Tampa Bay neighborhoods
The statutes are the same from Wesley Chapel to St. Pete Beach. The buildings are not. Here is what a reserve study tends to focus on in each part of the bay, and which building official receives a milestone report there.
Three counties, one set of rules
Under 553.899 the milestone report goes to the local enforcement agency: the city building department inside city limits, the county outside them.
Hillsborough
County seat: Tampa
1,459,762
residents, 2020 Census
Three cities: Tampa, Temple Terrace and Plant City. Outside them the county building department is the official who receives milestone reports.
Pinellas
County seat: Clearwater
959,107
residents, 2020 Census
Twenty-four municipalities on a peninsula of about 274 square miles of land, which makes it the most densely settled county in Florida.
Pasco
County seat: Dade City
561,891
residents, 2020 Census
Up from 464,697 in 2010, the fastest growth of the three. Its newer HOA communities answer to 720.303(6) rather than the SIRS.
Area by area
A summary of the stock and the items a provider will look at first. Every building differs; treat this as a starting list.
| Area | County | Milestone reports go to | Typical buildings | What studies focus on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown Tampa, Channel District, Harbour Island | Hillsborough | City of Tampa | Mid- and high-rise condos, many with garages and amenity decks | SIRS per tower, garage structure, post-tension slabs, elevators |
| Davis Islands and Bayshore | Hillsborough | City of Tampa | Older low- and mid-rise condos on or near the water | Milestone dates for pre-1992 buildings, seawalls, balconies, salt-air coatings |
| Westshore and South Tampa | Hillsborough | City of Tampa | Garden condos, townhome HOAs, a few towers near the bay | Whether each building reaches three habitable stories |
| Brandon, Riverview, Apollo Beach | Hillsborough | Hillsborough County (unincorporated) | Single-family and townhome HOAs, two- and three-story condos | 720.303(6) budgets, pools, paving, roofs; SIRS only for three-story buildings |
| Downtown St. Petersburg | Pinellas | City of St. Petersburg | Waterfront towers and converted mid-rise buildings | SIRS per tower, waterproofing, windows and exterior doors |
| Clearwater Beach and the barrier islands | Pinellas | The city or town for each beach community | Mid-rise beachfront condos of many ages | Milestone inspections already due, salt exposure, post-storm repairs |
| Wesley Chapel, Land O’ Lakes, New Port Richey | Pasco | Pasco County, or the city where incorporated | Newer master-planned HOAs and smaller coastal condos | Amenity centers, private roads and drainage, gate systems |
Tampa: towers, islands and the 1992 line
The City of Tampa had 384,959 residents at the 2020 Census, and downtown, the Channel District, Harbour Island and Davis Islands all sit inside its limits. Davis Islands was built up from dredged fill in Hillsborough Bay in the 1920s, and its older condo buildings are among those where the 1992 rule matters: a building with a certificate of occupancy dated on or before July 1, 1992 had to finish its first milestone inspection by the end of 2024. Downtown and the Channel District are mostly newer, so their first milestone dates still lie ahead, but every building there of three or more habitable stories already needs a SIRS.
Pinellas: the most crowded county, the most exposed coast
St. Petersburg counted 258,308 people and Clearwater 117,292 in 2020, according to Census QuickFacts. Between them, and along the barrier islands from Clearwater Beach to St. Pete Beach, sit many of the bay’s older beachfront condos. Most beach communities are their own cities, so a board on the islands should usually ask its city building department, not the county, about milestone dates. After the 2024 storm surge, a study here should account for repairs already made.
Hillsborough suburbs and Pasco: mostly HOAs
East and south of Tampa, and north into Pasco, the common association is an HOA with a pool, a clubhouse, private roads and stormwater ponds. These boards work under 720.303(6), not the SIRS. A reserve study is still the best way to set those reserve lines, and it is usually the cheapest kind of study to buy. Where a suburban condo has a three-story building, that building needs a SIRS like any tower downtown.
Census figures and records
- U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, Hillsborough County, Florida
- U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, Pinellas County, Florida
- U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, Pasco County, Florida
- U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, Tampa city, Florida
- U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, St. Petersburg city, Florida
- U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, Clearwater city, Florida
- Fla. Stat. 553.899, milestone inspections and the local enforcement agency (Florida Legislature)
- National Weather Service Tampa Bay, Hurricane Helene event summary (2024)
Get a quote for your building
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