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

Published January 24, 2007

We all remember the 2006 Florida legislative fight about Association House Bill 391.  From the beginning, this was an ill-advised association bill, pushed by CAI (Community Associations Institute) and CALL (Community Association Leadership Lobby), the lobbying group of the law firm of Becker & Poliakoff, P.A. 

In the end Governor Jeb Bush put an end to the argument, as requested by CCFJ, Inc. in the Open Letter: Please Veto Community Association Bill HB 391 . One of our main issues for requesting the Governor to veto the bill was (quote): "Postponing the time limit until 2025 for retrofitting the sprinkler system in high-rise condos (above 75 feet) is absolutely ridiculous. It unnecessarily endangers the elderly, the disabled, and the firefighters, who have a hard enough job anyway in these high-rises." 

Sprinkler systems are very important for the safety of condo dwellers, especially the elderly whose ability to run to safety may already be a little impaired by age!

Another glaring example of why high-rises should have sprinkler systems was a fire in the La Mer Condominium on State Road A1A in Hallandale Beach .  (See report: Fire-damaged Hallandale condo lacks sprinkler system .)  Quotes from the article underline the need for sprinkler systems (quote): "Fire officials said a sprinkler system would have mitigated the fire.”…''A sprinkler system would have kept this fire in check,'' said Hallandale Beach Fire Marshal Miguel Aleman. "We would never have seen something like this.''

Still unanswered question that many condo owners were asking last year when the attorney-lobbying group pushed that bill: "Why are CALL and CAI pushing this bill?”  Even if some board members with a personal agenda support these groups, it's still a puzzle what interest these attorneys may have to get involved in this argument? I don't think that these law firms, which are the pushing power behind CAI and CALL, suddenly discovered their social conscience by trying to save money for the condo owners -- already under financial siege by property taxes, property insurance and special assessments of their associations?

Or is there a more sinister agenda behind the fight against installation of sprinkler systems in high-rises?  Maybe they would rather see a bigger part of the association dues spent on legal fees?

We constantly hear about huge sums of association dues being wasted by mismanagement, embezzlement of association dues without prosecution of the guilty parties, ridiculous contracts signed because of kickbacks from vendors -- and plain ignorance of board members.

If these attorneys are so concerned about the financial welfare of the condo owners, why don't they finally join all the owners who are demanding enforcement of the laws and accountability of the people in charge?

Surely that would help the association finances, instead of trying to push the date to retrofit the sprinkler system in high-rise condos to 2025 -- a time when many of the current residents may not even be alive any more!