Article
Courtesy of Florida Politics
By
Senator Dennis Baxley
Published March 18, 2021
Associations are keeping us safe, informed, employed,
connected and competitive.
Florida homeowners love the benefits of community associations. This has
been especially true during this pandemic. Neighborhoods in my district,
such as Spruce Creek, Stonecrest, and SummerGlenn, exemplify the unmatched
professionalism and care of Florida’s community associations.
Because Floridians have been confined to their homes for any number of
reasons — working, quarantining, or otherwise just staying home during this
pandemic, our homes and neighborhoods have turned into even more critical
hubs where safety, transparency, and planning can be the difference between
sickness and health, employment and unemployment.
Attracted by our low-tax economy and envy-of-the-world weather, Florida’s
population continues to expand at a rate of 1,000 new residents a day. As a
result, associations are now playing a more pivotal role to the success of
our state by keeping our housing costs low and home values increasing.
Associations are keeping us safe, informed, employed, connected and
competitive.
Against this backdrop, it is imperative that we modernize our community
association laws to include needed pandemic-related procedures and new
technologies.
And that’s why I introduced Senate Bill 630 with Sen. Travis Hutson and
House Bill 867 by Rep. Jason Shoaf.
This legislation will allow association boards to safely attend meetings
telephonically or by video communication like Zoom during a state of
emergency. It will also allow for emergency plans to mitigate any local
outbreaks.
The legislation will also increase transparency for everyone while improving
the efficiency of association functions. That means allowing mobile-friendly
platforms, mandating timely meeting notices, and posting of important
documents to keep our homeowners connected to the issues that matter to them
and their quality of life.
In keeping with our low-tax, low-cost approach, the bill reduces costs on
Florida homeowners by ensuring any new cost is paid by those who owe it, not
other homeowners.
Our Senate President Wilton Simpson and House Speaker Chris Sprowls have
made it very clear that our job is to keep Florida prosperous and growing.
That’s exactly what this legislation does.
When it comes to those who call a community association their home, Florida
leads the nation. More than half of Florida’s population lives in a
community association. That means either you or one of your family members
will be directly impacted by this bill.
I’m proud of this bill and honored to have the support of community
associations around this state and the industry of licensed managers who are
employed by those associations, Chief Executive Officers of Management
Companies. These associations and their managers have been true heroes and
allies during a dark time in our country.
Homeowners deserve this bill to pass in the 2021 Florida Legislative
Session.
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