Last week I posted an entry about attempts by some members of Florida’s legislature to eliminate the regulation of Community Association Managers as well as the Division of Florida Condominiums, Timeshares and Mobile Homes and (for good measure) end mandatory non-binding arbitration for certain disputes between owners and the associations governing their communities.
Proposed Committee Bill BCAS 11-01 moved quickly through the Business and Consumer Affairs Committee of Florida’s House of Representatives and was then assigned a bill number, becoming House Bill (HB) 5005. According to reports from Tallahassee, HB 5005 was being "fast tracked" and was destined to breeze through one or two other House committees. There was concern that HB 5005 would then join up with a companion Senate Bill and would be voted on and approved by both the House and the Senate before many of those most affected by this legislation would have been made aware of what was occurring in Florida’s capital.
However, during the past week, HB 5005 somehow jumped off that "fast track". Apparently, HB 5005 entered the Economic Affairs Committee of Florida’s House of Representatives as a 280 plus page juggernaut and exited that committee as a much less imposing 63 page piece of legislation.
Substitute HB 5005 preserves the Division of Florida Condominiums, Timeshares and Mobile Homes as well as the mandatory non-binding arbitration program and maintains the laws providing for the regulation and licensing of Community Association Managers.
I would assume that our legislators heard from more than a few organizations over the past week or so (including the Federation of Mobile Home Owners and the Community Associations Institute). I also have no doubt that a noticeable segment of the over three million residents of Florida ROCs made their feelings known to our representatives in Tallahassee.
At least for now, HB 5005 is no longer a bitter pill for resident owned communities in Florida to swallow.