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SB 154 – MAKE SERVICE PROVIDERS RICH!
By
Jan Bergemann
Published June 9, 2023
Well, if you read through the bill, you’ll find that there are
really all kinds of provisions that will make the so-called
service-providers rich – and the owners poor. The biggest piece
of the cake – the cake being the owners’ money – was given to
the members of the Community Association Institute (CAI)
-- the national trade-organization for the folks making big
bucks from community associations.
The “specialized” attorneys, who got pre-suit mediation
and definitely more juicy lawsuits caused by the wording of this
bill; the developers, who see lots of prior requirements deleted
by this bill; the structural engineers tasked with all kinds of
reports and not to forget to “reserve analysts” --
persons certified
as a reserve specialist or professional reserve analyst by the
Community Associations Institute.
All that will give the CAI more income so they can pay their
lobbyist Travis Moore, who is fighting owner-friendly
legislation in Tallahassee, even if he is telling reporters that
he is representing owners and community associations. And even
our legislators seem to be falling for that lie -- or are they
rather representing the industry and not their constituents?
We all know that self-regulation of professions doesn’t work –
see the Florida Bar. Allowing reserve specialists being
certified by the Community Association Institute is just another
“joke” in this bill. Don’t our legislators realize that they are
being taken for a ride by these lobbyists?
Let’s face it: This so-called revision of the CONDO SAFETY
BILL (SB-4D) is just a watered down version of the bill,
passed in last year’s special session, with changes to some
deadlines, keeping in – and adding – more perks for the service
providers, but failing to address the important issue of
financing all these new requirements? Who will be able to pay
for all these new requirements?
We already see much increased higher monthly payments and
special assessments popping up all over Florida in hi-rise
buildings of condo associations – and many families calling
these hi-rises their home will not be able to pay these ever
increasing monthly fees – or even the huge special assessments
they will be facing. That leaves these families with only two
options: Quickly sell – or face FORECLOSURE!
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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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