ORLANDO - Some condominium owners in an Orlando complex are one step closer to potentially stopping a hefty fee increase.

People at Dockside Condominiums gathered Wednesday to celebrate after a state arbitrator deemed their recall effort successful. They organized a recall of the HOA board of directors in September after receiving notice of a 12-year special assessment. Elizabeth Leuven, a condo owner at Dockside, helped lead the recall effort. "Everybody said, including people who live there, we were crazy," Leuven said. "You never will do that." Owners have had two payments due so far, but incoming board members say they've asked the management company, Access Residential Management, to suspend collections of the special assessment.

"The personal financial relief is tremendous," Leuven said.

The management company said the fee increase was necessary to plug an insurance gap after Hurricane Ian damaged all 133 first-floor units.

Juan Marmol, a board member-elect, said the new board’s first priority is sorting through financial with work starting Thursday.

"Now we need to deal with the insurance company, with a construction company, and also with the management company," Marmol said.

Access Residential Management emailed FOX 35 the following statement in response:

"The order is being reviewed by legal counsel and [our] understanding is this will be disputed in the circuit courts due to its inaccuracy," the statement read. "We remain focused on the management of the association and the reconstruction efforts. The association counsel will be disseminating additional information to homeowners shortly."

Marmol said the recall effort has brought more people together since so many feared financial trouble or even possible foreclosure.

"We are more united than ever and everybody is ready to put our hands together to help rebuild our community," Marmol said.

Funding for renovations, according to Marmol, runs through February. He said the new board has until then to figure out what to do with the special assessment.