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Article
Courtesy of WESH 2 News
By
Justin Schecker
Published March 10, 2025
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WATCH VIDEO |
During his State of the State Address Tuesday at the start of the regular
session in Tallahassee, Gov. Ron DeSantis said he does not want to see
anybody forced out of their condominium because of a state law.
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“I have every bit of
confidence that the legislature is gonna fully address the
needs of our Florida condo owners,” Gov. DeSantis said.
A recent WESH 2 Investigation found some Orange County condo
owners who can’t keep up with rising costs are already
feeling pressured to accept buyout offers.
There are owners in Central Florida and across the state
struggling to stay in their homes because of the law passed
after the 2021 Surfside condo collapse requiring inspections
and reserve funds for repairs.
“Those were all well intentioned efforts and I think
probably have done a lot of good,” the governor said, “but
in some instances its putting people in a very difficult
financial pickle.” |
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State Rep. Bruce Antone (D-Orange County) said he’s heard
from concerned seniors who have lived in their condos for decades.
"The fees that they're going to have to pay to ensure
there's an adequate reserve fund is just beyond what they can afford on
their fixed income,” Antone said.
Representative Antone has filed a bill that changes the requirement for
structural integrity studies to condominiums that are six stories or taller,
rather than three.
"For those buildings, five stores or shorter, they could vote to waive the
fees or to reduce the amount of money that they have to set aside for
reserve," Antone said.
Another proposal would create a program to provide one-time grants of up to
$2,500 for low-income seniors whose condo is their primary residence.
"That is just a band aid fix," Antone said.
A Republican lawmaker from South Florida has introduced a bill aimed at
protecting condo owners by increasing transparency and accountability within
condo associations.
Lorraine Roy shared with WESH 2 Investigates that her monthly HOA fee at
Winter Park Woods skyrocketed to more than $3,300.
"Know who is on your board,” Roy said. “Pay a lot of attention and go to the
meetings if you can. Watch what they're doing with your money and pay
attention to who owns."
Gov. DeSantis had wanted lawmakers to address the state’s condo crisis when
he called for a special session, but that did not happen, as they solely
focused on immigration.
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