>>Welcome back.
Carlos and Ronit Naibryf lost their son, Ilan
in the Champlain Towers collapse.
Their pain is unimaginable, but so is their anger.
This was not an act of God, they told me.
It was the negligence and corruption of man
that led to this tragedy,
which is why they cannot understand why the legislature
has done nothing, nothing to improve inspections
and make condos safer for the three million Floridians
who live in them.
And they don't understand why Governor Ron DeSantis
has not made this a priority.
>>If the governor, whoever is in place,
we know who is in place now,
but I mean, I don't have anything against anybody.
I'm just thinking that if that person would have sit
with one, two, three, 98 families,
and listen to what-
>>But he did.
He was there every day, every day at the press conference
>>For three weeks.
>>And then there's crickets.
We have, have you seen him on the news about Surfside?
Speaking about Surfside?
I've heard him speak about many things.
I have not heard him speak of Surfside.
>>They are in their position because of us.
They should be thinking the same thing I am thinking.
I'm not asking them what they think.
I know that I am a 100 percent right
about how to go about it in the best way as possible.
No governor should be looking for lose any constituents,
number one, any governor should be
looking into what we can do to prevent this tragedies again.
And every governor should be doing
whatever they have in their power to make this an example
for the whole world, in the good sense.
What we have now is a very good example
of what should not have happened.
And he's part of that, regardless what he thinks,
or what I think, is just, I'm talking about facts.
>>Is it fair to say that prior to all this,
you were a supporter of DeSantis?
>>And I may still are.
>>Let's see what he does.
>>You know, this phrase keeps coming to my head,
Make America Great.
And isn't DeSantis a Republican?
Wouldn't it be great that Florida be the role model.
I'm not gonna say whether I'm Republican or Democrat.
And just because I repeat that phrase
doesn't mean I'm one or not the other,
but let's make Florida an example,
and let's make Florida great.
And crickets.
>>If they can do America great, great.
But at least I only expecting for Florida,
at least what can I do?
I can't just ask or convince people in Virginia,
or other states to do XYZ.
>>Washington.
>>Or Washington.
But in Florida everybody sounds like for many reasons,
after COVID decide to move here, and we are feeling that.
So in the same line of business, I would say,
let's be the example of something
that everybody globally are looking into.
Because honestly, if you ask me,
if a building is older than 10 or 15 years,
I would today, we haven't had the occasion,
but I may not even go in.
Why?
I mean, if I can't have a coffee out-
>>We've been burnt.
>>And that is not right either.
Will you, will you go?
>>After I spoke to them I asked State Senator Jason Pizzo,
who represents Surfside, if anything will happen next week?
>>We're going back on Monday for property insurance.
And while I had hoped that we would also include
something on the measure of condo reform,
it just doesn't seem likely.
>>Why is that?
>>The Senate's position
is pretty much aligned with with the House position,
as two bills to have to run concurrent
with the exception of great impasse
on the issue of reserves.
The House is positioned is to be completely inflexible,
and under no circumstances whatsoever
to allow condo owners and condo boards
to waive a requirement
to have a certain amount of reserves on hand.
Where the Senate position is,
based on the particular part of the building or aspect
or of the structure to be able to allow the owners
to make a deliberate decision
to waive reserves with two thirds.
>>So if the only issue standing between,
getting something done on all the other issues and reserves,
why not pass everything else, except for the reserve portion
and work on a compromise with regards to that
for the upcoming session?
>>Well, by the time that your viewers see this,
I will have already spoken to my counterpart,
my colleague, Senator Jen Bradley.
And my strong suggestion is we file what we have,
what we do agree on, and move forward.
And it should not be an all or nothing approach.
Anything we do, Jim.
And you know, this as well as anyone
will improve the situations and the requirements
for condominium statewide.
Right now, anything is only existing
in Dade and in Broward County.
There's nothing that really takes a look at buildings.
60% that you reported, are 30 years or older,
of the million and a half condos we have in Florida.
So something should pass.
And you know what, at this time,
it's past time for something to pass,
even outta respect, and to the benefit,
and to the memory of the people in my district.
>>In talking to the families,
you've spoken to the families, I've spoken to the families.
They're incredibly frustrated, angry, and feel disrespected
that nothing has been accomplished in Tallahassee,
to make things safer, to make sure
that something like this doesn't happen again.
