Florida Lawmakers Fail to Pass Condo Reform Bill After Deadly Surfside Condo Collapse

Florida lawmakers have promised a condo reform bill aimed at preventing another Surfside collapse tragedy. However, they failed to pass any new safety measures during the recent legislative session.

Rep. Daniel Perez was eyeing ordering condo associations to set aside cash for repairs. However, Sen. Jennifer Bradley said it could create financial burdens for condo owners, according to WFLA.

Martin Langesfeld, who lost his sister and brother-in-law in the collapse, said it just shows that in the state of Florida, money is more important than life. It has been less than a year since 98 people were killed in the Surfside condo collapse in South Florida.

Lawmakers have vowed to take up the issue again next session, with the executive director of the Florida Engineering Society, Allen Douglas, saying that the delay could cost lives. Douglas added that their concern was that many establishments out there are ready to fall now.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he was very receptive to seeing some reforms, adding that it has taken so long to review it. DeSantis acknowledged that it was an elaborate process.

Florida Condo Reform Bill After Deadly Surfside Condo Collapse

Florida lawmakers could not reach a common ground to address problems in Florida's troubled property-insurance market.

The House and Senate disagreed throughout the session about how far to go in making changes in the industry. The Senate was more aggressive in trying to bolster private insurers, according to Tallahassee Democrat.

The Senate proposed allowing up to two percent new deductibles on roof-damage claims. As an example, a homeowner with $300,000 in overall coverage could have faced a $6,000 deductible to replace a damaged roof.

However, the House rejected the idea, which would have led to increased out-of-pocket costs for homeowners who need to replace damaged roofs.

Perez said they came up with one goal in creating the bill, which was to pass legislation regarding condo reform that was "going to make a difference." Perez sponsored the Florida House version of the bill.

Both Senate and the House agreed upon requiring more safety inspections and transparency measures. But they could not agree more on the reserve issue.

Surfside Condo Collapse

On June 24, 2021, Champlain Towers South, a 12-story beachfront condominium in the Miami suburb of Surfside, Florida partially collapsed. Ninety-eight people died.

Rescuers had worked for days trying to find survivors under the rubble of the collapsed Surfside condo. But eventually, the mission shifted to recovery from finding surviving victims.

According to ABC News, a trail of documents that federal investigators pieced together for evidence noted that the 12-story, 136-unit oceanfront condo building had substantial concrete structural damage to its pool deck area and was overdue for repairs. The Surfside condo was built in 1981 in a neighborhood that sits just north of Miami.

Peter Dyga, the president and CEO of Associated Builders & Contractors, Florida East Coast Chapter, said the most common problems are weather intrusions, which could have been prevented with good quality solid weatherproofing and paint.

In 2018, the condo association hired Morabito Consultants, a structural engineering firm. The firm had estimated that the repairs would cost more than $9 million. However, those repairs were never completed.

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Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Surfside Condo Collapse: What We Know So Far - from Practical Engineering