Across Miami-Dade County, home to hundreds of thousands of condo owners, monthly association fees are climbing past what many can afford, and for seniors and residents on fixed incomes, the math simply doesn't work anymore. That's why Rob Piper, Democratic candidate for Miami-Dade County Commissioner in District 5, which includes large concentrations of condo owners in Downtown Miami, Brickell, and Miami Beach, is standing firmly with the Miami-Dade Democratic Party's newly adopted resolution to improve the current implementation of Florida's condominium inspection and reserve funding laws (HB 913/SB 154).
"In my talks with condo owners in Brickell and on the Beach, the story is always the same, people who worked their whole lives to own their home are now being priced out of it by assessments they never saw coming," said Piper. "We all want safe buildings. Nobody is arguing against that. But safety and affordability can't be treated as opposites, and Tallahassee has given a string of laws that disproportionately punish everyday owners without sufficiently targeting the buildings that actually need work."
Piper is drawing a sharp contrast with his opponent in the District 5 race, Republican Vicki Lopez, who as a state representative sponsored HB 913 and voted for it in the Florida House. "My opponent managed to secure bipartisan support for this bill, but it falls short of building in real relief for the people of County District 5," Piper said. "Residents now have sky-high assessments and seniors are being pushed out of their homes. As commissioner, I will fight to plug the gaps in this law." Piper is backing the resolution's call for . . .
- The establishment of a new, independent task force consisting of engineers, building officials, licensed architects, and condo association representatives to review inspection and reserve requirements, that is also free of developer influence.
- A risk-based approach to inspections that prioritizes buildings with documented structural problems or imminent safety hazards, rather than applying a "one-size fits all" approach for required action.
- Strengthening consumer protections against predatory developer buyout practices that exploit financially distressed associations, and calls for greater transparency and fairness in the condominium termination process.
"District 5 has some of the oldest and most beautiful buildings in this county, and the people living in them are being treated like a line item instead of neighbors," Piper said. "The original task force after Surfside was chaired by someone who lobbies for developers, and now developers are circling distressed buildings for buyouts. That's not a coincidence, and District 5 residents see it clearly. If I'm elected, I will use my Commissioner's platform to push for real relief, not the crumbs we got from the last legislative session."
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