Florida Senate - 2026 CS for CS for SB 1602
By the Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and
Economic Development; the Committee on Military and Veterans
Affairs, Space, and Domestic Security; and Senator Wright
606-03021-26 20261602c2
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to housing for veterans; creating s.
3 83.684, F.S.; providing a short title; defining terms;
4 establishing the Homes for Veterans Property
5 Management Incentive Pilot Program in certain
6 counties, subject to legislative appropriation;
7 requiring the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, in
8 consultation with other entities and persons, to
9 establish and oversee specified aspects of the pilot
10 program; providing the responsibilities of the
11 corporation for the pilot program; requiring
12 contracted program administrators to maintain certain
13 functions of the pilot program; authorizing certain
14 landlords to apply to a contracted program
15 administrator to request funding from the Vacancy
16 Relief and Risk Mitigation Trust Fund under certain
17 circumstances; providing the purpose of such trust
18 fund; requiring a landlord to submit to the contracted
19 program administrator required documentation within a
20 specified time period to apply for the trust fund;
21 requiring certain case managers to assist the
22 contracted program administrator; requiring the
23 contracted program administrator to maintain and
24 provide certain documentation to the corporation;
25 requiring the entity responsible for certain functions
26 to maintain any supporting documentation; authorizing
27 the corporation to rely on certifications,
28 determinations, and documentation provided by
29 specified entities; authorizing a landlord to apply
30 for up to a specified dollar amount from the trust
31 fund; providing requirements to apply for the trust
32 fund; providing that funding for the pilot program is
33 awarded on a first-come, first-served basis;
34 authorizing the corporation to suspend the acceptance
35 of applications under certain circumstances; requiring
36 specified notice; requiring the corporation to adopt
37 rules; providing a contingent effective date.
38
39 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
40
41 Section 1. Section 83.684, Florida Statutes, is created to
42 read:
43 83.684 Homes for Veterans Property Management Incentive
44 Pilot Program.—
45 (1) This section may be cited as the “Homes for Veterans
46 Property Management Incentive Pilot Program Act.”
47 (2) As used in this section, the term:
48 (a) “Corporation” means the Florida Housing Finance
49 Corporation.
50 (b) “HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program” means
51 a program that combines the United States Department of Housing
52 and Urban Development’s housing choice voucher rental assistance
53 for homeless veterans with case management and clinical services
54 provided by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.
55 (c) “Pilot program” means the Homes for Veterans Property
56 Management Incentive Pilot Program.
57 (d) “Veteran” has the same meaning as in s. 1.01(14).
58 (3) The Homes for Veterans Property Management Incentive
59 Pilot Program is established in Broward, Escambia, Hillsborough,
60 and Santa Rosa Counties to provide eligible landlords with
61 incentives to lease eligible dwelling units to veterans who are
62 participating in the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing
63 program. Implementation of this pilot program is subject to
64 annual legislative appropriation. The corporation, in
65 consultation with the local public housing authority and case
66 managers assigned to veterans by the United States Department of
67 Veterans Affairs, shall establish and oversee the Vacancy Relief
68 and Risk Mitigation Trust Fund, the applications for such trust
69 fund, the document requirements, and all processes of the pilot
70 program. The corporation’s responsibilities under this section
71 are limited to program administration, including rulemaking,
72 oversight, and establishing and executing contracts with one or
73 more local public housing authorities, contracted program
74 administrators, or other public or nonprofit entities that have
75 experience administering the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive
76 Housing program, supportive housing, or landlord mitigation
77 programs to perform intake, documentation review, and claim
78 verification functions to locally administer the funds in the
79 Vacancy Relief and Risk Mitigation Trust Fund and to distribute
80 funding to the contracted program administrator for payment of
81 approved reimbursement requests. The corporation is not
82 responsible for maintaining eligibility files, tenancy records,
83 or other case-level documentation for the HUD-Veterans Affairs
84 Supportive Housing program. Such functions shall be maintained
85 by the contracted program administrator.
