980s, near the water. That is the same population the inspection law targets. Two consequences show up in the market rather than in the statute:
- Financing. Lenders, and the secondary market behind them, will not fund a unit in a project with an unresolved structural finding, deferred maintenance or missing documents. In practice a share of these buildings trades cash only, which is a smaller buyer pool and a different price.
- Carrying cost. Buyers compare list prices. The monthly reality is the association fee plus the assessment schedule plus insurance, and an assessment can change the math more than the price does.
Houses and Condominiums behave differently here and should never be compared on one median. See our Lantana and Lake Worth Beach market view for the two categories reported separately.
What to do, in order, before you remove your inspection contingency
- Ask for the milestone inspection report itself, not a summary. Confirm the date, the phase, the engineer's name and license, and whether phase two was required. If the building is over 30 years old and no report exists, that absence is your finding.
- Read the structural integrity reserve study and compare its funded amounts with the association's current budget.
- Read twelve months of board minutes. Assessments are debated in minutes long before they appear on an estoppel.
- Ask, in writing, whether any assessment is voted, pending or under discussion, and get the answer in writing.
- Get an insurance quote for the actual unit and building early, not at the end. Building age, roof age and location move it.
- Ask your lender to review the project, not just you. Project approval and borrower approval are separate decisions.
- Hire your own licensed engineer if anything in the file is unclear. An association's report was written for the association.
- Check the municipality's building department record for the specific address. Because municipal reporting to the state is incomplete, the local file can be better than the state file.
- Ask whether the building took an extension on its initial deadline, and what the new date is.
This is real estate process guidance, not legal or tax advice. For the legal effect of association documents, assessment liability or an estoppel dispute, talk to your own attorney; for the tax treatment of an assessment, talk to your CPA.
If you already own a condominium here
Two things are true at once: an inspected, funded building is now easier to sell than it was three years ago, and an uninspected building with an open finding is harder. If you are weighing a sale in the next twelve months, the sequence that protects you is to know the association's document position first, then price to it. PBP Real Estate works with you as a transaction broker, and Gia Freer puts every opinion of value in writing after she has seen the property. There is no automated estimate on this site.
Frequently asked questions
How many Florida condo buildings skipped their milestone inspection?
About 2,900 — roughly 25% of the 11,650 milestone inspections required under the 2022 law had not been completed as of the state's July 2026 report. The real number is probably higher, because only 64% of local jurisdictions reported 2025 data.
Does the report say Palm Beach County condominiums are structurally deficient?
No. It says Palm Beach County had the weakest municipal reporting in 2025 — about 44% of municipal building officials did not submit data — so the county's picture is incomplete. Statewide, 54 buildings across eight counties were flagged as not habitable across both years, and the report noted most were not vacated.
Which buildings need a milestone inspection?
Condominium and cooperative buildings three stories or taller, at 30 years of age — or 25 where the local building department determines certain conditions apply, such as proximity to salt water — and every ten years thereafter.
What is the difference between phase one and phase two?
Phase one is a visual structural review. Phase two is required when phase one finds substantial structural deterioration and involves opening up and testing the structure. Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties accept one combined inspection covering both.
Can I get a mortgage on a building with an open structural finding?
Usually not until it is resolved or funded. Ask the lender to review the project early, because project approval and borrower approval are separate steps, and a share of older buildings in this county trade cash only for exactly this reason.
What does a milestone inspection cost an owner?
The inspection is an association cost. The number that reaches owners is the repair, and the state reported 903 repair permit applications averaging about $337,230 in 2024 and about $496,000 in 2025 across the whole building, with a top estimate of $30 million.
By Gia Freer, Broker of Record, PBP Real Estate, LLC (Florida license BK689801). Licensed in Florida for twenty-six years. Last updated August 25, 2026.