CCFJ.NET:  State fails to protect condo owners from board fraud, grand jury finds

Article Courtesy of The Miami Herald
By Brenda Medina

Published February 8, 2017

The Florida state agency that regulates condominium associations does not work to protect the tens of thousands who live in condos, resulting in extensive fraud, mismanagement and conflicts of interest among the boards and management companies that govern them, according to a Miami-Dade grand jury report issued Monday.

“Unfortunately, the [Department of Business and Professional Regulation, or DBPR] seems ill-suited to resolve, correct or prevent many of the recurring problems that have been brought to their attention,” the GRAND JURY REPORT  said.

The report came nearly a year after El Nuevo Herald and Univision 23 launched an investigation that revealed many cases of electoral fraud and forgery, conflicts of interest, mismanagement, and rigged bidding systems among many condo associations in South Florida.

The grand jury report makes it clear the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation “is not effective and doesn’t protect condominium owners from fraud and mismanagement,” Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said Monday. Read more: