Legislative Momentum for Condo/HOA Relief
Representative Bogdanoff Explains Amendments in CS/CS/HB 561 at Becker & Poliakoff's Leadership Seminar. Representative Sachs announces she will "continue to fight for fairness in foreclosures".
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Over 450 volunteer board members, professional community association managers and industry representatives listened intently to Representative Bogdanoff on Saturday at the Kravis Center during the Becker & Poliakoff Leadership Seminar. They were pleased to hear that CS/CS/HB 561 includes provisions that would:
- delay enforcement of code mandated elevator improvements (specifically ASME 17.1 and 17.3) in condominiums or cooperatives where the Certificate of Occupancy was issued on or prior to July 1, 2008, for five (5) years or until the elevator is replaced or requires major modification (whichever happens first);
- eliminate any requirement for condominiums or cooperatives that are less than four (4) stories and has exterior corridors to install a manual fire alarm as required by §9.6 of the Life Safety Code (as adopted by the Florida Fire Prevention Code);
- clarify that in a condominium association with more than 10 units, co-owners of a unit cannot serve on the board together unless they own more than one unit and are not co-occupants of a unit;
- require board members to certify (in writing) that they have read the laws and governing documents, will work to uphold the documents and policies and faithfully discharge their fiduciary responsibilities (or submit a certificate of satisfactory completion of approved educational curriculum), failing which they are automatically disqualified from service;
- allow high-rise condominium and cooperative associations to vote to completely avoid any obligation to retrofit the buildings with a fire sprinkler system or engineered life safety system and extend the deadline for others to 2019; and
- authorize bulk contracts for communication services, information services or internet services.
Stay tuned for more legislative updates direct from Tallahassee as these (and other) changes are likely to substantially impact community association operations.
In reference to the Public adjuster, I want to say this,Every rule has an exception, Brookers, Real Estates, Writters, Lawyers, Insurance Companies, etc,etc.
The personality goes with the job in every Industry.
I am a Public Adjuster, and every thing I see and heard,and read about Public Adjusters is not too good, why??
In my case,I do help the Policyholders the best I can agains the Insurance Company, they are suppose to protect them and help them, but not,they try to get the most out of the poor Policyholders, the Insurance Industry is hiring their own P.A's ( Independent) "gansters" to do their derty job for them. ( again, exist exceptions)
I say to those persons that express themselves so bat about the P.A's, to get out to the fild with some of them to educate themselves,you will be very surprised, the Insurance companies are the worse enemy the Insured have.
The reason why the Insured do better with a P.A is because the P.A' are much better educated and trained person, much better than the "Gansters the Insurance copanies use as their representatives,they are bad,really bad.
First thing they say to you when you ask too many questions, for the benefit of the Policyholders,is" I do not have a Contract with you, my Contrat is with the Policyholder" that is an offence, because you have a dully signed Retainer by the Home Owner,in which it say I am representing him/her.
They are bery offensives, and no education at all.
The mayority of the P.A's are educated persons, in my case, I am a retired General Contractor in florida for more than 30 years,and a retired business man, so what kind of history one of those hire by the Insurance Company will tell me?? in a fire, in a mold problem, a broken water, gas line, a collapsed sewage line, a real property damage, etc,?
WE know the busines, that is the diference, that is why we get the real fair amound of money to fix the Policyholder's property the same way it was before the peril ocurred, and not only that, we tell them what are their rights, the Insuranced copmpany never say that to them that is why the Insurance company do not like P.A's, we have wake up their Client.
I sugest you with all my respect to you, to please, educate yourself before bad mouth us, we are decent people, and like I have said, every rule have an exception.
Must of us speack three and four languajes, we can comunicate witht the Home owner in his languaje.
My advise to you is that if you have any damage to your property, call a P.A, never call the Insurance or their agent first, you will see the difference in every aspect.
Sincerely
Gerald F Guerra
RESPONSE: The post was not intended to be negative towards public adjusters (or any professionals). In fact, I thought it demonstrated that public adjusters were effective. The Firm encourages Associations (and individuals for that matter) to carefully scrutinize any contracts, especially those involving significant matters.
In regards to the authorization of bulk contracts for communication services, I am already seeing problems arising from board members who think this bill gives them free reign to install elective channels and charge unit owners as if it were a "package" deal; this would include various language channels and adult programming not to mention internet. Our building has voted down these proposals to which the Board of the Association basically ignored. If the majority of the unit owners vote against these proposed laws in their condo what is the point of voting if the laws are going to be usurped?
RESPONSE: Remains to be seen - you raise good points. We already get arguments about paying for cable from the owners that have Direct TV service - I saw newspaper articles about owners in other states complaining they have to pay for telephone service (when they only want cell service) and internet service (when their employers give the internet access). We're likely to see the same complaints if the statutes are amended to authorize bundled-bulk services.