(WSVN) - Her neighbors have steps to go out their sliding glass doors as required by state law, but she has to jump down over two feet to get outside. When she installed steps, you might be surprised by the condo board’s reaction. It’s why she called Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
For years, Lisa had searched for the ideal place.
Lisa Adams: “I wanted a ground floor. I wanted on the water.”
Her Oasis at Nurmi Isles apartment is nice, but it’s missing one major thing.
Lisa Adams: “The problem is, I have no steps to safely get in and out of my back glass sliding doors.”
That’s right. It’s a 26-inch drop from her door to the ground. State building code says you have to have steps every seven inches.
Lisa Adams: “Therefore, I could not get in or out of the back glass sliders leading to the outside.”
To get out, Lisa would have to jump over the shrubs the board had planted.
After she twisted her ankle in one leap, she said enough. She paid an architect to draw up plans, got a permit from the City of Fort Lauderdale and paid a contractor $4,000 to install the steps.
She then submitted it all to the co-op board asking for permission to put the steps in.
Lisa Adams: “They are responsible to make common property safe for everyone. It is not safe, especially for me..”
As we walked around, Lisa pointed out that many of her neighbors also have steps to get outside: wooden ones, orange tile, cement.
Lisa Adams: “You can see they have concrete blocks going up to their steps. Everyone else has them. I’m asking for the same thing everyone else has.”
Lisa says she did not hear back from the board, so she moved forward.
But when the contractor showed up to do the work, the association president was fuming.
After the workers finished, Lisa couldn’t believe what happened next. The board planted shrubs around her new steps to try to block her from using them.
Lisa Adams: “They are picking on me.”
Patrick Fraser: “Why?”
Lisa Adams: “I don’t know why.”
The association told her she did not have permission to install the steps, that she had to pay for the shrubs they installed to block her from using them, and she had 30 days to remove the new steps.
Lisa Adams: “No, I’m not doing it. I have every right to have steps.”
The Oasis at Nurmi might be a nice place to live, if you like to jump over two feet to get out your back door, so, Howard, can a board take these steps to block Lisa from having steps?
Howard Finkelstein, 7News legal expert: “No, for several reasons. This is selective enforcement, allowing some residents to have steps and not allow Lisa to have them. It’s also a danger, because it blocks Lisa’s exit in case of a fire, and finally, it violates the state building code because the drop-off is 26 inches, and the law requires the building to have steps there.”
I tried to contact the property manager, even left a card on their door. No response.
I emailed their attorney and left messages to find out why they were violating state law by refusing to allow steps and why they let other residents have them. No response.
Their attorney did write Lisa saying her request for steps was denied, and she had created “a safety issue and liability for the corporation.” I wish they would talk to explain how Lisa’s steps were a safety issue.
Lisa Adams: “I’m not asking for anything that the other tenants on the ground floor don’t have.”
Lisa is now suing the Oasis of Nurmi Isles in Broward Circuit Court so she doesn’t have to jump down from her back door to get outside.
Lisa Adams: “It’s my back door. I want to be able to use my back door, go out to the patio, grill some food on the grill.”
Well, if Lisa wins in court, and Howard thinks she will, she can keep her steps, and the board will not only have to pay their lawyer, but Lisa’s attorney as well.
When I say board, I mean all the residents at Nurmi. Boards don’t spend their money; they spend the residents’ money.
Of course, we will follow Lisa as she battles the board and let you know how things turn out.
Taken the wrong step and fear you are gonna fall? Take a leap of faith and land with us. Hopefully we can open the door to a solution.
CONTACT HELP ME HOWARD:
Email: helpmehoward@wsvn.com
Reporter: Patrick Fraser at pfraser@wsvn.com
Miami-Dade: 305-953-WSVN
Broward: 954-761-WSVN
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