“From Justice As A Foundation All Rights Flow”

DELAND, May 9, 2007

Please Veto Condominium Association Bill S 314/H 407

Dear Governor Charlie Crist,

With all due respect, I would like to ask you to veto the above bill – that was already last year dubbed “the eminent domain bill for condominiums.”

In 2006 Senator Geller filed this bill as S 1556. In the beginning it was a good bill that intended to help condo owners clean up their complexes after hurricanes -- until provisions were included that would allow developers a hostile take-over of the association. Nothing wrong with termination after casualty, but this is going too far!

This bill clearly endangers the homes of families living in older buildings, targeted by developers for their valuable properties. In harsh words: “Let's kick out some old folks -- they should move into retirement homes anyway -- and not stand in the way of our greed!”

Governor Bush used the following words in his veto message for the bill, saying (quote): "changes the default provision of requiring the consent of all unit holders for termination in existing law and permits voluntary termination in virtually any circumstance, thereby diminishing security in ownership of private property."

Despite small changes in wording and percentage, it still has the effect of allowing families to be removed from their homes against their will. It’s a retroactive change of an existing contract – the deed restrictions.

I found it especially alarming that the opinion of a lobbyist, Peter Dunbar, found its way into the staff analysis of a Senate Committee, stating that there are no concerns regarding the language. I was always under the impression that a staff analysis should contain the unbiased analysis of the paid staff of the committee. Shouldn’t legislators rely on an unbiased analysis for their evaluation of the bill?

With all due respect, I hereby ask you to veto this bill for the above listed reasons

Warm Regards,

Jan Bergemann, President
Cyber Citizens For Justice, Inc.