86 (4)(a) A landlord who enters into a rental agreement with
87 an eligible veteran may apply to a contracted program
88 administrator to request funding from the Vacancy Relief and
89 Risk Mitigation Trust Fund created under s. 420.56 for the
90 purpose of allowing a landlord to hold a dwelling unit for a
91 period of time, and still be compensated for the time that the
92 dwelling unit is vacant, until the veteran is able to move into
93 the dwelling unit. Such trust fund provides proportional rent to
94 eligible landlords for a period of up to 45 days after the date
95 the dwelling unit becomes available or until the actual date
96 that the veteran moves into the dwelling unit, whichever is
97 sooner.
98 (b) To apply for funding under paragraph (a), a landlord
99 must submit all required documentation to the contracted program
100 administrator within 60 days after the veteran moves into the
101 dwelling unit. The case manager assigned to the veteran shall
102 assist the contracted program administrator by facilitating
103 trust fund requests from landlords and documentation compliance.
104 The contracted program administrator shall maintain all
105 documentation required under this subsection and provide the
106 corporation with a certification of eligibility, tenancy dates,
107 and verified costs within the timeframe established by the
108 corporation by rule. At a minimum, a landlord shall submit
109 documentation to the contracted program administrator in the
110 form and manner established by the corporation. Required
111 supporting documentation necessary to confirm eligibility for
112 reimbursement and oversight shall be maintained by the entity
113 responsible for case management or rental assistance
114 administration in the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing
115 program.
116 (c) The corporation may rely on certifications,
117 determinations, and documentation provided by public housing
118 authorities, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs,
119 providers of Supportive Services for Veteran Families,
120 continuums of care, or other entities responsible for
121 administering or supporting the functions of the HUD-Veterans
122 Affairs Supportive Housing program. The corporation’s reliance
123 on such certifications, determinations, and documentation
124 satisfies the corporation’s oversight and evaluation
125 responsibilities of the functions, activities, and outcomes for
126 the pilot program.
127 (5)(a) If a veteran moves out of the dwelling unit during
128 the first 12 months of a year-to-year rental agreement or after
129 the expiration of a rental agreement for any duration, the
130 landlord may apply to the contracted program administrator for
131 funding from the Vacancy Relief and Risk Mitigation Trust Fund
132 created under s. 420.56 to cover property loss at the dwelling
133 unit caused by the veteran which exceeds the amount of the
134 deposit money. The landlord may apply for up to $2,000 beyond
135 the deposit money.
136 (b) To apply for funding under paragraph (a), a landlord
137 must submit all required documentation to the contracted program
138 administrator within 60 days after the veteran moves out of the
139 dwelling unit. The case manager assigned to the veteran shall
140 assist the contracted program administrator by facilitating
141 trust fund requests from landlords and documentation compliance.
142 The contracted program administrator shall maintain all
143 documentation required under this subsection and provide the
144 corporation, within the timeframe established by rule, a
145 certification of eligibility, tenancy dates, verified damage
146 amounts, and verified costs. Required supporting documentation
147 necessary to confirm eligibility for reimbursement and oversight
148 shall be maintained by the entity responsible for case
149 management or rental assistance administration in the HUD
150 Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program.
151 (c) After the veteran vacates the dwelling unit, the
152 landlord shall provide the contracted program administrator a
153 copy of the move-out checklist with current photos of the
154 dwelling unit and a copy of the written notice provided to the
155 veteran by the landlord in accordance with s. 83.49(3)(a).
156 (d) A landlord may apply for funding under paragraph (a)
157 only if the landlord previously applied for funding under
158 paragraph (4)(a).
159 (6) Funding for the pilot program is limited, and the
160 corporation shall award funds on a first-come, first-served
161 basis. The corporation may suspend acceptance of applications
162 when available appropriations are fully obligated. The
163 corporation must notify contracted program administrators if
164 intake of applications is suspended and when intake of
165 applications is resumed.
166 (7) The corporation shall adopt rules to implement this
167 section.
168 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026, if SB
169 1604 or similar legislation is adopted in the same legislative
170 session or an extension thereof and becomes a law.