This is Facing South Florida with Jim DeFede.
>>Welcome to Facing South Florida, I'm Jim DeFede.
And frustration is growing over the legislature's failure
to pass anything,
to make condos safer in the wake of the Surfside tragedy.
This week, we heard from the governor
defending what he did or rather didn't do
to help pass a reform bill.
>>I supported them providing me a bill
that would address the issue.
>>In other words, the governor admitted
he played no active role in trying to pass a bill
that will protect three and a half million Floridians
who live in condos.
And 60% of those condos are in buildings
that are more than 30 years old.
Now, the week began with all the Democratic members
of Congress from Florida calling on the governor
to include condo safety reforms
in next week's special session.
On Thursday, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz,
who represents Surfside held a press conference
at the site of the collapse
with city, county and state officials.
Here's some of what they had to say.
>>It took 98 lives.
Hundreds more were abandoned.
Since then countless tears soaked into the ground around us.
Not far from here, I stood alongside President Biden,
Surfside leaders from both sides of the aisle
and even Governor DeSantis and the mayor,
where we found common ground amid that horrific wreckage.
And we all looked into the cameras,
we all told Floridians
that not only would we get to the bottom of what happened,
but we would do all we could
to prevent another tragedy like Surfside from happening
anywhere in Florida again.
>>While appreciating all the hard work that they do,
we are asking them in Tallahassee to come together now
for a special session with a unified purpose
to create and pass legislation on building
and condos safety reform.
Do not let this warning,
which costs us so dearly go without an effective response
and preservative measures put in place.
Please work together
to ensure a tragedy like this never happens again.
>>County government can only do so much
without the state legislature.
We're preempted by the state
from undertaking the major actions
that would make these coastal buildings safe,
that will address our residents fears
and honor those who are lost.
The legislature is returning to Tallahassee
to draw congressional maps.
Certainly they can use this moment to address this issue
that so many residents, and above all,
the families of the 98 victims and the hundreds of survivors
and families affected by this collapse are calling for.
Indeed people all across the state
are calling for this action.
>>After legislative session that put partisanship
over kitchen, table issues,
I am still trying to wrap my mind around the fact
that my colleagues did not pass anything
designed to address the problems
revealed by the horrific collapse of these towers
that we stand next to right now.
It should alarm all the Floridians who are watching this
that the state law concurrently sets no standards
for high rise inspections and undercurrent law,
condo boards that discover serious problems
are also under no obligation to inform local authorities
or unit owners.
Miami Dade and Broward counties
are the only ones in the state that require inspections
of the structural integrity of condos,
and then it only begins at the full year mark.
There are about 1.5 million condos in Florida
with more than half in buildings over 30 years old.
Their residents deserve to be saved.
>>In fact, state house and Senate lawmakers,
moved legislation in Tallahassee
that touched on crucial condo reserve
and inspections issues,
but sadly they failed to find that common ground.
And it seems they may have given up.
And that's what we need today.
We need common ground.
I was deeply troubled
by what state law lawmakers focused on
in terms of their energy during the regular session.
Frankly, a lot of it was personal, hurtful and harmful,
but I wanna put aside, like we did almost a year ago
those deep divisions for today
and focus on the common goal
of avoiding another Surfside tragedy.
My Democratic congressional colleagues and I
just wrote to Governor DeSantis,
urging that he and state lawmakers
use next week's special legislative session
to finish the job and pass condo reform
that would honor all of those that we lost here
by ensuring that no more Floridians face the same fate.
We know if there is a will to do it, something can be done.
And on this issue, they had momentum.
Governor DeSantis needs to lead,
he needs to get involved in getting this critical issue
across the finish line.
He hasn't hesitated to take the initiative
on issues that he prioritizes.
We already see that
with the redistricting session next week.
He needs to engage with legislators
and get condo reform legislation passed next week.
>>Martin Langesfeld, whose sister, Nicole,
and her husband, Lewis, died in the collapse spoke next.
>>This should not be a political issue
on whether you are a Republican or a Democrat.
We should not be talking about 98 lives,
we are talking about innocent, hardworking, beautiful,
loving people who died in a place they called home.
Behind me, in this deep, dark, open graveyard,
there were innocent voters from all parties and beliefs.
Both Republicans and Democrats were killed
in a place they called home.
