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ESTOPPEL CERTIFICATES -- FROM SIMPLE TO DIFFICULT!
By
Jan Bergemann
Published January 19, 2024
Well, when we discussed
SB 278 we always considered the simple bill filed by
Senator Jonathan Martin that plainly stated: NO FEES FOR
ESTOPPEL CERTIFICATES!
That has changed since yesterday’s committee hearing of the
Senate Committee on Fiscal Policy. Senator Martin filed an
amendment to his bill that was discussed and voted upon
favorably.
The language is pretty complicated – lots of legal mumbo-jumbo –
and allows again associations, CAMs and attorneys to charge fees
– with lots of restrictions and if’s and when’s.
But it seems the
industry is still very unhappy, according to the objections
their lobbyist raised at the committee hearing. You can see the
details and watch the video on our
SB 278 webpage.
But so far the House companion bill (HB
979) hasn’t had a committee hearing yet and the House
has often pretty different opinions than the Senate.
Let’s just see where this is all going.
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Jan Bergemann is president of Cyber Citizens For Justice,
Florida
's largest state-wide property owners' advocacy group.
CCFJ works on legislation to help owners living in
community
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associations. He moved to
Florida
in 1995 - hoping to retire. He moved into a HOA, where the
developer cheated the homeowners and used the association dues
for his own purposes. End of retirement!
CCFJ was born in the year 2000, when some owners met in
Tallahassee
- finding out that power is only in numbers. Bergemann was a
member of Governor Jeb Bush's HOA Task force in 2003/2004.
The organization has two websites to inform interested
Florida
homeowners and condo owners:
News Website: http://www.ccfj.net/.
Educational Website: http://www.ccfjfoundation.net/.
We think that only owners can really represent owners, since all
service providers surely have a different interest! We are
trying to create owner-friendly laws, but the best laws are
useless without enforcement. And enforcement is totally lacking
in
Florida
!
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