A troubling trend is on the horizon for condominium ownership in Florida—the potential rise of “zombie condos.” A zombie condo consists of an association operating in a quasi-functional, ultimately wasteful limbo, struggling to maintain a barely habitable condominium in an unaffordable manner. A zombie condo is on its last legs, threatened by buzzards seeking to exploit its vulnerability (be they unscrupulous actors or opportunistic investors). Within its walls, strife and conflict reign, as members turn against each other in desperation, turning homes into battlegrounds.

This potentially unsettling phenomenon is poised to rise from a confluence of factors, including the newly enacted SB-4D and 154 reserve funding and repair laws, skyrocketing insurance costs, inflation, obsolescence, rising sea levels and intensifying hurricanes, and other financial burdens. These forces are making it increasingly unaffordable for individuals to reside within condominiums, casting a shadow over the future of community living and many Floridians’ primary investments.