The Florida Legislature voted Tuesday to extend its special session on property insurance to take up legislation toughening inspection schedules and financial reserves for condo buildings inspired by the June 2021 building collapse that killed 98 people in Surfside in Miami-Dade County.
Both chambers agreed by voice vote to take up the matter, which the Legislature conspicuously failed to accomplish during its 60-day regular session earlier this year.
A House-Senate compromise bill (HB 5-D) would subject older condominium and cooperative buildings to routine inspections and end the ability of association boards to waive owner assessments needed to pay for repairs.
“The associations will no longer be able to waive the requirement of reserves which currently exist. That is the most important part of the bill for those of us in the House,” the House sponsor, Republican Danny Perez of Miami-Dade County, told reporters following that chamber’s vote.
“This is a win for us in the House and the Senate and for the governor, as well. But, most importantly, this is a win for the families of Surfside. I have real relationships with them, and what they went through is something that we never want to see again for any other family in Florida. And I think we accomplish that by, hopefully, passing this bill this week,” he said.
Florida Legislature about to pass a property insurance bill that has no guarantee of any savings and but many guarantees of stripping away the ability of consumers to hold their insurance companies accountable. Sad.
— Rep. Anna V. Eskamani 🔨 (@AnnaForFlorida) May 25, 2022
https://twitter.com/JesseKellyDC/status/1529136181102911488
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