Aerial photo of a sunrise over Sunny Isles Beach.

Condominium Conundrum

By Dana Goldman, Vice Mayor

(Wednesday, March 29, 2017) – From the beginning of my involvement with the City as a volunteer with the Citizens Advisory Board and now as your Vice Mayor, I often meet with condominium unit owners and listen to their challenges they express about their condominiums. These concerns are taken seriously by me and my colleagues on the City Commission.

The Florida Condominium Act, and its interpretative regulations, prohibit city officials from regulating the affairs of condominium associations. Therefore, as elected officials we can serve as a sounding board and referral source, but we lack the enforcement capability to solve our condominium dwellers’ more vexing problems. Borne of frustration, catalyzed by intense media scrutiny and now with the recently filed Final Report of the Miami-Dade County Grand Jury in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit, titled “Addressing Condo Owners’ Plea for Help: Recommendations for Action” by State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, I have been speaking with our local legislators about what our City can do to help.

On March 3, 2017, our Commission met with State Senator Rene Garcia to discuss his proposed legislation for the current session, which will enhance the State’s enforcement capability, impose criminal sanctions for rogue activities, ensure greater transparency, create term limits for board members, and address conflicts of interest, self-dealing and elections issues. We could be on the verge of meaningful change! Stay tuned for our Commission’s effort to support legislation that enhances condominium unit owners’ rights and interests in Tallahassee.

If you would like a copy of the Grand Jury Report or Senator Garcia’s bill, please email me at dgoldman@sibfl.net or contact me at 305-792-1753.