SESSION WATCH
THE BILL ITSELF

CS/CS/CS/HB 1481

Housing for Veterans

VERSION H 1481 c3 · BACK TO THE SUMMARY · OFFICIAL RECORD

underlined language is being added; struck language is being deleted. Line numbers are the Legislature's own — the same ones amendments cite.

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