State Rep. Vicki Lopez on why changes were needed to condo reform laws following Surfside collapse
Condo reform
After the Champlain Towers collapsed in 2021, killing 98 people in Surfside, the Florida legislature passed some of the strictest rules anywhere in the country to make sure buildings were being inspected, structural tests were done and repairs would be made. The costs passed on to condo owners has left many facing the loss of their homes. This week, the legislature passed measures to ease some of that financial burden. Jim talks to the state representative from Miami-Dade who led the charge in the state House for condo reform.
Guest: State Rep. Vicki Lopez/R-Miami-Dade
About the issue
A new condo safety bill looks to shore up safety, but it comes at a cost.
A Florida House panel has advanced legislation that allows condo boards to borrow money without member consent.
CBS News Miami reviewed the bill and spoke to condo owners dealing with the fallout from state reforms since the Surfside collapse.
"Assessments have been tough to handle," shared Brickell condo owner Julian Donado.
Donado told CBS News Miami he never imagined paying so much to live in Brickell by the Bay when he purchased his condo in 2019.
"I did the math at the time," explained Donado. "My mortgage was actually going to be cheaper. Now, not by a long shot, a lot more expensive."
And now, a new financial cliff could await him and others.
House Bill 913, approved unanimously by a panel Tuesday in Tallahassee, allows condo boards to get loans without the approval of their wider association membership. The bill specifies that boards can "levy special assessments to obtain a loan for necessary maintenance, repair... as required by the milestone inspection report" and structural reserve requirements. It allows associations a new path to meet state mandates put in place after the Champlain Towers South collapsed in 2021.
A recent study by the Miami Association of Realtors found that only 44% of condo buildings in Miami-Dade County and 41% in Broward County have completed their required reserve studies, which had to be done by the beginning of this year.
Miami State Rep. Vicki Lopez sponsored the bill and had this to say on Tuesday.
"It won't be the last," shared Lopez on Tuesday. "I did not come to the Florida House to be affectionately known as the 'Condo Queen,' but I'm here, and I'm committed to doing the work."
Condo owners told CBS News Miami they're trying to keep up with the changing laws and the cost that comes with it.
