Florida HOA Lawyer Blog
An article authored by firm partner Eduardo J. Valdes is featured in the op-ed “Opinions” page of today’s South Florida Sun Sentinel. The article, which is titled “Post-Surfside, condo associations must be proactive with change | Opinion,” focuses on the impact that the horrific tragedy of the Champlain Towers South collapse has had on the condominium associations for similar towers nationwide and their boards of directors. Eduardo notes that in addition to the shared grief and remorse with the families and friends of all the victims, many condo owners across the country are now raising questions about their own buildings’ structural safety and financial health, and some have also begun to feel more concerned about the funding of reserve accounts for major repairs and replacement projects. His article reads:
. . . All buildings deteriorate over time, so associations should always set aside funding on an ongoing basis to mitigate and remediate any structural elements that require attention.
As they begin reassessing their associations’ commitments, condominium boards of directors will generally try to avoid special assessments demanding additional funds from all the unit owners. They will need to consult with legal, financial, engineering and insurance professionals to strike a balance between the funding of reserves and the use of special assessments when they become necessary from a life-safety standpoint.
Condominium association directors and unit-owner members would also be well advised to come to terms with the new reality that future buyers will now have many more questions and concerns than in the past about the financial health of the association and current state of the actual property from the ground up. Some will surely request that sellers provide them with the minutes from prior board meetings, information on any past or planned special assessments, the status of renovation and remediation projects, past changes to the monthly assessments over the years, the findings of past reserve studies, and the status of current reserve funding. They are also now more likely to conduct a thorough visual inspection of the entire property prior to making a written offer.
As of March 29, 
Homeowner Bob Lapp notes that he and other homeowners have been racking up damages around their homes, but they don’t want to fix everything until they know it won’t happen again. “The hard part is the fact that you could spend $1,000 today and wake up tomorrow morning and it would be all over again,” agrees Pape.
It makes sense for associations to regulate and restrict businesses from operating within their communities, especially for commercial activities that entail increased traffic and noise, but the upsurge in working from home in the new post-pandemic normal calls for HOAs and condominium associations to take a prudent approach that is guided by reason. Today’s technology allows for a great deal of work to be done from home with no disruptions whatsoever to the community at large. Rather than attempting to ban all commercial activities in a community, the better option is to specifically delineate in the governing documents the types of activities that are not allowed.
Rosenthal had it installed as part of his new driveway project in 2017 without obtaining the HOA’s prior approval, and he was subsequently fined $1,000 and lost his usage rights to the community’s amenities, which include tennis courts and a fitness center.