DeSantis continues to battle state legislatures over condo relief measures

Gov. DeSantis at odds with lawmakers over legislation

FOX 13's Kylie Jones reports.

MIAMI, Fla. - Governor Ron DeSantis took aim at state lawmakers on Thursday, continuing an ongoing battle with the state legislature.

DeSantis was in Miami to back a new Senate bill regarding reform for condo owners. The proposed legislation comes after several pieces of safety reform legislation that the state legislature passed.

DeSantis signed following the Surfside condo collapse that killed 98 people in South Florida.

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"The intentions of the legislation were good," DeSantis said. "I think they were trying to prevent, potentially, another major tragedy."

What they're saying:

DeSantis says the legislation has resulted in condo studies and assessments that have become highly costly for residents.

"People are hurting," DeSantis said. "People need relief. They are in predicaments through no fault of their own."

DeSantis criticized the Florida House of Representatives for not acting quickly enough to discuss legislation providing financial relief for condo owners.

"The Senate's current bill includes reforms to increase accountability of condo association managers," DeSantis said. "It strengthens electronic participation requirements while reinforcing strict voting integrity laws in place to ensure secure elections. It adds increased transparency for residents and creates annual analysis of milestone inspection reports to create a data-driven approach to condo safety."

DeSantis continued, saying, "crucially, it provides more flexibility for associations to phase reserve funding and use alternative funding methods, including investing contributions to generate more money for required repairs."

Dig deeper:

DeSantis says a House bill doesn't include many of the reforms included in the Senate bill.

"There's an average assessment of approaching $20,000, oftentimes, more than $50,000, like the governor said, $100,000," said Melanie Griffin, the Secretary of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

Other News:

On Thursday, DeSantis was also asked about a $10 million donation to the Hope Florida Foundation spearheaded by First Lady Casey DeSantis.

Last year, a Medicaid-managed care plan settled a claim with the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration for $67 million.

As part of that, a $10 million donation was made to Hope Florida.

On Wednesday, Florida State House representatives asked the Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Shevaun Harris and her aides about the program during a House Health Care Budget Subcommittee meeting.

"How did $10 million walk from ACAH's bank account to Hope Florida's DSO last October?" asked Rep. Alex Andrade, who also chairs the committee.

Hope Florida is designed to operate as a public-private partnership to help families in Florida through public assistance.

"Those funds were never given to the state," Harris said. "They were a direct contribution made from Centene to the foundation."

Harris said the contribution went directly to Hope Florida.

"So, you're telling me that there was a settlement with Centene where ACAH required Centene to make a separate payment outside of our accounting processes as part of a settlement?" Andrade said.

State House representatives questioned why there are no federal income tax report records from the foundation.

DeSantis responded to questions about the settlement.

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"The ACAH settlement is something that is totally separate from Hope Florida," DeSantis said. "But the ACAH settlement was 100% appropriate. They negotiated a very good deal, and it served the state very, very well."

DeSantis also says the criticism from House lawmakers is a political move targeting First Lady Casey DeSantis, who's considering a future run for governor.

The Source: FOX 13’s Kylie Jones collected the information in this story.

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