It's become sort of a nightmare': State launches My Safe Fla Condo program to help condo owners

It's turning next here to the price of paradise. High insurance rates coupled with crippling H. O. A. Fees creating what some call a condo crisis. Here's a direct quote from a ST Pete condo owner who says seniors who were once proud to live in their beautiful communities are now unable to continue. Our paradise dreams have become nightmares. It goes on to say quote, when will someone step in to help us? We need support now. And her message is the same as so many other condo owners here in florida. A. B. C. Action News anchor Nadine Yana is today showing us how the state is now trying to help. Well, as we speak, the condo association here in this building at the five towns condos in ST Pete is applying for the my safe florida condo pilot program. It comes as residents who live in this building emailed me saying they are being crushed by high insurance and high H. O. A. Fees inside these 44 units live mostly women, some widowed and on a single income. It's why these two ladies are talking to me today. We definitely need your help. Condo owners like Cindy and her neighbor fran Sullivan are being crushed with rising insurance coupled with the costs of new reform following the surfside condo collapse in 2021. Their H. O. A. Fees now basically a second mortgage. They were about 450 when I moved in. I understand next year they're going up to a little over 900. It was our dream to live in florida. It's become sort of a nightmare for us and they're hoping for any help. It comes as the state's chief financial officer jimmy Patronus launched the new my safe florida condo pilot program this month. They're testing the waters, they're trying to see if they can move the needle. Each association can apply for up to $175,000 in state grant money. So this is where the state saying, hey, let's give you some incentive, let's help you with our own dollars, make your place a little tougher, more resilient and we'll work together on bringing your insurance costs down. But if you do the math with only $30 million allocated for the pilot program, only about 160 condo associations could benefit. We are actually within a half an hour of the board approving applying for this grant. And so we are on top of that. However, when you look at the numbers, um, it's a little bit disappointing, does seem kind of low. So, you know, but hopefully we get a grant. It also comes as the governor and several round tables has put pressure on state lawmakers to reverse some of those surfside reforms. They are crushing condo associations with costs that have to be met by december 31st of this year. It would mean another $20,000 per unit for these ladies in special assessments to fund new balconies and a new roof. Give us time, give us more time to be fully funded. I did my prayers for a special session session. If the speaker of senate president, the governor said, let's do a condo special session today. I say, sure, let's do it in ST Pete. I'm anchored Nadine Giannis, abc action news. The dean. Thank you. And as of late today, we learned the pilot program is already full and no longer accepting new applications. You can still sign up online to be notified if more funding becomes available and you can find more insurance resources on our website at abc action news dot com slash insurance. And the dean's story today came to us from a viewer just like you. You can also connect directly with our team by scanning that QR code. If you have any insurance related questions or concerns.