Florida Senate - 2026 COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
Bill No. CS for SB 1602
Ì259898yÎ259898
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Senate . House
Comm: RCS .
02/18/2026 .
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The Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Tourism, and
Economic Development (Wright) recommended the following:
1 Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
2
3 Delete everything after the enacting clause
4 and insert:
5 Section 1. Section 83.684, Florida Statutes, is created to
6 read:
7 83.684 Homes for Veterans Property Management Incentive
8 Pilot Program.—
9 (1) This section may be cited as the “Homes for Veterans
10 Property Management Incentive Pilot Program Act.”
11 (2) As used in this section, the term:
12 (a) “Corporation” means the Florida Housing Finance
13 Corporation.
14 (b) “HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program” means
15 a program that combines the United States Department of Housing
16 and Urban Development’s housing choice voucher rental assistance
17 for homeless veterans with case management and clinical services
18 provided by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.
19 (c) “Pilot program” means the Homes for Veterans Property
20 Management Incentive Pilot Program.
21 (d) “Veteran” has the same meaning as in s. 1.01(14).
22 (3) The Homes for Veterans Property Management Incentive
23 Pilot Program is established in Broward, Escambia, Hillsborough,
24 and Santa Rosa Counties to provide eligible landlords with
25 incentives to lease eligible dwelling units to veterans who are
26 participating in the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing
27 program. Implementation of this pilot program is subject to
28 annual legislative appropriation. The corporation, in
29 consultation with the local public housing authority and case
30 managers assigned to veterans by the United States Department of
31 Veterans Affairs, shall establish and oversee the Vacancy Relief
32 and Risk Mitigation Trust Fund, the applications for such trust
33 fund, the document requirements, and all processes of the pilot
34 program. The corporation’s responsibilities under this section
35 are limited to program administration, including rulemaking,
36 oversight, and establishing and executing contracts with one or
37 more local public housing authorities, contracted program
38 administrators, or other public or nonprofit entities that have
39 experience administering the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive
40 Housing program, supportive housing, or landlord mitigation
41 programs to perform intake, documentation review, and claim
42 verification functions to locally administer the funds in the
43 Vacancy Relief and Risk Mitigation Trust Fund and to distribute
44 funding to the contracted program administrator for payment of
45 approved reimbursement requests. The corporation is not
46 responsible for maintaining eligibility files, tenancy records,
47 or other case-level documentation for the HUD-Veterans Affairs
48 Supportive Housing program. Such functions shall be maintained
49 by the contracted program administrator.
50 (4)(a) A landlord who enters into a rental agreement with
51 an eligible veteran may apply to a contracted program
52 administrator to request funding from the Vacancy Relief and
53 Risk Mitigation Trust Fund created under s. 420.56 for the
54 purpose of allowing a landlord to hold a dwelling unit for a
55 period of time, and still be compensated for the time that the
56 dwelling unit is vacant, until the veteran is able to move into
57 the dwelling unit. Such trust fund provides proportional rent to
58 eligible landlords for a period of up to 45 days after the date
59 the dwelling unit becomes available or until the actual date
60 that the veteran moves into the dwelling unit, whichever is
61 sooner.
62 (b) To apply for funding under paragraph (a), a landlord
63 must submit all required documentation to the contracted program
64 administrator within 60 days after the veteran moves into the
65 dwelling unit. The case manager assigned to the veteran shall
66 assist the contracted program administrator by facilitating
67 trust fund requests from landlords and documentation compliance.
68 The contracted program administrator shall maintain all
69 documentation required under this subsection and provide the
70 corporation with a certification of eligibility, tenancy dates,
71 and verified costs within the timeframe established by the
72 corporation by rule. At a minimum, a landlord shall submit
73 documentation to the contracted program administrator in the
74 form and manner established by the corporation. Required
75 supporting documentation necessary to confirm eligibility for
76 reimbursement and oversight shall be maintained by the entity
77 responsible for case management or rental assistance
78 administration in the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing
79 program.
