Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis reiterated his support for state action on a looming deadline that condominium owners across the state are facing. DeSantis held a roundtable discussion in Tampa on Thursday to address the concerns of many condo owners, which were spurred on by the tragic Surfside building collapse. “We’re here today, more than three years after the Surfside tower collapse, and we still don’t have a final report,” said DeSantis. “You are now facing significant cost burdens being passed on to unit owners.” Following the 2021 collapse of Champlain Towers South in Surfside, the Florida legislature passed a law, that the governor signed, which required all condominiums that were 30 years and older to undergo inspections by Dec. 31. The assessment is meant to calculate how much money condominium associations need to set aside by law for things like repairs. But for the condo owners, like residents who live at Tara West in Fort Lauderdale, it’s too much money and too little time. “They want a special assessment,” said condo owner Vicki LaRue. LaRue said the board suddenly doubled the monthly maintenance fee. “From $459 to $920,” she said. Other residents told 7News they have had to find different ways to pay the costs. “OK. I have Stage 4 cancer, and so, I’m back working again in order to pay all this,” said condo owner Jeanette Delegram. David Haber, a Miami-based attorney, explained that, while well-intentioned, the laws that mandate these special assessments are creating a financial burden that could be too high for some to bear. “The cost is monumental. It’s not insignificant. It’s in many cases in the tens of millions of dollars,” said Haber. “There’s no way they can afford to pay that, and they’re going to end up either getting foreclosed, or there’s going to have to be a state or federal program to assist these older buildings.” DeSantis said he understands that condo owners across the state are feeling anxiety about the upcoming deadline. “You’re now in a situation, with these deadlines coming up, there’s a lot of anxiety about the impending inspections and assessments,” he said. The governor said he wants the Legislature to take up the matter before the end of the year. Haber agrees. “I do think they need to do a special session, both to fix some of the glitches that have now come into some of the latest version of the laws,” said Haber. DeSantis didn’t set a date for a potential special session because, he said, he doesn’t want state lawmakers to scramble and push proposals that may not end up helping condo residents in the end. As for the timing of the report, 7News was told there were technical problems but that it is a massive investigation and they want to get it right.