This could all be prevented.
So many lives could be saved
if we just do the right thing.
If the House and the Senate work together to find a solution
that makes us Floridians feel safe in our own homes.
We need your help, Governor DeSantis, before it's too late.
I'm not saying this to bash on you Governor DeSantis,
I'm saying this because I truly believe
you have the power to make things right.
And I believe you from the bottom of your heart
know that by simply changing legislation
you can help change lives and save lives.
Governor DeSantis, please do the right thing.
>>In an interview earlier this month,
Langesfeld told me he had tried repeatedly
during the legislative session
to meet with Governor DeSantis,
but the governor remained unavailable.
>>Many families have requested to meet with him
and he acts like we do not exist.
It seems he doesn't care if another building collapses.
I've gone to knock his door in Tallahassee multiple times.
Change needs to be made.
He can make the change and he doesn't want to listen.
>>On Tuesday, I asked the governor
about Langesfeld desertion,
he tried to meet with him.
>>Martin Langesfeld, whose sister died in the crash
said that he tried to meet with you
and other families tried to meet with you during the session
to get your support-
>>Yeah, but I've met with him several times,
I've met with a lot of the families multiple times,
I never in any way indicated opposition
to anything that was going on.
>>On Thursday, Langesfeld described DeSantis's words
as painful.
>>Three weeks after all the media left and everything left
I have not had contact with the governor again.
I've contacted his team,
but I have never had another meeting
with Governor DeSantis again.
>>When you heard him say, he's talked to you several times
and the families numerous times, what was your reaction?
How did that make you feel?
>>It's painful.
No one here is really trying to start an argument
with anyone, we're just trying to do the right thing
and trying to prevent tragedies like this occurring again.
So there's nothing wrong with meeting us again.
And if speaking through a camera
is the only way we can speak to the governor,
then that's okay,
as long as we can make a difference together.
>>After Thursday's press conference,
I spoke to Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.
It seemed like you were emotional
being back here at the site.
>>Yeah, this is something that just gets me to my core.
I mean, looking at the site now,
a home where the lives of hundreds of people used to be
as someone else mentioned,
essentially a a living grave site
and it's just incredibly emotional.
And I mean, fueled by the idea, the audacity,
the outrageousness that we're nearly a year
since this tragedy,
and the legislature we stood together with legislative,
and the governor, and county commissioners,
local officials and the families,
and we all said we're gonna take steps
to make sure this never happens again.
The federal government and we're doing everything we can
that is constitutional to help the families.
The governor, he needs to act.
He needs to bring the parties together,
put this issue on the call of the legislative session
and make sure they finish the job.
>>What he has said is that
if they present him something, he's happy to sign it.
>>Oh, come on.
This is a governor that has no hesitation
to put something at the top of the legislative agenda
when it's a priority of his.
He's the one in an unprecedented way
that is forcing the legislature to pass a congressional map
in redistricting, because he wanted it to his liking.
He pushed the Don't Say Gay legislation.
He pushed the Stop WOKE Act.
He didn't wait for legislators to just send him something,
he proposed the idea,
he proposed that map and he said, you do this.
And so where's the leadership and the prioritization
of making sure that we never have
another Champlain Tower South tragedy again.
We've had two other condominium complexes evacuated
since Surfside.
That were evacuated
because they were structurally too unsound to be inhabited.
>>And what does it tell you
that he hasn't taken that leadership role?
>>That it doesn't matter to him.
That he was disingenuous.
That he didn't mean it.
I think we all took one another at our word
that we were gonna put all politics aside,
we were gonna stand together
and we were going to do everything we could to make sure
that we never had another gaping hole
in the ground like this one.
>>And even after the interview ended,
the frustration was obvious
as she seemed genuinely surprised
they did nothing in Tallahassee.
>>Just get it done. >>All right.
>>I mean, we all have to do our part that's the bottom line.
And I mean, look I don't constantly hold press conferences
and send letters telling the legislature and the governor
what they should do.
But I mean, people's lives are at stake here.
It's not unfathomable that more people could die this way.
Why are they waiting?
>>It's a question a lot of people have.
When we come back we talk about next week's special session,
and Governor DeSantis's push to redraw congressional maps
in Florida that could tilt the balance of power in Congress.