Timeshare Industry Deregulation in Florida Appears To Be Over Before It Began March 28, 2011
Posted by John Stephens in : Disney, Marriott Timeshares , trackbackWell, that didn’t take long.
Following an outcry from industry groups, language in a bill in the Florida legislature which would have deregulated the timeshare industry has been removed from the bill just days after it was introduced in committee.
We blogged about the original story last week and, while I’d like to think we played a part in the change of heart in Tallahassee, something tells me it had more to do with the involvement of Disney and the media attention it received in Florida.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, language that would have eliminated state oversight of timeshare developers has been stripped from a revised version of HB 5005. The Sentinel reported that if the language had remained in the bill, government regulators would not have been able to provide oversight, such as review offering documents by timeshare builders to ensure they include adequate disclosures for consumers or in advertising materials to ensure they aren’t misleading.
The move comes after the timeshare industry balked at the proposal. They pointed out that state oversight was first imposed to weed out shady developers who gave the timeshare business a dubious reputation that big-name players such as Disney, Marriott and Starwood have spent years attempting to overcome.
Disney had come out in public opposition to the proposal, with Disney lobbyist Brian Bibeau quoted as saying “Florida has what some people would call a colorful history of land fraud that goes back 100 years. Others would call it a lurid history of land fraud. The division (of condominiums, time shares and mobile homes) was put together to force the bad actors out of these areas of activity. We think it’d be a terrible mistake for (the state) to deregulate those areas of the division. We strongly oppose it.”
Even with the regulations in place, former Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum said state agencies ordered 137 operators to cease and desist their timeshare solicitation operations in 2010.
Now, it’s all a moot point as legislators have come to their senses. But is this really the way to govern the fourth most populated state in America? Just throw a bunch of crazy ideas into a bill and see if anyone is paying attention? I thought that type of “strategic leadership” was reserved for the U.S. Congress, not state government.
Now, developers can go back to the high pressure, arm-twisting tactics that they are known for when they sell timeshare to the traveling public. Aren’t you glad you know better and look for deals to buy timeshare on the resale market?
You can find bargains on Disney timeshare, Marriott timeshare and Starwood timeshare products on our BuyaTimeshare.com website by clicking here.
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[...] had anything to do with it, although I’m beginning to wonder since the last time I blogged about a controversial piece of legislation in Florida, it was changed soon after.Coincidence? You bet it was.According to a report in the Maui News, [...]