Article Courtesy of Florida Today

By Senator Debbie Mayfield

Published January 23, 2017

The Florida Legislature was warned in 2008: a handful of condominium associations weren't protecting owners adequately enough. The result was reported as "fraud, mismanagement, and conflicts of interest." But that wasn't enough to get the Florida Legislature to act.

Eight years later, a Miami-Dade grand jury was more direct, saying the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation was "ill-suited to resolve, correct, or prevent many of the recurring problems that have been brought to their attention."

That got a lot of attention, and rightfully so.

The reforms passed by the Florida Legislature following that report cracked down on most of the handful of bad actors in the condominium management business.

Homeowners are now better protected than ever.

However, we can't be complacent. We need to keep working to improve legal protections for homeowners. That includes cleaning up some of the additional loose ends, mistakes, and inefficiencies in the reform package passed by the Florida Legislature during this crisis.

That's why I've filed Senate Bill 1530, the "Condo Cleanup Act of 2018," to make the law work better statewide and reduce the law’s potential to add costs for the vast majority of associations who have always treated homeowners fairly — costs that shouldn’t have to be unfairly passed on to homeowners.

This bill would give condominium associations the legal clarity and direction they need to fully comply with the law, serve homeowners most efficiently and protect homes — often a person’s most valuable asset. Passing this legislation would also benefit our economy by reducing homeowner fees and encouraging more homeowners to get involved in association boards — a great way to stay involved in your community.

Homeowners who live in associations pay these fees and assessments to maintain their communities and protect their property values, which, in turn, helps all Floridians.

More than 9 million Floridians live in a community association, with many of those associations highly concentrated in South Florida. Florida's community associations also already pay more than $10 billion in voluntary fees and assessments for services that would otherwise be passed along to local government taxpayers. It makes sense that we should do everything we can to keep the cost of living affordable for those who live in a community association.

The “Condo Cleanup Act of 2018” would reduce added costs to homeowners by reducing redundant legal fees; protect volunteer board members; and clarify the modernization of condominium association websites. It would also protect the reforms targeting bad actors while reducing costs and red tape.

The reforms we passed previously were smart. But we can't wait another eight years to keep this legislation updated and protect homeowners.

That's why I'm encouraging condominium association members and taxpayers to talk to their local representatives and senators and ask them to support Senate Bill 1530.

State Sen. Debbie Mayfield, R-Melbourne, represents Brevard and Indian River counties.

SENATE BILL SB 1530