PALM BEACH COUNTY — Lake Clarke Gardens condominium residents reached out to WPTV worried that expensive condominium assessment fees may be too much for them to afford.

"It's a dream to live here. It's very nice, very quiet but lately, we're all really worried about the situation," resident Arturo Duharte said.

Located near Lake Worth Beach, the community is for seniors age 55 and older, many of who are on a fixed income.

"What worries me is if fees keep going up, I won't be able to hang on," Duharte said. "I barely make it by with retirement." Duharte said his fees have nearly doubled as his condo complies with state assessment deadlines. "How will that impact you?" asked WPTV reporter Joel Lopez. "I can't pay that, I have to leave, [live on] the streets, sleep in the car," Duharte said. "I don't know what I'll do." Gladys Sivilla said her fees have also doubled and is planning on moving in with her son by the end of the year. "I've been living here for 23 years. At my age? When I think I think I'm here forever? And now this?" Sivilla said. "To the people who don't have family, they'll have to go to the street!"

Arturo Duharte is among the residents fearful that he may be homeless because of the surge in condo fees.

 

WPTV reached out to Lake Clarke Gardens for comment but did not hear back. We took the residents' concerns to Palm Beach County Commissioner Michael Barnett.

"We can't take a tragedy that happened in Surfside and turn it into a major tragedy for thousands of condo owners in Palm Beach County and across the state," Barnett said.

"Have you heard from [Gov. Ron] DeSantis throughout all this?" asked Lopez.

"I've heard from his office. I've talked to his staff, and they're aware of the situation," Barnett said.

Barnett drafted a letter that he's been sending to thousands of condominium owners, along with a petition for them to sign. He is pushing the Florida Legislature to convene an immediate special session to address the special assessments on condos.

"We're not going to take no for an answer. These condo owners are under the gun. They need more time," Barnett said. "We understand these assessments need to be performed. They're expensive. They need to be paid."

He said Palm Beach County commissioners are looking into creating loans to help condo owners facing a financial crisis.

"If we can help our residents who are hurting right now and avoid an even bigger homeless crisis when thousands of seniors are kicked out of their homes, God forbid," Barnett said. "If we can do something to stop that, we should try everything we can at the county level.

Barnett plans to visit Lake Clarke Gardens next week.