Nearly one year after the tragic collapse at the Champlain Towers South Condominium Association in Surfside, Fla., Community Associations Institute (CAI) announces that Florida state Senators Jason Pizzo (D-Miami-Dade County) and Jennifer Bradley (R-Orange Park) will discuss condominium safety initiatives during the 2022 CAI Annual Conference and Exposition: Community NOW on Thursday, May 5, 10–11 a.m., at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Fla.
CAI's annual event brings together more than 1,200 community association homeowners, professional managers, reserve and insurance professionals, and industry leaders from around the world.
Following the June 24 tragedy, all eyes were on Florida's 2022 legislature session to see how lawmakers would address condominium safety issues for the more than 9 million Floridians living and working in community associations. Sen. Pizzo, a former criminal attorney and assistant attorney general who was on-site at Champlain Towers following the tragedy, and Sen. Bradley, an attorney elected in 2020, carried the condominium safety bill in the Senate and will discuss next steps for legislative solutions.
Immediately following the collapse, CAI began working closely with state and federal lawmakers to introduce critical legislation that supports condominium safety for the millions of people who call these communities home. In October, CAI recommended changes to laws and best practices for the community association housing model that help communities and legislators better address building safety, building maintenance and structural integrity, and reserve studies and funding. The research and recommendations can be found in CAI's Condominium Safety Public Policy Report.
On Monday, CAI announced its support for new federal legislation introduced by U.S. Reps. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) called the Securing Access to Financing for Exterior Repairs (SAFER) in Condos Act (H.R. 7532). This legislation will make it easier for condominium owners to afford special assessments for structural and safety repairs. Owners would be able to obtain low-interest loans to fund repairs through programs guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
As condominium buildings age and deteriorate, the need for costly structural and safety repairs rises. These unexpected fees in the form of special assessments can place significant financial strain on owners, particularly seniors and those on fixed incomes. In the wake of the Champlain Towers collapse, it was revealed that the condominium association had approved a $15 million special assessment to cover the cost of repairs as required under Miami-Dade County's building recertification process.
>>Download CAI's Condominium Safety Public Policy Report.