Panel Makes Building Safety Recommendations As More Condo Owners See Their Buildings In Different Light After Surfside

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Since the sudden deadly Surfside collapse, condo owners like Daisy Colon have seen their building in a different light.

"It made me look at what I hear a little closer and question what I see," she says.

Her building a block from Fort Lauderdale beach is 50 years old and while there is great attention to maintenance there are unexpected costs.

"We just all had to pay because some units didn't have impact Windows so we all got assessed," she says

Such assessments may become more frequent in the future.

If the Florida legislature enacts sweeping recommendations of the Broward Condominium Structural Issues Committee which passed Friday.

The panel was made up of county and city leaders, state lawmakers, an engineer, and condo representatives.

They met for 25 hours over several weeks to address concerns that became apparent after the Surfside disaster. Specifically, allegations that structural issues with Champlain Towers South Were overlooked.

Among the panel, recommendations are to 'recertify' condos after 30 years and then every ten years after that to make sure they are structurally sound. Condo boards would need to keep
reserve funds for concrete and structural issues.

If a board chooses not to keep reserves they would have to do a reserve study every 36 months

Insurance for condo buildings would become mandatory.

Currently, insurance is optional.

Broward Mayor Steve Geller, who spearheaded the committee says although condo owners may see some financial impact it will be cheaper in the long run.

"It is cheaper for people to spend money on Maintenance now instead of waiting and incurring larger costs later," he says.

The man overseeing Hundreds of oceanfront condos on the GALT Ocean mile in Fort Lauderdale didn't want the recertification changed to 30 years instead of the current 40 years.

"The more inspections the more cost" said Fred Nesbitt. "An engineering study runs at least 25 thousand dollars"

Nesbitt also worries about the escalating costs of insurance which now consumes a quarter of his budget.

Daisy Colon says everyone living in a condo may have to get used to paying more.

"We all want safety whether it's walking Down the street or living in that building," she said.