DeSantis parachutes into a rival’s Miami district to call for financial condo relief
Locked in an increasingly acrimonious tit-for-tat with Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez, Gov. Ron DeSantis parachuted into the Miami lawmaker’s backyard on Thursday and hit his Republican rival where he is potentially most vulnerable: over the rising cost of condominium living.
DeSantis, speaking in a press conference in the blue-collar city of Sweetwater, accused the Republican-controlled House of Representatives not only of refusing to fix unintended financial consequences of a 2022 law to make condo buildings safer, but also of potentially making the situation worse by pushing new, harsher legislation that “favors developers.”
“I don’t know what has gotten into the Florida House of Representatives,” DeSantis said.
At issue are the requirements of the law Perez championed in 2022 following the partial-collapse of the Champlain Towers South in Surfside, which killed 98. The law, which DeSantis signed, required homeowners associations to fully fund repairs and replacements for a litany of assets like roofs and windows by the time the existing amenities have outlived their usefulness — leaving some associations staring down massive bills.
The governor has long wanted to roll back some of the provisions in the condominium-safety law that he now says are unnecessary and are contributing to a brewing financial crisis. He has called several times over the last year for the Legislature to convene a special session to change the law in a way that would provide financial relief for condo owners.
On Thursday, DeSantis teed off on the latest condo bill making its way through the Florida House. The legislation makes it easier for condominium owners to terminate their governing associations and sell to a developer, withholds state-run Citizens property insurance from associations that fail to meet certain requirements of the law, and allows condo association boards to levy financial assessments or obtain a loan to pay for buildings repairs and maintenance without member approval.
“Largely, the House’s condo bill seems to be something that favors developers and puts the interests of developers over the interests of Florida residents,” DeSantis said at the press conference. “That is unacceptable.”
Politically, it was a two-for-one. The House bill sponsor, Rep. Vicki Lopez, is also a Miami Republican and one of Perez’s top lieutenants in the House. Lopez has been scrutinizing spending under the DeSantis administration. And she’s questioned whether Hope Florida, a key initiative of the first lady, is duplicating state services.
Perez has defended the 2022 law as a measure necessary to save lives and argued that the condo associations facing precarious financial situations are in a predicament because they didn’t adequately save money necessary for important repairs to their buildings. He responded to the governor Thursday in a statement issued through a spokeswoman to the Herald/Times.
“It seems on the surface that the governor’s desire is to have a taxpayer funded bailout of condo associations who haven’t responsibly maintained their property,” Perez said. “We’ve long had a plan to produce a bill out of this session that will balance property rights, owner relief and building safety.”
DeSantis’ appearance in Perez’s district on Thursday comes one day after House Republicans tore into some of his administration’s senior officials over the operations and financing of Hope Florida, a key program spearheaded by first lady Casey DeSantis, who is mulling a 2026 run for governor.
Perez and other House Republicans questioned whether a state settlement that sent $10 million to the charity created to fund the first lady’s program was illegal.
The governor and House Republicans have also sparred over a number of issues, including tax relief and the governor’s hands-on attitude with university presidential posts.
On condos, DeSantis addressed an issue the Herald/Times recently uncovered in an investigation regarding the law Perez has championed: seniors who are living on a fixed income in older condominium buildings that are common in Miami are under threat of being displaced.
“Why are we even entertaining a situation where people are going to be put in that awful predicament?” DeSantis said.
He added: “They are being put in this predicament because of legislation that was passed.”
Herald/Times reporter Ana Ceballos contributed to this report.