Condo associations must purchase windstorm insurance

Article Courtesy of The Sun Sentinel

By Daniel Vasquez

Published November 26, 2008

The standoff over whether to purchase windstorm insurance brewed for several years at Greenbriar Condominiums in Boca Raton.

Board member Walker Crewson argued that Florida law required the association to have it. But his fellow directors declined to purchase it because the association had invested heavily in storm-proofing the property and had windstorm coverage for the clubhouse.

They said Greenbriar's governing documents did not require windstorm insurance unless three-quarters of the 24 units voted in favor of it, and if Crewson was right, each owner would pay a lot more.

"It was hard. I didn't want to make enemies of my neighbors," said Crewson. On the other hand, if the condo did not have windstorm insurance, it could face up to $5,000 per violation. If the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation needed to enforce the order in court, there also could be court costs. Plus, in the end, the agency would require the association to obtain the insurance.

After years of debate, Crewson and another unit owner contacted the state. Here is what they learned:

1. Florida law requires all condo associations to buy windstorm insurance. And state law supersedes conflicting condo law. Crewson's fellow board members believed the association had met the law's intent by having other forms of insurance — flood, liability, etc. — and by having spent more than $200,000 on storm-proofing the building and units, including installing impact glass, wind-proof garage doors and strapping down rooftop air-conditioner equipment. But the DBPR, which oversees condo associations, let Greenbriar know it was indeed in violation.

Greenbriar, which lies on the west side of State Road A1A, now is in compliance, say directors.

2. There are no exceptions to the windstorm insurance requirement.

But associations may obtain insurance through a self-insurance fund or through a group policy as approved by the Office of Insurance Regulation, said a DBPR spokesperson.

"But the law is not fair," said Greenbriar vice president Arnold Cohen. "If a condo can prove it has storm-proofed its property, it should be able to decide for itself whether windstorm is needed."

Cohen says each unit owner was assessed approximately $8,300 to storm-proof the buildings and now must pay an additional $1,600 to cover higher insurance bills.

"This law is putting a lot of pressure on people who don't have that kind of money to shell out," said Dick Verro, president of Greenbriar.

Cohen and Verro want lawmakers to consider an opt-out provision for condos built or retrofitted to withstand a major hurricane.

It may be a tough sell.

"I don't think there is much appetite to change the law. Mitigation is no guarantee that you won't be damaged. And let's face it, if we get a Category 4 or 5 hurricane, there will be some damage," said State Rep. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale, whose office was called by Cohen for possible help.

Bogdanoff says the purpose of the law is to make sure unit owners are able to move back home as soon as possible after a destructive storm. "We also enacted legislation in 2007 to reduce windstorm insurance costs," she said.

3. Florida law requires all condo unit owners to insure their interiors.

Bogdanoff said that is likely to change in the 2009 legislative session because lawmakers' intent simply was to delineate what the association was responsible for. And that includes the exterior, up to the drywall.

"I have submitted the language to reverse the requirement for unit owners to purchase individual policies," she said.

However, Rep. Julio Robaina, R-Miami, who pushed for the mandate to be removed, warned "If you go bare like that, you should know that you will be responsible for everything inside your unit."


Daniel Vasquez can be reached at:

[email protected] or at 954-356-4558 (Broward) or 561-243-6686 (Palm Beach County). His condo column runs every Wednesday in the Local section and at www.sunsentinel.com/condos. You also can read his consumer column every Monday in Your Money and at www.sunsentinel.com/vasquez 

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