Let’s face it: Florida’s community associations desperately need a regulatory agency, but one that really does the job and is willing to enforce laws and rules – not one like the Division of Florida Condominiums, Timeshares, and Mobile Homes that is of absolutely no real help to owners and obviously only serves the purpose of supplying its employees with a paycheck.

The latest “MIAMI/DADE” GRAND JURY REPORT is making it abundantly clear that the “enforcement” provided by the Division is more or less non-existing and provides the owners with more or less no protection against abuses, scams and financial malfeasance.

There is nothing really new in this latest Grand Jury Report. Prior committees investigating Florida’s community association life have already stated that the Division is not doing its job and is using “stupid” excuses for ignoring the obvious.

Reading the comments of the blog readers there seem to be some issues regarding the financing of the Division.

Our government collects about $10 million annually from condo owners and other parties in community associations. This money is supposed to go into the CONDO TRUST FUND and is earmarked for the financing of the Division. But as usual in Tallahassee only some part of the money is used for the purpose intended, a lot of the money is misused by our legislators for their little pet-projects.

With $10 million a year you could finance a well-functioning regulatory agency – no doubt about it! And if you would put Homeowners’ Associations under the umbrella of the Division it would add another $10 million to the coffers financing a Regulatory Agency. But the money has to be used for the purpose intended – not “disappear” into the general tax fund.

Life in Florida’s community associations is bad enough. The stories about scams, embezzlement, abuses and other financial mischief are piling up daily – and so far nobody stands up for all the owners of property in Florida’s community associations.