Florida condos are adapting to new normal. Lenders and insurers need to catch up | Opinion

Condos adapt

Recent media coverage highlights challenges in Florida’s condo market, but the bigger picture is more balanced. The most pressing issues, declining property values and affordability, stem largely from two factors: limited access to federal mortgage lending and soaring insurance premiums.

After the 2021 Surfside tragedy, Florida adopted essential new laws to improve building safety and financial planning. These reforms protect residents and preserve property values. While the transition has been difficult for some older buildings, most of Florida’s nearly 50,000 condominium communities remain well-governed and proactive.

Insurance premium hikes, driven by storm risk and market shifts, are a major cause of rising fees. Policymakers must act to stabilize the insurance market. Meanwhile, overly restrictive mortgage rules from Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and FHA are preventing buyers from securing loans in otherwise sound communities.

Across the state, condo associations are rising to the challenge, conducting inspections, completing reserve studies and investing in long-term maintenance. These are not communities in crisis, they are adapting with purpose, planning responsibly and prioritizing safety. Lending and insurance policies must reflect this progress.

Dawn M. Bauman,

chief strategy officer,

Community Association Institute,

executive director,

Foundation for Community Association Research,

Alexandria, VA

Damage done

Re: the Miami Herald’s June 9 editorial, “Two Miami Republicans call out Trump’s inhumanity on immigration. Will others follow?”

Just a few words for State Sen. Ileana Garcia and her fellow Trump supporters, U.S. Reps. Maria Salazar, Carlos Gimenez and Mario Diaz Balart: too little, too late.

Now they are heartbroken and disappointed?

A saying in Spanish translates to the effect of, “people have the government they deserve.” Let that sink in for all those who voted for Donald Trump.

Josie Oteiza,

Miami

Reverse SNAP cuts

Re: the June 2 editorial, “SNAP cuts hurt South Florida: Food insecurity rises.” The decision to cut nearly $300 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program over the next decade is not for economic strategy; it is a direct attack on the lives of America’s most vulnerable populations. As a social work student, I am familiar with the toll that food insecurity takes on our elderly, disabled and low-income residents.

In Cutler Bay, a 79-year-old woman survives on a modest $940 Social Security check and receives just $100 in SNAP benefits monthly. Even with this meager assistance, she constantly has to choose between nutrition and other basic needs. Her 86-year-old neighbor has removed meat entirely from his diet — not by choice, but because rising prices have made it unaffordable. This is not how we should be treating people who have spent their lives contributing to our communities.

The proposed federal cuts will worsen an already precarious situation. Florida is anticipating a $2.8 billion deficit next year, with projections ballooning to nearly $7 billion by 2027. Shifting an estimated $1.6 billion in SNAP costs to state budgets by 2028, as the new policy mandates, is fiscally irresponsible and politically shortsighted. Our state legislature, unable to agree on the 2025-26 budget as of this writing, is in no position to absorb this financial burden without serious consequences.

Perhaps most troubling is the motive behind these cuts: financing tax breaks for wealthy Americans. This is a stunning inversion of values. At a time when basic human needs are being sidelined, prioritizing corporate tax cuts over food for children and seniors is indefensible. Our nation should be focused on lifting people up, not pushing them further into poverty.

I urge our elected officials to reverse course. Access to food is not a privilege; it is a human right. If we abandon our duty to care for those in need, we compromise the strength, health and future of our communities.

Kimara Thomas,

Sandler School of Social Work,

Florida Atlantic University,

Boca Raton

Troops unnecessary

What we’ve witnessed in Los Angeles is not just civil unrest — it’s a test of American democracy. The federal deployment of troops and militarized policing in response to protests over immigration raids reveals a dangerous shift in how dissent is being handled in our country.

I was raised in a small Southern town. I’m also an educator of young adults with special needs. I’ve seen what happens when government overreach silences local voices. The use of force against U.S. citizens, many peacefully demonstrating, violates the very principles we teach our students: justice, accountability and freedom of speech.

California’s leaders never requested troops. President Trump’s decision to send them anyway not only undermines state sovereignty, it opens the door to authoritarian behavior under the guise of “order.” Protests are an American tradition, not a threat. If we ignore that truth, we risk losing the democracy we claim to protect.

California is a sovereign state and its governor and Los Angeles officials are capable of protecting their citizens.

Wade Boyles-Hays,

Lighthouse Point

Call the Guard

Now that President Trump has deployed National Guard troops to Los Angeles — on his own, without waiting for a request from California’s governor or Los Angeles’ mayor — we know that he could have sent National Guard troops to Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021, without waiting for a request from U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi or the mayor of D.C.

Through his hypocrisy, Trump has revealed that insurrection is only acceptable when it serves his political ambitions.

David Frank DeLuca,

Palm Bay

Following orders

When I served on active duty in the Air Force Reserve, one powerful lesson was included in the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ): enlisted and officers are required to refuse to follow unconstitutional or unlawful orders.

So why are U.S. Marines in Los Angeles? Why are commanders participating in a birthday parade that will tear up the streets of our nation’s capital and possibly cause civil unrest?

While the president is considered a civilian, his unlawful orders to the military should not be followed; military chiefs are breaking the UCMJ. The president has also thumbed his nose at Supreme Court orders.

Why hasn’t he been arrested and impeached? Why are we allowing conduct that all consider unlawful?

Congress and military commanders are breaking the law by carrying out unconstitutional executive orders. They should not only be fired but also prosecuted.

Who has the guts to tell the king he has no clothes?

Mark Zientz,

Miami

Dining destination?

I enjoyed the June 11 story, “Not a culinary wasteland,” but I was sorry it focused only on upscale restaurants.

Last year, in an essay on Florida for “The American Scholar,” I wrote about the differences between Miami-Dade and Broward and made the heretical claim that Broward is the more ethnically diverse county.

One example I gave: “Miamians were famous for never crossing the county line, but foodies drove north for our Korean and Vietnamese restaurants.”

Thomas Swick,

Fort Lauderdale

Panthers fan

As a former sports writer for the Boston Herald, a life-long hockey nut and a fan of Florida Panthers right wing Brad Marchand, what the Panthers and Brad are doing is a miracle drug for an 89-year-old. The Panthers are playing like the old Bad Bruins used to do — tough, in-your-face — and we can score, too. Marchand deserves another Cup ring.

I love Matthew Tkachuk’s tough style — must have learned it from his dad, Keith, who I saw play high school hockey and followed his pro career (he scored more than 500 goals).

Jim Somma,

Kittery, ME