80 (c) The corporation may rely on certifications,
81 determinations, and documentation provided by public housing
82 authorities, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs,
83 providers of Supportive Services for Veteran Families,
84 continuums of care, or other entities responsible for
85 administering or supporting the functions of the HUD-Veterans
86 Affairs Supportive Housing program. The corporation’s reliance
87 on such certifications, determinations, and documentation
88 satisfies the corporation’s oversight and evaluation
89 responsibilities of the functions, activities, and outcomes for
90 the pilot program.
91 (5)(a) If a veteran moves out of the dwelling unit during
92 the first 12 months of a year-to-year rental agreement or after
93 the expiration of a rental agreement for any duration, the
94 landlord may apply to the contracted program administrator for
95 funding from the Vacancy Relief and Risk Mitigation Trust Fund
96 created under s. 420.56 to cover property loss at the dwelling
97 unit caused by the veteran which exceeds the amount of the
98 deposit money. The landlord may apply for up to $2,000 beyond
99 the deposit money.
100 (b) To apply for funding under paragraph (a), a landlord
101 must submit all required documentation to the contracted program
102 administrator within 60 days after the veteran moves out of the
103 dwelling unit. The case manager assigned to the veteran shall
104 assist the contracted program administrator by facilitating
105 trust fund requests from landlords and documentation compliance.
106 The contracted program administrator shall maintain all
107 documentation required under this subsection and provide the
108 corporation, within the timeframe established by rule, a
109 certification of eligibility, tenancy dates, verified damage
110 amounts, and verified costs. Required supporting documentation
111 necessary to confirm eligibility for reimbursement and oversight
112 shall be maintained by the entity responsible for case
113 management or rental assistance administration in the HUD
114 Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program.
115 (c) After the veteran vacates the dwelling unit, the
116 landlord shall provide the contracted program administrator a
117 copy of the move-out checklist with current photos of the
118 dwelling unit and a copy of the written notice provided to the
119 veteran by the landlord in accordance with s. 83.49(3)(a).
120 (d) A landlord may apply for funding under paragraph (a)
121 only if the landlord previously applied for funding under
122 paragraph (4)(a).
123 (6) Funding for the pilot program is limited, and the
124 corporation shall award funds on a first-come, first-served
125 basis. The corporation may suspend acceptance of applications
126 when available appropriations are fully obligated. The
127 corporation must notify contracted program administrators if
128 intake of applications is suspended and when intake of
129 applications is resumed.
130 (7) The corporation shall adopt rules to implement this
131 section.
132 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026, if SB
133 1604 or similar legislation is adopted in the same legislative
134 session or an extension thereof and becomes a law.
135
136 ================= T I T L E A M E N D M E N T ================
137 And the title is amended as follows:
138 Delete everything before the enacting clause
139 and insert:
140 A bill to be entitled
141 An act relating to housing for veterans; creating s.
142 83.684, F.S.; providing a short title; defining terms;
143 establishing the Homes for Veterans Property
144 Management Incentive Pilot Program in certain
145 counties, subject to legislative appropriation;
146 requiring the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, in
147 consultation with other entities and persons, to
148 establish and oversee specified aspects of the pilot
149 program; providing the responsibilities of the
150 corporation for the pilot program; requiring
151 contracted program administrators to maintain certain
152 functions of the pilot program; authorizing certain
153 landlords to apply to a contracted program
154 administrator to request funding from the Vacancy
155 Relief and Risk Mitigation Trust Fund under certain
156 circumstances; providing the purpose of such trust
157 fund; requiring a landlord to submit to the contracted
158 program administrator required documentation within a
159 specified time period to apply for the trust fund;
160 requiring certain case managers to assist the
161 contracted program administrator; requiring the
162 contracted program administrator to maintain and
163 provide certain documentation to the corporation;
164 requiring the entity responsible for certain functions
165 to maintain any supporting documentation; authorizing
166 the corporation to rely on certifications,
167 determinations, and documentation provided by
168 specified entities; authorizing a landlord to apply
169 for up to a specified dollar amount from the trust
170 fund; providing requirements to apply for the trust
171 fund; providing that funding for the pilot program is
172 awarded on a first-come, first-served basis;
173 authorizing the corporation to suspend the acceptance
174 of applications under certain circumstances; requiring
175 specified notice; requiring the corporation to adopt
176 rules; providing a contingent effective date.