Condo owners may get a break.
Owners of condo units have been hard hit by increasing insurance premiums and state regulations on reserve funds. New legislation was signed yesterday that will provide some relief. In 2022, after the Surfside condo collapse, Florida lawmakers mandated that all condo developments undergo certain inspections — with condo associations ordered to maintain sufficient reserve funds to fix problems revealed in those inspections. Owners claimed they were being forced out of their homes because of increased costs. Gov. DeSantis said yesterday the new bill should provide financial relief for condo owners. He credited condo owners for their feedback:
“The condo relief, we needed it. A lot of you spoke out about it, and it made an impact. Because I think if there wasn't public input, I don't think that this would have ended up passing.”
The new legislation signed yesterday allows associations to secure credit lines and invest funds to pay for building repairs instead of immediately raising large amounts of cash from owners. It carves out condos with only three residential stories from those inspections. And it extends the deadline for some reserve studies by one year. The new law takes effect July 1st.
Axiom astronauts may fly early tomorrow.
The four Axiom astronauts, who have been quarantined on the Space Coast for days, are scheduled for their flight to the space station early tomorrow morning. Their Falcon 9 ride was delayed multiple times by weather, rocket issues, and then a leak in the space station. They may lift off at 2:31AM Wednesday morning. Expect a sonic boom about 8 minutes after the launch as the first stage booster returns to the Cape for a landing. The Axiom crew has booked a two week stay aboard the orbiting laboratory.
Then SpaceX may achieve a double-header. A Starlink mission is tentatively scheduled for between 12:33 and 5:03 Wednesday afternoon.
University of Florida law school controversy.
A law student at the University of Florida ignited a controversy at the Gainesville campus. Preston Damsky took a seminar taught by a federal judge. In his capstone paper for the class, Mr. Damsky argued that the framers of the Constitution had intended for the phrase “We the People,” to refer exclusively to white people. At the end of the semester Damsky was given the “book award,” which designated him as the best student in the class. The granting of the award set off months of turmoil on the law school campus. But according to the New York Times, it wasn’t until after Damsky posted on social media that Jews must be “abolished by any means necessary,” that the university suspended him. He is now challenging the punishment, which could result in his expulsion.
Retiring on social security alone.
A new study claims to reveal eleven towns in Florida where you can live on social security alone, including one in Brevard. The town of Sebring tops the list, with a cost of living about 15% less than the national average. But Titusville came in at number seven. Family Destinations Guide quips that Titusville provides Space Coast living that won’t launch your retirement savings into orbit. The cost of living runs about 10% below the national average. And housing is particularly affordable, with median home prices around $180,000.
