Article
Courtesy of Florida Today
By
Senator Debbie Mayfield
Published January 23, 2017
The Florida Legislature was warned in 2008: a handful of
condominium associations weren't protecting owners adequately enough. The
result was reported as "fraud, mismanagement, and conflicts of interest."
But that wasn't enough to get the Florida Legislature to act.
Eight years later, a Miami-Dade grand jury was more direct, saying the
Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation was "ill-suited
to resolve, correct, or prevent many of the recurring problems that have
been brought to their attention."
That got a lot of attention, and rightfully so.
The reforms passed by the Florida Legislature following that report cracked
down on most of the handful of bad actors in the condominium management
business.
Homeowners are now better protected than ever.
However, we can't be complacent. We need to keep working to improve legal
protections for homeowners. That includes cleaning up some of the additional
loose ends, mistakes, and inefficiencies in the reform package passed by the
Florida Legislature during this crisis.
That's why I've filed Senate Bill 1530, the "Condo Cleanup Act of 2018," to
make the law work better statewide and reduce the law’s potential to add
costs for the vast majority of associations who have always treated
homeowners fairly — costs that shouldn’t have to be unfairly passed on to
homeowners.
This bill would give condominium associations the legal clarity and
direction they need to fully comply with the law, serve homeowners most
efficiently and protect homes — often a person’s most valuable asset.
Passing this legislation would also benefit our economy by reducing
homeowner fees and encouraging more homeowners to get involved in
association boards — a great way to stay involved in your community.
Homeowners who live in associations pay these fees and assessments to
maintain their communities and protect their property values, which, in
turn, helps all Floridians.
More than 9 million Floridians live in a community association, with many of
those associations highly concentrated in South Florida. Florida's community
associations also already pay more than $10 billion in voluntary fees and
assessments for services that would otherwise be passed along to local
government taxpayers. It makes sense that we should do everything we can to
keep the cost of living affordable for those who live in a community
association.
The “Condo Cleanup Act of 2018” would reduce added costs to homeowners by
reducing redundant legal fees; protect volunteer board members; and clarify
the modernization of condominium association websites. It would also protect
the reforms targeting bad actors while reducing costs and red tape.
The reforms we passed previously were smart. But we can't wait another eight
years to keep this legislation updated and protect homeowners.
That's why I'm encouraging condominium association members and taxpayers to
talk to their local representatives and senators and ask them to support
Senate Bill 1530.
State Sen. Debbie Mayfield, R-Melbourne, represents Brevard and Indian River
counties.
SENATE BILL
SB 1530
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