When you talk to these families,
what are you gonna be able to tell them at this point?
>>You know, I bought a little bit of time,
you know by saying this is not a partisan issue,
and everyone's working on it, and everyone's concerned.
You know, the House sponsor and the Senate sponsor
of the bills are both Republicans.
This isn't a partisan issue.
It's a people issue.
But really philosophically,
the impasse is at one particular point of a multi-part bill.
And again, out of respect and decency,
we should pass at least what we agree on,
because it's something.
It's at least a demonstration.
But it's not even insignificant.
That which we the House and the Senate agree on.
You know what, let me be clear really at this late hour.
Okay, and I have tremendous respect
for Representative Daniel Perez.
But it's Danny Perez that's holding up
the ability for 19 out of the 20 components to pass.
And really with all due respect,
what I'll try to convey to my colleagues,
both on the House and the Senate
is we should go forward and pass what we agree on,
and that which we don't, we can revisit.
But we certainly owe, you know, to everybody.
But right now, you know, as late as yesterday afternoon,
representative Perez told me,
he's not budging on the inflexibility of reserves.
And that's not really gonna make anyone's
condo operation safer anywhere in Florida
by holding firm, just on that one particular issue.
>>So by holding out on the reserve issue,
you're not able to move forward on
lowering the number of years
before an inspection take place.
>>Correct.
>>Allowing actual inspections, requiring inspections
in the other 65 counties, outside of Dade and Broward,
where there is no requirement for inspections.
>>Correct.
>>You know, and all the other things
the greater transparency, the greater,
the reporting of what the findings are
from those inspections, to both safety
and taking care of- >>Educating board members.
Educating board members, Jim.
Making sure that board members are educated,
at least on the thousands or millions of dollars
that they're controlling,
and the hundreds of lives that they're responsible for.
That all gets held up.
>>But let's talk about the role that the governor played.
Last week, we played some sounds from you,
at a conference in Orlando, in which you said
the governor has been largely absent on this issue.
The families I've spoken to are particularly angry
that the governor has not used his voice.
He uses his voice on a lot of issues,
but when something like this comes around,
he's eerily quiet.
Why is that?
>>Jim he's used his voice and his thumb
to exert pressure, and influence, and drive the narrative
this whole past regular session,
when we should have been doing the important things, okay.
None of my colleagues on the Republican side of the aisle
knew anything about, or cared anything about,
or had any intention of doing anything
on critical race theory, on don't say gay,
on, you know disrupting and disturbing
Disney's operation of it.
None of this stuff was on anyone's agenda
that ran for office, and sits in the Senate with me,
or sits in the House with my other colleagues,
none of us had any concern or consideration
for any of those things,
because they have nothing to do with the quality of life,
or improving people's lives, or saving people's lives.
What did everybody come together for,
in a nonpartisan, ecumenical fashion?
Tragedies, and triumphs,
and things that we should celebrate.
The governor had absolutely no influence,
no appetite, no concern whatsoever.
98 people died in my district.
The governor came and did all kinds of soundbites,
and all kinds of, you know, on camera,
and all kinds of promises and commitments, and he's gone.
He's absolutely gone.
Okay, so again, if we can get critical race theory,
and, you know stop woke, and banning books,
and don't say gay,
all of these things that have nothing to do
with people's lives, like actual lives.
It's beyond disrespect, it's beyond the pale,
and he should be ashamed of himself,
when I have to face my constituents.
What am I supposed to say?
I can get some cheap points by pointing fingers,
but it doesn't get anything done.
It doesn't improve anyone's lives.
He did nothing.
>>So because it's not part of the session,
the only way that this may be able to come up
is by adding it as an amendment to the insurance bill.
>>We're not going up for a special session
on farming equipment,
and then looking to, you know to slip in an amendment
on building codes and inspections of condominium.
Property insurance,
it goes across all property classes and types.
And one of the components that you're speaking of
requirements is for every 36 months for a condo
to be reappraised for replacement purposes.
And that's rarely done around here.
So yeah, the humanity would be there.
And Jim, I'll tell you, you know, I'll show my cards.
I think my intention's gonna be to file the amendment,
which is the bulk of the bill, the last Senate version.
I'm gonna attempt to file it.
And we'll see if it's accepted in the Senate,
and we'll see if it's even heard in the House.