Article Courtesy of The Boca Raton News

By Dale M. King

Published May 1, 2007

When David Shapiro moved from New York to South Florida, quite naturally he brought his dog with him.

But when he tried to bring the canine into his condominium, the association “put me through hell.”  He said it cost him $20,000 to kennel his canine for eight months while he fought the no-pet rule.

South Florida is famous – perhaps infamous – for allowing people, but not pets, in condominiums.  They do allow service animals such as those who aid the blind or deaf.  And some even allow cats.

But Rex or Fido won’t find a welcome mat at most condo complexes.

Shapiro said that after his battle with “condo commandos” in West Palm Beach, he went online and found an organization called Citizens for Pets in Condos, a Florida-based non-profit organization trying to overturn the pet prohibition.

The group, he said, has taken aim at the “no pets” rule. “I immediately became an advocate,” he said.  “I just wanted to come to Florida and chill out,” he said. But the battle over keeping a pet in his condo “infuriated me.”

When Shapiro first discovered Citizens for Pets in Condos in January 2006, it had a petition to overrule the no-pet rule. “I was the 1,259th signer,” he said. “Now, the petition has 13,350 names.”

Citizens for Pets in Condos may not find much support in the condominium community in Boca Raton.  At Sabal Point, “the issue has come up several times,” said association board member Tom Vinci.  “It is not advantageous for the elderly” to have dogs in their units, he said. If you allow exceptions, he said, “It opens the door” to others.

And it isn’t a matter of liking or disliking dogs, he said. “I had three dogs when I lived in New Jersey,” he said.

The situation is a little less severe at Boca Teeca, said Shirley Schnuer, president of the Boca Teeca Unit Owners Association.  Residents generally frown on dogs in condos, she said.  Boca Teeca does allow cats, though, as well as service dogs.  

She said she has heard the argument about people – particularly the elderly – who find solace and comfort in having a dog. She equates that argument to “talk and rhetoric.”

But Shapiro, who is also vice president of the Pets in Condos organization, said the group promotes the cause of “emotional companion animals.” He has been pushing for legislation that would enable persons in need to have such companionship. “It’s as though the boards are depriving individuals of needed medication.”

The head of Citizens for Pets in Condos said the problem is not the pets, but the pet owners.

“The cornerstone of this group’s philosophy is simple,” said Maida W. Genser of Tamarac, founder and president of Citizens for Pets in Condos.  “Allow responsible animal guardians to have companion animals.  Put the onus on irresponsible pet owners who ruin it for the rest of us.  Pets are not the problem; irresponsible owners are.”

Genser said the group not only has a petition, but two state legislators from Miami have a bill in the hopper this year to reform condominium law.  Toward the end of that massive measure is a provision that would allow pets in condos.

State Rep. Julio Robaina of District 117 and State Sen. Alex Villalobos of District 38 have put in the bill a provision that would allow “emotional support animals” for those deemed to be in need. To do so would require a letter from two medical professionals.

Gertrude Maxwell of Palm Beach, another animal activist and founder of Save-A-Pet, agreed with that bill.  “There are many people in condominiums that are desperately in need of a companion animal due to the situation,” she said

Shapiro said the Robaina-Villalobos bill has received unanimous support from two committees, but is bogged down in the Policy and Budget Committee. “It’s still up in the air,” he said.

But state Rep. Kelly Skidmore, D-District 90, whose constituents include west Boca and west Delray residents, was more pessimistic. “It does not seem likely it will be pulled from its last committee in time to be sent to the floor for a vote.”