WE'RE FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM FROM ELSS

May 16, 2019

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE: PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH YOUR MANAGERS, BOARD MEMBERS AND OWNERS IMMEDIATELY.
 

The amendment to delay the implementation of ELSS was rolled into a  larger bill in the State Senate, HB 7103, a bill that deals with  community development and housing. 
Now HB 7103 – which contains language that delays implementation of ELSS  until 2024 and calls for identifying all buildings in Florida who  opted-out of fire sprinklers – is before Governor DeSantis.   When he receives the bill, the governor has 15 days to either sign the  bill, veto the bill or allow it to become law without his signature.   There have been some newspaper editorials against HB 7103 – totally  unrelated to our issue. 
 

It is vital the governor hear from us about ELSS within the next 5 days.  PLEASE EMAIL Governor DeSantis and ask him to SIGN HB 7103 and provide us relief from ELSS implementation. 
 

Ron.Desantis@eog.myflorida.com
 

May 5, 2019

FACTSS-backed Efforts Win A 4-Year Reprieve for ELSS Implementation!
 

In a last-minute maneuver, we were successful in getting our modified  ELSS language attached to a bill in the Senate, and approved by the  House.  The bill now goes to The Governor for his approval. 
 

On May 2 – Sen. Brandes attempted to attach our opt-out of ELSS language  to a bill before the Senate – HB 7103 (which already had been approved  by the House).  Sen Hooper raised a point of order, the amendment had to  be withdrawn because of the objection.  On May 3, Sen. Brandes offered  an amendment to HB 7103 that delays the implementation date to 2024 and  requires a data collection of buildings that opted-out of fire  sprinklers to be shared with The Governor and State Legislature.  This  amendment was accepted and the Senate approved HB 7103 (as amended) by a  vote of 26-13.
 

HB 7103 (as amended) came back to the House for a final vote. It was approved 66-42 and now awaits The Governor’s signature. 
 

While the forces against us were overwhelming, we did achieve victory,  for without the modified language in the bill, ELSS would have to be  implemented by December 31, 2019.  We avoided that.  We extended ELSS  four years – until January 1, 2024 – to give us other opportunities to  change the minds of the state legislators and challenge this unfair  mandate. The data collection will be critical information in helping us  achieve our goals in the future.  This victory keeps us alive to fight  another day. 
 

The end of a legislative session gets somewhat crazy and is hard to  follow and understand.  Our government relations person, Ellyn  Bogdanoff, was there full-time, working the legislative process and  taking every opportunity to achieve our goals.  We will have a final  legislative wrap-up in a few days to explain the new provisions and what  comes next. 

Read This Letter To Get An Inside Perspective of What's Really Happening

February 19, 2019

Jim Van Drunen

Point of Americas I

2100 S. Ocean Lane, #1404

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316

Hello friends and neighbors,

I received your request for my opinion on the major requirement for fire water sprinkler pipes and heads to be installed inside all Florida high-rise condos. Here is my background, and my opinion.

I’m a former Fire Chief, Fire Prevention Officer and former member of the National Fire Protection Association.  I have a degree in Municipal Fire Department Operations, taught classes in fire prevention for two colleges and served as a consultant on fire codes for several municipalities. Firefighting, and fire safety, was my career and my life.  I’m a founder of the Fort Lauderdale Fire & Safety Museum, and live at POA I, where I enjoyed serving on our condo Board for 10 years.  Here are my thoughts on this very important subject.

In 2015 the pipefitter’s union and fire sprinkler contractors “special interests” got a Florida law passed which required all Florida high-rise condos to install fire water sprinklers in all rooms.  Condos were given the power to “opt out” of the sprinklers in all rooms, by a vote of owners. POA I and thousands of other condos overwhelmingly voted to opt-out. The opt-out, however, now requires condos to install an “engineered life safety system” (elss), which reduced the rooms requiring sprinklers to only inside every condo by 2020. This is where the law is today, and for POA I the cost estimate is over $1.6 million, or an average of over $5,500 per unit!

Since all high-rise condos, including ours, have extensive, constantly updated systems that detect heat, smoke and fire, plus fire sprinklers in special areas, plus automatic alarm systems, plus fire walls, plus fire doors (many automatic), plus much more, high-rise fire deaths are virtually unheard of in Florida.  The “elss” law is not about safety, it’s about money, in my opinion, and it is huge overkill for massive profits for unions and contractors. I see it as a solution in search of a problem.

In response to a huge outcry filed by 4,300 condo associations in 2018, our Florida legislature is going to vote soon on HB 647, which will give condo owners the right to vote to “opt-out” of the fire water sprinkler part of “elss”. If it passes, and if owners vote to “opt-out”, POA I will save millions of dollars of special assessment, prevent major dirt and dust debris when our concrete ceilings are jack-hammered open, and prevent the risk of massive accidental flooding (often 15+ gallons per MINUTE) from an open fire water sprinkler head.  If it does not pass, we will suffer all this for a nearly negligible increase in safety, and the increased risk of flooding, in my (and many others) opinion.

To help each of us save from $5,000 to $10,000 of assessment, and a lot of headaches, I invite you to please join me in:

1.   Asking our condo Board members to support an owner’s “opt-out” vote to avoid the installation of fire water sprinklers if the State law passes which allows owners to vote to “opt-out”, and

2.   Please contact the following officials to go on record with "We Support House Bill 647, which allows condos to “opt-out” of the fire water sprinkler part of the “elss” statute", and

3.   Please feel free to forward this to other condo owners in Florida that might like to help prevent this massive waste of money, in my opinion, plus all the problems it will bring.

Thank you.       

(signed)

Jim Van Drunen

p.s. Learn about the 4,300 condos supporting HB 647 at   factss.org

Fort Lauderdale owners, please contact: (as they will be under major opposing pressure from the special interests). (Others; contact local reps.)

Governor Ron DeSantis (850) 717-9337 (press 2)  or 

www.flgov.com (click Contact) Subject: PLEASE SUPPORT HOUSE BILL 647

Representative Chip LaMarca (954) 784-4531  or his aide: samantha.verner@myfloridahouse.gov Subject: PLEASE SUPPORT HOUSE BILL 647

Senator Gary Farmer (954) 467-4227 or his aide:

brown.johnny@flsenate.gov Subject:  PLEASE SUPPORT HOUSE BILL 647