Randy A Armstrong

were eventually added to HB 1021, wrote to the Herald/Times in an email that Pardo was mistaken in his reading of the bill. “The bottom line as to why Mr. Pardo’s statement is not correct is that there is absolutely no reason why a developer would want to retain title to and control what is customarily common elements in a residential condominium,” Grant said. “In a residential condominium the developer wants to sell all the units and after 90% of the units are sold, the developer wants nothing more to do with the common elements,” he added. “There is no profit incentive to keep control of them… operating the common elements is just a burden.” Grant said that mixed-used condo buildings under the new law “must have a disclosure summary that summarizes the structure and informs buyers that the association will not control the building. Buyers are free to buy or not b

developers more control over common areas in mixed-use buildings where, for instance, residential units share the premises with a hotel. The bill will become law on July 1. Mixed-used condominium buildings are becoming increasingly popular as retirees look to settle down in buildings run like resorts by prominent hotel brands, like The Ritz-Carlton Bal Harbour and the Carillon on Miami Beach. Combining these commercial and residential developments has created unusual legal disputes over who controls what on the property. Attorneys on behalf of developers argue that it is essential in mixed-use buildings for the developer and hotel owners to control common spaces like the lobby, the pool, the restaurants and the elevators because they need to make sure those areas are up to their standards. Stevan Pardo, an attorney who represents condominium unit owners in high-profile cases like the Miami Beach Carillon dispute — where for years residents and the owner of the hotel and spa have ba...