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Fried Pushing For Condo Task Force

Fire rescue workers head toward the partially collapsed 12-story Champlain Towers South on Monday in Surfside, Fla.
Fire rescue workers head toward the partially collapsed 12-story Champlain Towers South on Monday in Surfside, Fla.

In the wake of the deadly collapse of a condominium building in Surfside, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried is asking the legislature to update condo safety regulations in the 2022 session.

Fried also wants a statewide taskforce to be created to investigate how to prevent a future tragedy. The Democratic gubernatorial candidate has also created a clearinghouse within her current office for consumer complaints related to condominiums.

Her goal, she says, is to help state and local regulatory boards know where issues may exist.

“If we start seeing the same association board, or the same management company that we are seeing the same types of complaints from, we can raise the flags and be able to have a very proactive position to work with our sister agencies to tackle, said Fried.”

Meanwhile, the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is scrutinizing 25 charities that were set up following the Champlain Towers South condo collapse, to make sure donations are actually going to victims and their families.

So far, one fraudulent Surfside-related charity has been shut down.