SB 610 -- Committee on Innovation, Industry and Technology

An Opinion By Jan Bergemann
President, Cyber Citizens For Justice, Inc.

Published April 6, 2019

Senator Jason Pizzo's SB 610 (dubbed the "Lock-Them-Up" bill) -- strongly supported by Florida's condo owners -- was on Tuesday reported favorably by the Senate Committee on Innovation, Industry, and Technology.

The bill, that is now going to the Appropriations Subcommittee on Criminal and Civil Justice, underwent some small changes -- amended version SB 610 C1 -- was reported favorably by a 6:3 vote.

Committee Chair Simpson and Senators Bracy, Brandes, Braynon, Farmer and Hutson voted YEAH, while Senators Bradley, Passidomo and Benacquisto voted NAY.

Obviously these three Senators are not really interested in protecting the financial welfare of the owners of more than 1.5 million condo owners in Florida.

Especially interesting was again the "speech" of lobbyist Mark Anderson, who, as usual, started his long "opposition speech" with misrepresenting the clients he is really representing. They are just some management companies, led by "ASSOCIA" -- a Texas-based company that "invaded" Florida some 10 years ago.

Florida's condo-owners are really not represented by him or the companies paying him as he always claims when starting his "speeches." It could rather be said that a wide majority of Florida condo owners (and voters) are actually opposing the opinions he states at committee hearings of the Florida legislature. All in all: Anybody who is interested in protecting Florida's condo owners against all kinds of abuses -- abuses that have already cost many families their homes -- should even seriously listen to his opinions.

Senator Jason Pizzo explaning his bill to the members of the Senate Committee on Innovation, Industry, and Technology.

Anderson's opinions are favoring the service-providers who are making money from these associations, not the unit-owners who are often paying dearly for "criminal acts" committed in their associations.

Our CCFJ lobbyist Richard Pinsky from Akerman LLP strongly supported this important bill at the hearing -- a bill that tries to protect the financial welfare of more than 1.5 million Florida condo owners, creating criminal penalties for election fraud, kickbacks and embezzlement.

Let's see what will happen at the next committee stop: Appropriations Subcommittee on Criminal and Civil Justice