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Article
Courtesy of Channel 10 News Tampa Bay
By
Aaron Parseghian
Published January 23, 2025
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WATCH VIDEO |
TAMPA — As state lawmakers prepare for the upcoming legislative session,
addressing rising condo costs is among the top priorities on both sides of
the aisle, regardless of whether a special session is called ahead of time.
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Over the past few
years, condo owners across the Sunshine State have seen
their monthly fees spike. The increases can be attributed to
costlier insurance premiums and, in part, because of new
safety regulations enacted in the wake of the tragic
Surfside collapse. While well-intentioned, the laws approved
in 2022 have put a strain on local condo associations as
they work to get in compliance.
A recent report from Redfin revealed the average monthly
condo HOA fees in Tampa alone increased by 17% over the same
three-month period in the past year.
"We have to think there are so many Floridians who are on a
fixed income, who moved here in retirement who live in
condos because they want the maintenance, but they don't
want these hefty assessments," State Rep. Fentrice Driskell
(D-Tampa) said. |
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During a visit to Tampa this week, Gov. Ron DeSantis
acknowledged the impact of the legislation and again expressed support for a
special session to address the issue, despite leaders at the Capitol being
hesitant to oblige.
"This was created by the legislation in terms of some of these problems,"
DeSantis said. "If we have agreement, I’ll call the session and we'll go,
but I do think we need to act sooner rather than later, and so we're going
to be working with the legislature on that."
Next week, a Senate committee will meet to focus on potential solutions and
proposals to address the condo conundrum.
Republican State Senator Jay Collins of Tampa indicated he would be open to
a special session and noted the urgency needed to address the concern from
constituents, saying, "I think this is something we want to get ahead of. We
can work it into a committee week and make this work very seamlessly. It’s
been done before."
However, Democratic leaders caution against a special session, arguing the
regular session — which begins March 4 — would be more appropriate for
addressing the issue.
"The problem with special session is that things move too quickly. There's
not the opportunity for bills to be fully vetted for the public to have the
sort of input they typically will," Driskell said.
While lawmakers continue to work through potential solutions, they are
encouraging the public to share their ideas.
Senator Collins emphasized the importance of community input in shaping the
debate, saying, "Frankly, I think our best ideas come from the community."
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