The world watched in horror on on June 24, 2021 as the Surfside condominium tower collapsed as an estimated 1000 men, women and children lost their lives. The world is still trying to come to terms with exactly what happened and what led to the tragedy.  There have been many theories as the what caused the collapse.  There  is evidence that the condo neglected to perform the necessary repairs and to keep the building in good repair.  It is also alleged that the condo was underfunded.  In an effort to prevent a repeat of such a tragedy, legislators, advocates and others with an interest in ensuring that this does not happen again, Several pieces of legislation was written and presented for consideration.  Sadly, despite all the work and the obvious need for some remedies NOTHING was done by the legislators in this session.  Floridians got back with no additional protections thanks.

Jan Bergemann, founder of the very active Florida based Cyber Citizens for Justice joins us On The Commons and explains exactly what happened.  I hope the world is still listening because our legislators really do need to step up and make sure their citizens are protected.  Please tune in.  We will be following this story.

The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry, or so the saying goes.   When over half of all marriages end in divorce, and the two people in that relationship choose each other and opted to live together what makes anyone think any plan that puts a group of strangers together and expects them to live harmoniously will work flawlessly?  Not surprisingly, it really doesn’t.  The whole concept of mandatory membership homeowners associations is flawed yet we still try to fit all the pieces together and make it all work.  It just doesn’t work.  I have news for you, I don’t think it ever will.

The real reason HOAs were conceived, was to provide local municipal governments with free tax dollars.    And as free tax dollars to the local government, it works brilliantly.  All homeowners pay property taxes to the local municipality.  Those tax dollars were initially intended to cover the cost of street lights, trash removal, street maintenance, and snow removal where needed, however, where there are associations of any kind, the owners pay an additional fee to the association to cover the cost of these services so the owners are double taxed.  The municipality just gets richer, the homeowners foot the bill.   and apparently peace and quiet and pure joy are still a fantasy.

Jan Bergeman, President, and founder of the Florida-based CyberCitizens for Justice, a frequent guest, a staunch and active advocate for owners, joins us On The Commons.  Jan brings us up to date on the latest news of the tragic condo collapse.  We will learn about new regulations that would ensure there will be no repeat performances.  And for those of you asking about an ombudsman, the idea is not off the table and we will hopefully learn more in a follow-up show as well.  But don’t miss this show, there is a lot of good information here.  Thanks for tuning in.