Gov. DeSantis steps up push for special session on Florida condo crisis
PINELLAS PARK, Fla. - For the second time in a week, Gov. Ron DeSantis held a roundtable in Pinellas Park to pressure the Florida Legislature to hold a special session to help condo owners who are facing rising assessment fees.
"Nobody wants to hire me at 72, so I can make a little extra income to keep up with this," said Ronni Drimmer, who is facing a $7.000 assessment at her 40-year-old condo. "I just want to be able to help these people because they're calling me on the phone going, ‘I was going to retire. How am I going to retire?’"
The governor is holding the meetings in hopes of leaning on legislative leaders to rally support for a bevy of potential fixes and call a special session.
PREVIOUS: No plans for special session in Tallahassee to address Florida's 'condo crisis'
He signed the law that is causing the new pressure on condo owners, but says it was well-intentioned, aimed at stopping another tragedy like the Surfside condo collapse in 2021, which killed 98 people.
"I've made it clear we're not going to, we're not going to punt this till next year," he said. "That's not going to happen."
The governor is floating ideas like creating a zero or low-interest loan program, and to allow inspectors to prioritize imminent repairs.
Legislative leaders have resisted, saying fixes can be made during the committee process at the end of the year, and then passed this spring.
This is a rare case where a rank-and-file Democratic representative agrees with the governor. State Rep. Anna Eskamani of Orlando also wants a session now.
"I just feel like not only are lawmakers very focused on the campaign trail, but as folks might know, when we are in session, we cannot fundraise." she said. "And I think a lot of my colleagues don't want to pause their fundraising operations right now."
But there is agreement among leaders that the Surfside collapse has sadly highlighted condo boards that have spent years avoiding making major fixes and not building cash reserves for the long haul.
Laws have been changed by now, but it's too late for those getting five-figure bills.
"They should have had more cash reserves," said DeSantis. "That's just, that's just a fact. But we are where we are, and we want to make sure that we're doing right by the people of Florida."
RELATED: Hundreds of Tampa Bay area condo buildings face looming inspection deadline
The Senate president's office said Thursday they have nothing new to add to their previous comments.
The governor also criticized the federal government for the length of time it is taking to complete their definitive report on why the collapse happened. He says those answers will be critical in forming new safety rules.
The National Institute of Standards says this has been one of their most complicated investigations and has required the completion of more than 1,000 tests.
They also say the information has largely been gathered, and that the writing process is about to begin.
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