500 Brickell · 2027 budget

HOA fee simulator

What we pay, why, and how much we could realistically save in 2027.

Today (2026)
2027 if nothing changes
2027 with the realistic plan

Where your monthly fee goes today

Your fee is your share of two budgets: the West tower and the Master Association that runs the shared areas. Here is the same money grouped into what it pays for.

Where the savings come from

Each bar is how much a realistic change in that area would take off your monthly fee in 2027.

What has to happen

The savings only happen if the Boards act. In order of impact:

    Is this realistic?

    Master Association: runs what both towers share (lobby, pool, gym, garage, building insurance).

    Reserves: the building's savings account for big future repairs. Florida law requires the structural part.

    Realistic: savings comparable buildings usually get from rebids, energy measures and updated studies.

    Setup

    Starting point
    Scenarios
    2027 cost pressures (applied before savings)

    Expected increases before any action, for example utility rate hikes and wage increases. These are assumptions; replace them with management's figures when announced.

    Where to focus

    Monthly saving for this unit if each line reached the low end of its realistic range for 2027 (lighter bar) and its stretch level (full bar).

    View as table

    Levers

    Realistic for 2027 Stretch: possible with strong effort Not realistic in 2027

    West (W) and Master (M) have their own sliders and their own realistic ranges, because their spending differs line by line. Percent change is against the starting point, after cost pressures. Open "How" on any line for the actions that move it.

    Income & surplus

    Prior-year surplus returned
    One-time credit from operating surplus. Master retained earnings were about $1.37M in July 2026; West about $340k.
    How

    A prudent operating cushion is 2–3 months of operating expenses (about $650–900k at Master, $360–540k at West). Realistic for 2027: up to $500k at Master and $100k at West. This is a one-time credit: the 2028 budget must absorb it.

    • Boards agree the operating cushion policy before the budget vote.
    • Return the excess as a 2027 credit and disclose it as one-time.

    Execution plan

    Built from the levers in the current scenario, in the order the work has to happen.

    How the numbers work

    • Each association's owner assessments = total expenses including reserve contributions − other income − prior-year surplus returned. Your fee = assessments × your ownership share ÷ 12.
    • Each line for 2027 = starting point × (1 + cost pressure) × (1 + lever change).
    • Unit 2005's shares are calibrated so the 2026 budget reproduces the fees billed in 2026 ($850.73 West + $601.18 Master). Line A and C shares come from the budget fee schedules.
    • "2026 actual run-rate" = actual spending through May (West) and July (Master) plus budget for the remaining months, from the posted monthly statements (unaudited).
    • Realistic and stretch ranges are judgments based on the 2024–2026 budgets and statements and on typical results of rebids, energy and water measures, and reserve-study updates. They are starting points for the Boards to challenge, not guarantees. Ranges are measured against the 2026 budget.
    • Structural (SIRS) reserves are set by the reserve study and cannot be waived. Changing them needs an updated study or owner-approved funding under HB 913.
    • Utility levers are usage savings. The cost of the investments (LED, drives, meters, solar) is not modeled.
    • Savings from contracts rebid mid-year only partly land in 2027; the full effect shows in 2028.