TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida lawmakers gave final approval Wednesday to a bill aimed at reforming a condominium safety law passed in 2022 in the wake of the partial collapse of Champlain Towers South, which killed 98 people in Surfside in June 2021.
Condo owners have been facing higher costs because of the 2022 law, which requires condo associations to have sufficient reserves to cover major repairs and to conduct a survey of reserves every decade.
Sponsors of this year's bill said further changes were needed to allow for more flexibility and to lessen the burden of new costs shouldered by residents, while ensuring protections remain in place to prevent another potential collapse.
''Without moving one step backwards on safety, this bill provides options, flexibility, and relief so condo owners and associations can prioritize the most important repairs first,'' said Republican state Sen. Jennifer Bradley, a sponsor of the bill.
Residents and attorneys say regulations prior to 2022 allowed condo associations to keep fees low by failing to save money for future repairs, only to hit residents with steep special assessments when repairs couldn't be put off any longer. The mounting cost of funding deferred maintenance and building up reserves has strained residents in the condo haven of South Florida, especially retirees and those living on fixed incomes.
In Hallandale Beach, condo owner Kelli Roiter sympathizes with people having trouble paying the higher fees, but said she supports rules requiring associations maintain reserves for needed repairs.
Her building was built in 1971 and sits a few miles from Champlain Towers South.
''I'm concerned that this building will collapse,'' Roiter told The Associated Press in December. ''There are nights I wake up hearing a creak, and I jump. And then I remind myself that, no, no, no, we're safe. But am I safe?''
