FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., June 2, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Florida attorney Mike Ryan has been working to help find relief and solutions for homeowners across Broward County and the State. Ryan, a partner at Krupnick Campbell Malone Buser Slama Hancock Liberman & McKee, has traveled to Tallahassee and Washington, D.C. with homeowners and builders to press elected and agency officials to find meaningful solutions to save communities from this defective drywall catastrophe.
On June 1, 2010, Governor Crist signed into law Florida HB 965 which provides property tax relief for homeowners negatively impacted by defective drywall. "We applaud the hard work and courage of the legislature and the Governor in bringing this property tax relief to victims of the defective Chinese drywall. We have been saying all along, when these homes can not be sold without enormous losses, can not be leased, and some homeowners have had to leave their home, how can the building have any value?" said Ryan.
The law helps those purchasers who bought their homes without the knowledge that there was defective drywall installed in their homes. The defective drywall is causing certain metals, including electrical wiring and air conditioning coils to corrode. Under the law, if the home or building can not be used for the intended purpose without remediation or repair to bring the home to current building standards, then the Property Appraiser must reduce the property taxes on the home to zero. Importantly, in April, the CPSC issued interim remediation standards related to the safety issues surrounding the impact of defective drywall, which addresses the enormous remediation efforts necessary to address the impact of the defective drywall.
Ryan explained, "The current thinking, based upon all the science to date, is that homes with this defective drywall need to be gutted right down to the block and studs. That means all of the drywall, electrical wiring, copper plumbing and fittings, air conditioning systems including vents and any other impacted materials need to be removed and replaced."
Ryan has been calling this catastrophe a "silent hurricane." "We have been in Washington, D.C, and Tallahassee. Homeowners have been writing for help. We have been saying all along that for the homeowners impacted, this is akin to a complete disaster. In response, HUD has offered no assistance and FEMA refuses to get involved. Neither the Federal government nor the State have identified any resources for assistance. Banks are foreclosing or abandoning their abatement programs. Homeowners' insurance refuses to pay for claims. Many cannot live in their homes and some have been told by doctors to move out. They cannot sell or lease the home. Yet, the homeowners have been trying all along to pay their mortgages, taxes and upkeep on the homes. Homeowners simply have nowhere else to go for help. All the while, FEMA and the State have kicked the issue of relief back and forth.
"The shelf life on patience, I am afraid, has run out. The financial futures of families and business are being damaged and are at further risk of destruction. These homeowners are not looking for a handout. They understand there are foreign manufacturers and others who are responsible under the law. But, while the litigation runs its course, families, businesses, and communities are being impacted terribly and in some cases, permanently. While this bill offers some relief, which is universally welcomed by the homeowners, it is not enough to truly help the homeowners in trouble. We need a true response."