Community Association Matters

  Some time last year in the summer, I turned on CNN, as I typically do to bring myself up to speed with the news.  I was horrified at the video before me; it was showing an apartment building ablaze in London.  According to reports, 79 people perished in that fire and more than 600 residents were impacted by this fire that quickly spread through the 24-story apartment building.  I immediately began thinking, could this happen here. Not only did this incident impact me, it also impacted Florida Governor Rick Scott’s decision to veto Committee Substitute for Committee Substitute for House Bill 653.  In his letter to the Secretary of State dated June 26, 2017 Governor Scott wrote, “[w]hile I am particularly sensitive to regulations that increase the cost of living, the recent London high-rise fire, which tragically took at least 79 lives, illustrates the importance of life safety protections.”  What was Govern Scott referring to?  HB 653 would have allowed high-rise buildings from opting out of the Engineered L