Florida Senate - 2026                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 1602
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Ì9256623Î925662                         
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                  Comm: RCS            .                                
                  01/27/2026           .                                
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       The Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs, Space, and
       Domestic Security (Wright) recommended the following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Delete lines 51 - 116
    4  and insert:
    5  corporation, in consultation with the local public housing
    6  authority and case managers assigned to veterans by the United
    7  States Department of Veterans Affairs, shall establish and
    8  oversee the Vacancy Relief Trust Fund, the Risk Mitigation Trust
    9  Fund, the applications for such trust funds, the document
   10  requirements, and all processes of the pilot program.
   11         (4)(a) A landlord who enters into a rental agreement with
   12  an eligible veteran may apply to the corporation to receive
   13  funding from the Vacancy Relief Trust Fund created under s.
   14  420.56. The purpose of the Vacancy Relief Trust Fund is to allow
   15  a landlord to hold a dwelling unit for a period of time, and
   16  still be compensated for the time that the dwelling unit is
   17  vacant, until the veteran is able to move in to the dwelling
   18  unit. The Vacancy Relief Trust Fund provides proportional rent
   19  to eligible landlords for a period of up to 45 days after the
   20  date the dwelling unit becomes available or until the actual
   21  date that the veteran moves into the dwelling unit, whichever is
   22  sooner.
   23         (b) To apply for the Vacancy Relief Trust Fund, a landlord
   24  must submit all required documentation to the corporation within
   25  60 days after the veteran moves into the dwelling unit. The case
   26  manager assigned to the veteran must assist the corporation by
   27  facilitating trust fund requests from landlords and
   28  documentation compliance. At a minimum, a landlord must submit
   29  to the corporation all of the following:
   30         1. A completed application, as determined by the
   31  corporation.
   32         2. The signed rental agreement between the landlord and the
   33  veteran.
   34         3. The turnover paperwork for the dwelling unit.
   35         4. A move-in checklist with current photos of the dwelling
   36  unit.
   37         5. A copy of the veteran’s ledger or other proof, as
   38  received by the corporation, that the veteran is eligible for
   39  rental assistance under the United States Department of Housing
   40  and Urban Development - Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing
   41  program, as implemented by the United States Department of
   42  Veterans Affairs and public housing authorities.
   43         (5)(a) If a veteran moves out of the dwelling unit during
   44  the first 12 months of a year-to-year rental agreement or after
   45  the expiration of a rental agreement for any duration, the
   46  landlord may apply to the corporation to receive funding from
   47  the Risk Mitigation Trust Fund created under s. 420.56. The Risk
   48  Mitigation Trust Fund is designed to cover property loss at the
   49  dwelling unit caused by the veteran which extends beyond the
   50  amount of the deposit money. The landlord may apply for up to
   51  $2,000 beyond the deposit money.
   52         (b) To apply for the Risk Mitigation Trust Fund, a landlord
   53  must submit all required documentation to the corporation within
   54  60 days after the veteran moves into the dwelling unit. The case
   55  manager assigned to the veteran must assist the corporation by
   56  facilitating trust fund requests from landlords and
   57  documentation compliance. At a minimum, a landlord must submit
   58  to the corporation all of the following:
   59         1. A completed application, as determined by the
   60  corporation.
   61         2. The signed rental agreement between the landlord and the
   62  veteran.
   63         3. The turnover paperwork for the dwelling unit.
   64         4. A copy of the move-in checklist with current photos of
   65  the dwelling unit.
   66         5. A copy of the veteran’s ledger or other proof, as
   67  received by the corporation, that the veteran is eligible for
   68  rental assistance under the United States Department of Housing
   69  and Urban Development - Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing
   70  program, as implemented by the United States Department of
   71  Veterans Affairs
   72  
   73  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   74  And the title is amended as follows:
   75         Delete line 7
   76  and insert:
   77         Corporation, in consultation with other entities and