PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — As state leaders grapple with solutions to the looming condo crisis in Florida, several people wrote in to ABC Action News over rising fees and special assessments they’re facing, which they say are becoming unaffordable.
It's hard to beat the picture-perfect views from Al Winsser's home. He's owned his family's condo in Tierra Verde for about four years with the idea to simplify life and start traveling.
"But now things have just been going up and up and up, so we're kinda thinking was it the right decision or not?" said Winsser.
He, like other condo owners, has noticed rising costs.
"Just with the insurance things that happened, when we looked at buying this, it was $450 a month for the condo fee,” said Winsser. “First month we moved in here, it went to $550. After a year, it went to $750. Now it's at $950, and with the new reserve requirements, they're talking about it going to $1,100- $1,200 a month."
We've reported here on ABC Action News how after the Surfside condo collapse, the state legislature passed a measure requiring condo buildings to complete costly inspections and make repairs to keep buildings safe.
That deadline is fast approaching, leaving condo owners scrambling to fully fund their reserves.
"Nobody lives on top of us. Nobody lives below us. There's no difference in what we live in and a townhouse that sits in a homeowner's association or a three-story single-family house. We're basically built the same way,” said Winsser.
Winsser said to be in compliance with the legislation his building did inspections, which cost each condo unit owner about $500 a piece.
He doesn't know yet if there will be any special assessments, which would mean more money.
"I think they need to kind of look at it a little closer and say what are more high-risk places and which units actually fit into that kind of criteria,” said Winsser. “I don’t know that anybody can say that a place like this that’s ‘a three-story townhouse,’ but its legal definition is a condominium is the same thing as a condominium that’s 30 or 40-stories high.”
While the state weighs solutions while balancing safety, some condo owners are left wondering how they'll balance the bill.
"If it keeps going up at the rate it's gone up, we're not going to be able to afford to live here,” said Winsser.
