Poll Taken Before Wilma Shows

Majority Support Condo Reform 

Ordinance Would Require Condo Mgt. Companies

to Have Hurricane Emergency Plans, Be Licensed, and Disclose

Bendixen & Associates interviewed 400 Miami Beach registered voters likely to participate in the November 1st, 2005 municipal election. The interviews were conducted in English and Spanish between September 10th and September 14th of this year. The margin of error for the poll is 5 percentage points.

The public opinion study clearly indicates that a solid majority of Miami Beach likely voters support the three major components of a proposed municipal ordinance – sponsored by SEIU - on condominium management in Miami Beach. The results of the study were the following:

**        A majority of voters (54 percent) think that the condominium management industry in Miami Beach is in need of basic reform. Hispanic voters are the strongest supporters (67 percent) of this type of reform.

**        The proposal that would require workers at condominium buildings to be trained in how to prepare for, respond to, and recover from hurricanes has overwhelming support from the Miami Beach electorate. Seventy-seven percent support it. They feel that this proposal would ensure a safe environment for the workers and provide professional protection for the personal investment of the unit owners. Support for this proposal increases to 83 percent among seniors – those 65 years of age and older.

**        The proposal that would require the companies that manage condominiums in Miami Beach to be licensed has the support of about two-thirds (69 percent) of the voters. They feel that this proposal would ensure better services at their buildings and make the management companies more accountable to the owners. Support for this proposal increases to 77 percent among Hispanic voters.

**        The proposal that would require open bidding and financial disclosure when contracts are negotiated between condominium managers and outside contractors is supported by 70 percent of Miami Beach voters. They feel that this proposal would guarantee that unit owners are getting the best services at the best prices. 


COMMENT: 

There is absolutely no doubt that voters in Florida would like to see stricter regulation of the professionals that manage their condo and homeowners’ associations.  Some people want you to believe that this is true only in southern Florida, but voters all over Florida want stricter regulation. We ask our Florida legislators to remember the above result when dealing with a bill that will be proposed for 2006 legislative session.  Consumers need stricter regulations and accountability by the people that are responsible for their associations.

And being required to prepare hurricane emergency plans doesn't mean that voters want to give boards and professional managers unlimited power, as 2005 legislative session’s emergency power bill HB 1593 tried to do.

Please note this paragraph contained in HB1593:

"Actions by the board taken in good faith during a catastrophic emergency bind the association and create a rebuttable presumption of being reasonable and necessary. Any officer, director, agent, or employee of the association who acts with a reasonable belief that such actions comply with this section is immune from civil liability for such actions, except in the case of willful misconduct."

Any law that includes a paragraph like the one above effectively eliminates any accountability and creates the necessary openings to allow kickbacks and other shenanigans!


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