PREVIEW LEGISLATIVE SESSION 2024
By
Jan Bergemann
Published December 8, 2023
The 2024 Legislative Session starts on January 9, 2024 and ends
on March 9, 2024 – SINE DIE!
So far just a few community association bills (See:
Priority Bills 2024) have been filed, the more
interesting ones are still in bill-writing according to the
sponsors of the bills. We will definitely see serious changes to
community association and property insurance statutes. It looks
like our legislators have realized that their latest changes are
driving families out of their homes or into bankruptcy and
foreclosure.
According to Senator Jennifer Bradley a community association
bill is in the making, with financial relief, more serious
enforcement and punishment for violators. Hopefully our
legislators have realized that the arguments of the “industry” –
claiming that there will be no volunteers for board members if
punishment is in the books – are total nonsense. Are we not
going shopping anymore because retail theft is a crime – minimum
here in Florida?
Crime will be minimized if criminals are being punished, not
just receiving a slap on the wrist, being told “not to do it
again”.
Keep one thing in mind: It’s ELECTION YEAR – and
legislators want to please the voters, not just the few folks
who are profiting from unregulated community associations. The
numbers are on our side – let’s use it! Contact your legislators
and tell them what’s on your mind in regards to bills being
enacted – with provisions that are owner-friendly and strict
enforcement by a government agency and law enforcement!
|
|
|
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
|
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
!
|