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House Bill 3259




    Florida House of Representatives - 1998                HB 3259

        By Representative Wasserman Schultz






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to condominiums; amending s.

  3         718.115, F.S.; authorizing condominium

  4         households receiving supplemental security

  5         income or food stamps to discontinue cable

  6         television service without fees, penalties, or

  7         service charges; providing an effective date.

  8

  9  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

10

11         Section 1.  Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section

12  718.115, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

13         718.115  Common expenses and common surplus.--

14         (1)

15         (b)  If so provided in the declaration, the cost of a

16  master antenna television system or duly franchised cable

17  television service obtained pursuant to a bulk contract shall

18  be deemed a common expense, and if not, such cost shall be

19  considered common expense if it is designated as such in a

20  written contract between the board of administration and the

21  company providing the master television antenna system or the

22  cable television service. The contract shall be for a term of

23  not less than 2 years.

24         1.  Any contract made by the board after the effective

25  date hereof for a community antenna system or duly franchised

26  cable television service may be canceled by a majority of the

27  voting interests present at the next regular or special

28  meeting of the association.  Any member may make a motion to

29  cancel said contract, but if no motion is made or if such

30  motion fails to obtain the required majority at the next

31  regular or special meeting, whichever is sooner, following the

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida House of Representatives - 1998                HB 3259

    524-144A-98






  1  making of the contract, then such contract shall be deemed

  2  ratified for the term therein expressed.

  3         2.  Any such contract shall provide, and shall be

  4  deemed to provide if not expressly set forth, that any hearing

  5  impaired or legally blind unit owner who does not occupy the

  6  unit with a nonhearing impaired or sighted person, or any unit

  7  owner receiving supplemental security income under Title XVI

  8  of the Social Security Act or food stamps as administered by

  9  the Department of Children and Family Services pursuant to s.

10  414.31, may discontinue the service without incurring

11  disconnect fees, penalties, or subsequent service charges, and

12  as to such units, the owners shall not be required to pay any

13  common expenses charge related to such service.  If less than

14  all members of an association share the expenses of cable

15  television, the expense shall be shared equally by all

16  participating unit owners.  The association may use the

17  provisions of s. 718.116 to enforce payment of the shares of

18  such costs by the unit owners receiving cable television.

19         Section 2.  This act shall take effect October 1 of the

20  year in which enacted.

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23                          HOUSE SUMMARY

24
      Revises a provision of law governing common expenses of
25    condominiums to permit households receiving supplemental
      security income or food stamps to discontinue cable
26    television service without fees, penalties, or service
      charges.
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