Florida condo hurricane preparation is an operating system: authority, people, property, vendors, records, money, and communication must work under pressure. A generic supply list is not enough for a building with elevators, pumps, fire systems, roofs, pools, access controls, and residents who may evacuate. This board checklist is designed to be assigned, tested, and reused.
Before Hurricane Season
Governance and authority
- Have Florida counsel review emergency powers under § 718.1265, unit access, spending authority, meeting procedures, contracting, and records.
- Adopt a written activation plan with decision roles and backups.
- Define who may speak for the association and contact insurers.
- Maintain board and manager phone trees offline.
- Preapprove spending limits only as legally appropriate; document every emergency decision.
Owners, residents, and staff
- Update owner, tenant, emergency-contact, mobility-assistance, and pet information using privacy controls.
- Explain that the association is not an evacuation shelter or personal care provider unless officially designated and equipped.
- Identify staff schedules, evacuation thresholds, payroll, housing, and return protocols.
- Provide county evacuation-zone and shelter links; do not invent evacuation advice.
Vendor readiness
- Verify emergency contacts for roofing, water extraction, electrical, plumbing, elevator, generator, pump, fire alarm/sprinkler, glazing, debris, security, engineering, and restoration.
- Confirm licenses and insurance.
- Understand priority terms, rates, mobilization, deposits, cancellation, and documentation.
- Avoid vague post-storm letters of authorization that allow uncontrolled scope or pricing.
Property review
- Inspect roof, flashings, drains, scuppers, sealants, windows, doors, drainage, trees, fencing, signage, lighting, and loose exterior items.
- Test generators, fuel, transfer switches, sump and lift pumps, emergency lighting, fire systems, radios, and access controls under professional procedures.
- Confirm elevator storm procedure in writing with the contractor and authorities.
- Inventory pool furniture, grills, planters, dumpsters, flags, maintenance equipment, and balcony/common-area items that must be secured.
- Correct known deficiencies before vendor demand spikes.
Insurance and records
- Store policies, claims numbers, broker contacts, appraisals, inventories, plans, inspections, contracts, and bank information in encrypted cloud storage and an offline copy.
- Photograph all common property before the season.
- Convert deductibles to dollars and identify lawful liquidity.
- Understand notice, mitigation, proof-of-loss, and contractor documentation duties with the broker.
When a Storm Threatens
Activate by objective triggers
Use National Hurricane Center and county emergency information. Define activation levels such as monitoring, securing, closure, evacuation support, and post-storm assessment. Record the timestamp and decision-maker.
Communication cadence
Send concise updates on a predictable schedule even when little has changed. Each message should state current official information, association action, owner action, next update time, and emergency contacts. Do not guarantee utilities, access, safety, or vendor arrival.
Secure the property
- Remove or anchor loose common-area items.
- Clear drains where safely accessible.
- Follow written procedures for pools, elevators, generators, pumps, gates, HVAC, fire systems, and utilities.
- Protect critical records and equipment from water.
- Confirm contractor dispatch and access instructions.
- Document condition with timestamped photographs and video.
- Do not direct residents to tape windows or perform unsafe balcony work.
Preserve decision evidence
Keep a storm log: time, source information, decision, authority, people contacted, work authorized, estimated cost, and follow-up. Save texts and emails to the official record system.
Immediately After the Storm
Life safety first
Obey government access restrictions. Check for fire, electrical hazards, gas odor, unstable elements, flooding, contaminated water, and downed lines from a safe location. Call emergency services and utilities as appropriate. Restrict areas until the proper professional clears them.
Document before altering conditions
Photograph overview and detail views before cleanup when safe. Preserve damaged material when appropriate, record water lines, and maintain an itemized damage log. Never delay emergency mitigation merely to take photographs.
Notify and mitigate
Notify the broker or carrier promptly under policy instructions. Take reasonable temporary measures to prevent further damage when safe and authorized. Use written scopes, capture labor/material/equipment records, and keep every invoice and proof of payment. Avoid permanent repairs before carrier and professional coordination unless safety requires action.
Communicate resident conditions
State access status, utility limitations, closed areas, elevator status, water use, debris rules, work schedule, claim status, and next update. Do not identify individual medical or financial circumstances.
Recovery
Create one project list separating emergency stabilization, insurance scope, code upgrades, owner responsibility, association responsibility, maintenance, and improvement. Assign a professional, funding source, decision date, and completion evidence.
For claims, reconcile carrier estimates with professional scopes and contractor proposals. Track deductibles, depreciation, advances, invoices, change orders, and recoveries. Consult counsel before signing releases or disputed claim documents.
If funding is short, follow the special assessment planning process. If damage affects reserve assumptions, update the reserve schedule.
Genuinely Usable Board Checklist
Annual readiness
- Counsel-reviewed emergency authority plan
- Current contact and assistance-needs records
- Vendor agreements and credentials
- Roof, drainage, tree, and envelope review
- Generator, pump, elevator, and life-safety procedures
- Common-item securing map and storage capacity
- Current insurance, deductible, and claims contacts
- Cloud and offline records backups tested
- Pre-storm property photographs
- Staff and communication assignments
Storm activation
- Official sources monitored and decisions logged
- Owners notified with next update time
- Common property secured
- Equipment procedures completed by authorized personnel
- Vendors confirmed and access credentials controlled
- Final condition photos stored
- Spending and authority log active
Post-storm
- Government access restrictions confirmed
- Life-safety hazards assessed
- Unsafe areas restricted
- Damage photographed and inventoried
- Carrier/broker notified
- Temporary mitigation authorized and tracked
- Owners updated
- Expenses, labor, equipment, and contracts logged
- Professional repair scopes initiated
- Lessons-learned meeting scheduled
What your board should do next
Assign a name and backup to every unchecked item. Conduct a tabletop exercise before June 1 and revise the plan after every storm. Review the insurance renewal timeline and broader 2026 condo requirements.
For organized emergency communications, records, and vendor coordination, explore Moderne’s maintenance coordination or talk with Moderne.
Educational only; not emergency, legal, engineering, insurance, or contracting advice. Follow government orders and licensed-professional direction.