José Rincones sat on a crowded couch in his Brickell condominium’s wine and cigar room, a space where a November breeze swept in from the balcony to cool the hundred or so owners who gathered that Saturday. Rincones was one of many who had flown in from out of town — his a 1,600-mile journey from Venezuela — for this event.
At 9 a.m. Saturday, Rincones voted to oust his condominium’s president, a man who approved of a $21 million special assessment without the majority of the building’s blessing.
“We have to review everything that has been done, of course, and see in what time we can make (the changes), not necessarily in a year, if we can go about making some of the changes we agree on, the most critical,” Rincones said in his native tongue Spanish. “Well, that’s basic, how they say, ‘Common sense’ in English.”
The election promised a fresh start for owners at 1060 Brickell, a community sitting on the main artery of Miami’s financial district at 1060 Brickell Ave. The condominium comprises two towers totaling 605 residences. Attendees welcomed an end to the two-year reign of Jacob Kassell, the board’s president.
In recent months, Kassell’s behavior had proven too much for owners like Rincones. Kassell eliminated electronic voting — once a saving grace for the majority foreign investors in the building — rushed in a $21 million special assessment, eliminated two running mates and tried to postpone last minute board elections until December the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation sent two volunteers to oversee the election. The DBPR oversees condo associations, and the volunteers sat throughout the five-hour meeting to ensure proper protocol was followed with the voting process. By 2 p.m., condo owner and resident Dorinda Spahr was voted in with 192 votes — with 115 votes being the minimum needed — as the president elect. Pablo Lignarolo and David Treiger were also voted in as part of the three-member board. Kassell received zero votes.
???? You can read the full story at the link in our bio
✍️: Rebecca San Juan
????: Dorinda Spahr
