Every home or condo that sells inside Sandestin owes the Sandestin Owners Association a $100 transfer fee and a capital contribution of 0.5% of the sale price when it conveys. Every home or condo also pays the same master assessment, $1,692 a year in 2026. These are the most visible numbers in a Sandestin purchase, and they are the same no matter which unit you buy. So they can't explain why two units of similar size can cost very different amounts to own. That difference sits one layer down, in the neighborhood association. For many condo buildings, a Florida statute now decides how large that layer gets.
According to the Sandestin Owners Association's accounting page, the 2026 master assessment is $846 a year for a lot and $1,692 for a home or condo. It's billed quarterly, with payment due January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1. The quarterly bill for a home or condo is $492.10 because it includes a pass-through charge for basic cable under SOA's bulk contract with Cox Communications. In neighborhoods that have upgraded to fiber internet, the quarterly bill is $547. Neither quarterly figure is a dues comparison. Both are the same master assessment plus a connectivity charge.
| Covered by the SOA master assessment | Billed somewhere else |
|---|---|
| 24-hour security | Irrigation, when a property uses the SOA system |
| Daily trash pickup | Neighborhood association assessments |
| Common-area infrastructure and landscaping | Insurance premiums carried by the neighborhood association |
| Lake maintenance | Basic cable or fiber, billed with the assessment but separately priced |
| Architectural review | |
| Two pools |
The right column matters for a buyer. On the SOA's FAQ, the association says neighborhood association assessments may include insurance premiums and that the master assessment does not cover them. On a coastal building, insurance is often one of the largest shared costs, and it sits entirely in the layer that varies.
Sandestin owners belong to two associations at once: the SOA master association and their own neighborhood association. Questions about a building's common areas go to that neighborhood's manager, not to SOA. The SOA's management roster dated September 2, 2026 shows how spread out that second layer is. FirstService Residential manages Beachside I, Grand Sandestin and LaSata. Virtuous Management handles Beachside II, Luau, Westwinds and Gateway, which takes in Observation Point. Bayside is with Beach Management, and Harbour Point is with Community Management Associates.
Each of those associations sets its own budget. Under Florida's condominium statute, each unit's share of common expenses follows its share of the common elements. That share is based on the unit's square footage or set as an equal fraction, depending on the declaration. A larger unit in one building can pay proportionally more than a smaller unit in the same building. A unit in a different building is working from a different budget altogether.
Those budgets go out through owner portals and on request rather than on public pages. The SOA keeps its own financial statements behind an owner login and makes budgets available on request to Accounting. Neighborhood associations work the same way. Luau's association website, for example, keeps its condo and insurance documents in an owners-only area. The figure that separates one Sandestin condo from another usually reaches a buyer as part of the transaction itself.
The biggest force acting on that neighborhood layer is Florida's post-Surfside reserve law. Every residential condominium association must have a Structural Integrity Reserve Study, or SIRS, completed at least every 10 years for each building that is three habitable stories or higher. The study covers the roof, structure, fire protection, plumbing, electrical systems, waterproofing and exterior painting, and windows and doors, along with any other item whose deferred maintenance or replacement cost passes a set threshold and whose failure would negatively affect those listed components, as determined by the study's visual inspection. For 2026, Florida's Department of Business and Professional Regulation has posted that inflation-adjusted threshold at $25,675, up from $25,000 in 2025.
The key change is that owners can no longer vote these reserves away. Under Section 718.112 of the Florida Statutes, owners in an owner-controlled association that must obtain a SIRS can't vote for no reserves or reduced reserves on SIRS items in any budget adopted on or after December 31, 2024. The one exception is a multicondominium association using an alternative funding method the state has approved. The reserve amount has to follow the findings of the association's most recent SIRS.
That puts Sandestin's condo stock on two different cost paths. Luau is a high-rise, and Beachside Tower 1, Beachside Tower 2 and Westwinds are beachfront tower buildings. Beachwalk is a townhome product, and Pine Ridge, Tivoli and Tivoli Terrace are described as two- and three-bedroom townhomes. A tower that is three habitable stories or more falls inside the SIRS requirement. Whether a particular low-rise building does depends on its habitable story count under the Florida Building Code. Bedroom count doesn't settle it, and neither does a marketing label. Le Jardin, for instance, is described as a three-story townhome, but that description alone doesn't show how the statute treats the building. Two condos with matching square footage and the same $1,692 master assessment can sit on opposite sides of that line.
Most existing owner-controlled associations had to finish their SIRS by December 31, 2025. An association whose milestone inspection is due on or before December 31, 2026 may complete the SIRS together with that inspection, but no later than December 31, 2026. As of today, October 12, 2026, that outside date is 80 days away.
Milestone inspections follow their own clock. Under Section 553.899, residential condominium buildings three habitable stories or higher are generally inspected by the year they reach 30 years of age, measured from the certificate of occupancy, and every 10 years after that. The local enforcement agency can move the first inspection to 25 years based on local conditions, including how close the building is to salt water. A Phase 1 visual review becomes a Phase 2 inspection if it finds substantial structural deterioration.
The 2025 legislature added some flexibility. HB 913, approved by the governor on June 23, 2025 and summarized by the Florida Senate, lets an association that has completed a milestone inspection within the previous two calendar years pause or reduce reserve contributions to pay for the repairs that inspection recommended. That takes a majority of the total voting interests. The pause can last no more than two consecutive annual budgets, and only budgets adopted on or before December 31, 2028 qualify. A new SIRS is required before contributions resume. SIRS items can be funded through regular assessments, special assessments, lines of credit or loans. A special assessment, line of credit or loan requires approval by a majority of the total voting interests.
Those are the rules in force now. Proposals to revise them in the 2026 session did not pass. SB 1498 died in committee, and H657, a related House bill, died in Rules on March 13, 2026.
The master assessment is published. These are the records where the neighborhood layer shows up:
At a 0.5% capital contribution, a $1,000,000 sale sends $5,000 to SOA at conveyance, plus the $100 transfer fee. That cost is easy to calculate in advance. The neighborhood budget arrives with the association documents, and it's much harder to estimate before you see it.
Does the SOA master assessment change with unit size? No. The 2026 schedule lists one amount for a home or condo, $1,692 a year, and a separate amount for a lot, $846 a year.
Does every Sandestin condo association have to fund SIRS reserves? The requirement applies to buildings three habitable stories or higher, as determined by the Florida Building Code. Associations whose buildings fall below that height aren't covered by the SIRS provision.
Can owners still vote to waive reserves? For associations that must obtain a SIRS, not on SIRS items in budgets adopted on or after December 31, 2024. The exception is a multicondominium association with an alternative funding method approved by the state.
The Spears Group reads those association documents for buyers comparing buildings and for sellers getting a unit ready for a buyer's review. Request a complimentary market valuation and luxury marketing plan, and we'll show you how your building's association layer compares.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
Office 2048 West County Hwy 30A #107 Santa Rosa Beach FL 32459
Office 2048 West County Hwy 30A #107 Santa Rosa Beach FL 32459