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Collier County Commissioners today passed a Resolution asking the State Legislature to grant relief to condominium owners who are faced with very expensive retrofits to conform to a national fire/safety code.

Unlike other states that implemented this code, the State of Florida made the code retroactive. This exposes condo owners to thousands of dollars for costs of retrofitting. In some cases it will be impossible for the owners to make the changes without major reconstruction.

"We frequently make changes to building and land development codes," County Commissioner Fred Coyle said, referring to actions by local government. "But we don’t make them retroactive. If we did that the County would be in chaos."

Coyle emphasized that property owners already have enough to worry about. Bill Poteet, representing the Naples Area Board of Realtors (NABOR), echoed Coyle’s concerns by citing the effects on the real estate market. "This legislation will not only cost owners a lot of money, it will drive property values down and interfere with the recovery of the market."

The Resolution introduced by Coyle is supported by local condo owner Ewing Sutherland of the Community Advocacy Network (CAN) which represents thousands of condo owners throughout Florida. The proposed solution is to allow condo owners a degree of self-determination by permitting them to reject the retrofitting upon majority vote.

For more information, call Sam Tucker, executive aide to the Board of County Commissioners, at 252-8393.