Original Message:
National and State Timeshare Owner Groups Petition Florida Governor to Veto Developer Bill (by Jeffrey W.):
As the Florida legislative session heads toward a closing deadline May 1, advocates for timeshare owners are trying to put pressure on lawmakers and Gov. Rick Scott to scuttle a developer bill sponsored by the American Resort Development Association. In the latest development, the National Timeshare Owners Association and Florida Timeshare Owners Group joined forces on a petition campaign asking Gov. Scott to veto the bill. Here is the petition, which is being sent on behalf of all timeshare owners in Florida, as well as out-of-state residents who bought timeshares in Florida. The petition sponsors, NTOA and FTOG, are actively seeking signatures from owners. If interested, check out the petition on NTOA's website, which is listed below.
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Dear Governor Rick Scott, On behalf of all Florida timeshare owners, and future buyers, we respectfully urge you to veto SB932, a developer-sponsored bill that was drafted without input from owners and consumer protection groups. While perhaps well intentioned, the bill contains many flaws that erode owner legal rights and, worst of all, includes and expands vague language that will simply have to be litigated down the line. The bill, in short, needs to be amended to provide clarity and equity for both owners and developers on several key issues: public disclosure, contract litigation, timeshare trusts, legacy resorts and maintenance fees. As it stands, the bill before you is a one-sided effort by the development community to rewrite state law to match their current marketing efforts. Example: The bill allows developers to unilaterally decide what constitutes “compliance” and “materiality” with regard to mistakes and omissions in contracts. The bill also restricts owners’ ability to challenge the legality of their contract after the 10-day rescission period required by current law. As you know, developers already hold all of the cards in timeshare transactions; Potential buyers are subjected to verbal high-pressure sales tactics that, under current law, are not actionable. Developers provide buyers with long and complicated contracts that are very difficult to read much less understand, and which are written to protect the developer. Beyond that, most timeshare developers don’t even offer, to this day, programs that will allow longtime Florida owners with medical or financial hardship to get OUT of their timeshare contracts while their mandatory maintenance fees continue to increase. SB 932, if enacted, would give developers even more leverage over the owner community --- and the fact is, they don’t need it. There is no emergency that requires passage of this bill. Action: Please send it back to the Legislature with a veto message that says, “Give me a fair and straightforward bill that balances the needs of owners and developers.”
-- Thank you,
Gregory G Crist CEO
National Timeshare Owners Association, Inc. 917 Lake Carrillon Dr, Suite 300 St. Petersburg, FL 33716
P: 727-502-6877 Ext 1004 greg@ntoassoc.com www.nationaltimeshareownersassoc.com