A RESIDENT has told how he and his neighbors are still being forced to pay HOA fees despite homes being on the verge of collapse.
Mandatory evacuations were issued in the neighborhood after code inspectors found structural problems that were a safety hazard.
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Families living in six of the 19 buildings at Heron Pond Condominiums in Pembroke Pines, Florida, were told to leave their homes because of the dangerous structural issues.
The evacuated families don't know when they can return home and haven't seen any reprieve from their homeowner fees.
Ted Victor has lived in the complex for 17 years and fears his family will become the next residents who are asked to leave.
"It's demoralizing," Victor told local CBS affiliate WFOR-TV.
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"It's very, very sad."
He told the news station that residents noticed issues prior to the evacuations and complained about crumbling building for years.
"The hardest part, in full transparency, is seeing my wife cry about this at night because she worries about the finances," Victor said.
The couple has two children and, like other residents in the complex, they're expected to continue to pay $550 a month in fees.
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"I just really, really believed that somebody, maybe the management, would be responsible," he said.
While no one knows how long repairs will take, Victor said that his family can't afford to stay away from home for too long.
"The word is it could be six months or a year," Victor said. "I'm not necessarily sure we can survive that."
To support his family, he is looking to take on an overnight job on top of working as a teacher during the day.
"I don't believe that's fair and I don't believe that's right," he said.
"Someone should have to answer to that. We've never been negligent. We're hard-working people and we should be able to remain in our homes safely.
"Everyone is afraid of a replay of [the] Surfside [building collapse]. I understand that. But whoever is responsible for the negligence should be able to pay for the situation."
The property manager told WFOR that they are working with an engineer to get everything fixed.
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When asked about the HOA and related fees during the repairs, she said that it is imperative that homeowners continue to pay their dues, which she said are used to pay for insurance and maintain the complex, including gates and other amenities.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to Heron Pond Condominiums for comment.
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