Condo Crisis Forum presented by The Palm Beach Post

New state laws enacted after the Surfside condominium collapse in 2021 have created a financial crisis in Florida and Palm Beach County.

The Palm Beach Post has written extensively on the topic that has generated significant interest and concern for many condo owners in South Florida.

That's why The Post will be conducting a live town hall on Wednesday, April 16 called the Condo Crisis. We'll have a panel of industry experts to talk about the issue and answer your questions. The forum will take place from 6-8:30 p.m. in The Press Lounge at The Post's headquarters at 2751 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach.

The bill that created the chaos in 2022, Senate Bill 4D, created new standards for condo buildings over three stories tall, and has left many Floridians wrestling with the option of paying significant association fees, selling their unit or going into foreclosure.

The result: many retirees on pensions or fixed incomes cannot afford the bills that are now due, and potential buyers are avoiding older buildings because of the high assessments. Meanwhile, insurance premiums are soaring.

Here are the panelists for this important discussion:

• Michael J. Gelfand is a Florida Bar Board Certified Lawyer in real estate law and condominium and planned development law. He is also a mediator of condominium and homeowners' association law disputes, an arbitrator, and a parliamentarian. He is the senior partner of Gelfand & Arpe, P.A., in West Palm Beach. He served on the Surfside task force.
  
  
• Shelby Seidler, a native Floridian and Coast Guard veteran, has built a successful real estate business from the ground up. After the Surfside collapse, she became increasingly focused on the implications for condo owners and buyers advocating for transparency and smarter decision-making in buildings with shared structural responsibility.
  
  
• Jonathan Lickstein also serves as a broker, mentor and certified instructor at the firm. He is the 2025 President of the Broward, Palm Beaches and St. Lucie Realtor Association. He also contributes to various committees with Florida Realtors and the National Association of Realtors.
  
  
• Mike Diamond is an award-winning journalist who has worked as a reporter and editor for more than 30 years in both New Jersey and Florida. He currently covers the county for The Palm Beach Post and also often writes about issues affecting homeowner associations. He was the lead reporter for The Palm Beach Post/USA TODAY Network-Florida in-depth series on the Condo Crisis in Florida.