Crist makes ceremonial stop, signs
bill to aid condo owners
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Article Courtesy of The Palm Beach Post By Samantha Frank Published June 26, 2010
Gov. Charlie Crist was on the photo op express today, signing the same bill three times in a two-hour period.
make
their own decisions about their associations," he said. The bill requires lenders to pay as much as a full year's worth in back fees when they take title to a property through foreclosure or deed in lieu of foreclosure. Previously lenders had to pay six months of assessments. It also gives associations the power to collect rent directly from tenants when the owners are not paying fees . Condo
associations now will have the power to punish non-paying owners or their
tenants by banning them from common areas, such as pools and clubhouses. It also
makes it easier for condo boards to opt out of expensive fire sprinkler, smoke
detector and elevator upgrades that must be completed by 2014. The
signing of the bill was a huge victory for the Coalition of Boynton West
Residential Associations and the Alliance of Delray Residential Associations.
The leaders of the two groups, which represent a total of about 180,000
residents, traveled to "(The
bill) has a lot of things in there that we've been trying to get for a
while," said Ken Lassiter, president of COBWRA. "This should help a
lot." He
said that COBWRA and the Delray Alliance helped to write a similar bill last
year, but the governor vetoed it, siding with fire marshals and others who said
the lack of sprinkler systems was a safety issue. Crist
also took the opportunity to assure residents that he is doing all he can to
help with the Gulf oil spill. He said that he spoke with officials at the White
House this morning about getting more oil skimmers to When
speaking of the $20 billion fund that BP has promised for Gulf oil spill claims,
Crist said, "I'm going to make sure COMMENT: This bill is actually called "The Condominium Attorney Relief ACT." It contains lots of feel-good measures that will create lots of lawsuits but will do nothing to solve the real problem: Budget deficits caused by unpaid dues/foreclosures. In case you are interest, here is the real information about the bill and what it will do: See: |