2018 LEGISLATIVE SESSION

By Jan Bergemann

Published January 26, 2017

 

This year’s legislative session started already in the second week of January – it’s election year. And the way I see it: The legislators are more interested in posturing for their election campaigns than passing meaningful legislation.

 

Quite a few bills have been filed trying to change provisions in FS 718 (Condo Act) and FS 720 (HOA Act). Some bills are good – others are outright bad. See: PRIORITY BILLS on the CCFJ website.

 

Moraitis again filed an anti-owner bill (HB 841) – like every year in the past. He is a poster-child why we really need term-limits. This is his last year – he will be out by term-limits! Thank god for small favors! And since his district is surrounded by Dems there is no chance for him to run for the Senate!

 

The legislative session in Florida only lasts 60 days – much too short to create and enact really meaningful bills. There is no time for discussions or changing the wording of bills, because any stop during committee hearings can mean the end for the bill. Most bills will carry this note after the session ends: “Died In Committee!”

 

Not because the bill was good or bad – it’s just because the legislature ran out of time dealing with the bill.

 

We will see what happens this year? I will know more next week after my visit to Tallahassee and talking to some of the legislators involved in Condo and HOA legislation. I will see what we can do to push some of the better bills through the legislature!

WISH ME LUCK!


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Jan Bergemann Jan Bergemann is president of Cyber Citizens For Justice, Florida 's largest state-wide property owners' advocacy group. CCFJ works on legislation to help owners living in community  

associations. He moved to Florida in 1995 - hoping to retire. He moved into a HOA, where the developer cheated the homeowners and used the association dues for his own purposes. End of retirement!

 

CCFJ was born in the year 2000, when some owners met in Tallahassee - finding out that power is only in numbers. Bergemann was a member of Governor Jeb Bush's HOA Task force in 2003/2004.

 

The organization has two websites to inform interested Florida homeowners and condo owners:

News Website: http://www.ccfj.net/.

Educational Website: http://www.ccfjfoundation.net/.

   
We think that only owners can really represent owners, since all service providers surely have a different interest! We are trying to create owner-friendly laws, but the best laws are useless without enforcement. And enforcement is totally lacking in Florida !


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