Florida Senate - 2026 CS for SB 1602
By the Committee on Military and Veterans Affairs, Space, and
Domestic Security; and Senator Wright
583-02213-26 20261602c1
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 counties
6 for a specified purpose; providing that implementation
7 of the pilot program is subject to annual legislative
8 appropriations; requiring the Florida Housing Finance
9 Corporation, in consultation with other entities and
10 persons, to oversee the pilot program; authorizing
11 certain landlords to apply to the corporation to
12 receive funding from the Vacancy Relief Trust Fund and
13 the Risk Mitigation Trust Fund under certain
14 circumstances; providing the purpose of such trust
15 funds; requiring a landlord to submit to the
16 corporation specified documentation within a specified
17 timeframe to apply for either trust fund; requiring
18 certain case managers to assist the corporation;
19 authorizing a landlord to apply for up to a specified
20 dollar amount from the Risk Mitigation Trust Fund;
21 providing a requirement to apply for the Risk
22 Mitigation Trust Fund; providing that funding is
23 awarded on a first-come, first-served basis; requiring
24 the corporation to adopt rules; providing a contingent
25 effective date.
26
27 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
28
29 Section 1. Section 83.684, Florida Statutes, is created to
30 read:
31 83.684 Homes for Veterans Property Management Incentive
32 Pilot Program.—
33 (1) This section may be cited as the “Homes for Veterans
34 Property Management Incentive Pilot Program.”
35 (2) As used in this section, the term:
36 (a) “Corporation” means the Florida Housing Finance
37 Corporation.
38 (b) “Ledger” means a historical, physical ledger that
39 serves as the official records of a veteran, including a
40 veteran’s eligibility for the United States Department of
41 Housing and Urban Development - Veterans Affairs Supportive
42 Housing voucher with subsidy. The term also includes a digitized
43 system that contains and stores the same information as the
44 physical ledger.
45 (c) “Pilot program” means the Homes for Veterans Property
46 Management Incentive Pilot Program.
47 (d) “Veteran” has the same meaning as in s. 1.01(14).
48 (3) The Homes for Veterans Property Management Incentive
49 Pilot Program is established in Broward, Escambia, Hillsborough,
50 and Santa Rosa Counties to provide landlords with incentives to
51 address veteran homelessness. Implementation of this pilot
52 program is subject to annual legislative appropriations. The
53 corporation, in consultation with the local public housing
54 authority and case managers assigned to veterans by the United
55 States Department of Veterans Affairs, shall establish and
56 oversee the Vacancy Relief Trust Fund, the Risk Mitigation Trust
57 Fund, the applications for such trust funds, the document
58 requirements, and all processes of the pilot program.
59 (4)(a) A landlord who enters into a rental agreement with
60 an eligible veteran may apply to the corporation to receive
61 funding from the Vacancy Relief Trust Fund created under s.
62 420.56. The purpose of the Vacancy Relief Trust Fund is to allow
63 a landlord to hold a dwelling unit for a period of time, and
64 still be compensated for the time that the dwelling unit is
65 vacant, until the veteran is able to move in to the dwelling
66 unit. The Vacancy Relief Trust Fund provides proportional rent
67 to eligible landlords for a period of up to 45 days after the
68 date the dwelling unit becomes available or until the actual
69 date that the veteran moves into the dwelling unit, whichever is
70 sooner.
71 (b) To apply for the Vacancy Relief Trust Fund, a landlord
72 must submit all required documentation to the corporation within
73 60 days after the veteran moves into the dwelling unit. The case
74 manager assigned to the veteran must assist the corporation by
75 facilitating trust fund requests from landlords and
76 documentation compliance. At a minimum, a landlord must submit
77 to the corporation all of the following:
78 1. A completed application, as determined by the
79 corporation.
80 2. The signed rental agreement between the landlord and the
81 veteran.
82 3. The turnover paperwork for the dwelling unit.
83 4. A copy of the move-in checklist with current photos of
84 the dwelling unit.
85 5. A copy of the veteran’s ledger or other proof, as
86 received by the corporation, that the veteran is eligible for
87 rental assistance under the United States Department of Housing
88 and Urban Development - Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing
89 program, as implemented by the United States Department of
90 Veterans Affairs and public housing authorities.
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 corporation to receive funding from
95 the Risk Mitigation Trust Fund created under s. 420.56. The Risk
96 Mitigation Trust Fund is designed to cover property loss at the
97 dwelling unit caused by the veteran which extends beyond the
98 amount of the deposit money. The landlord may apply for up to
99 $2,000 beyond the deposit money.
100 (b) To apply for the Risk Mitigation Trust Fund, a landlord
101 must submit all required documentation to the corporation within
102 60 days after the veteran moves into the dwelling unit. The case
103 manager assigned to the veteran must assist the corporation by
104 facilitating trust fund requests from landlords and
105 documentation compliance. At a minimum, a landlord must submit
106 to the corporation all of the following:
107 1. A completed application, as determined by the
108 corporation.
109 2. The signed rental agreement between the landlord and the
110 veteran.
111 3. The turnover paperwork for the dwelling unit.
112 4. A copy of the move-in checklist with current photos of
113 the dwelling unit.
114 5. A copy of the veteran’s ledger or other proof, as
115 received by the corporation, that the veteran is eligible for
116 rental assistance under the United States Department of Housing
117 and Urban Development - Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing
118 program, as implemented by the United States Department of
119 Veterans Affairs and public housing authorities.
120 6. After the veteran vacates the dwelling unit, a copy of
121 the move-out checklist with current photos of the dwelling unit
122 and a copy of the written notice provided to the veteran by the
123 landlord in accordance with s. 83.49(3)(a).
124 (c) A landlord may apply for the Risk Mitigation Trust Fund
125 only if the landlord previously applied to the Vacancy Relief
126 Trust Fund.
127 (6) Funding for the pilot program is limited and the
128 corporation shall award funds on a first-come, first-served
129 basis.
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.