Fort Lauderdale, Florida – June 3, 2020 – Becker, a multi-practice commercial law firm with attorneys, lobbyists and other professionals at offices throughout the East Coast, is pleased to announce that Community Association Shareholder Donna DiMaggio Berger has been appointed chair of the Florida Bar Real Property Probate and Trust Law (RPPTL) Section’s Pandemic Task Force.
The newly created Pandemic Task Force will perform a complete review of the emergency powers in Chapters 718, 719 and 720 of the Florida Statutes, which focus on Condominiums, Cooperatives and Homeowners’ Associations. It will also hopefully be updated to address pandemics in addition to natural disaster events, such as hurricanes, for which these powers were originally drafted.
Howard Cohen of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney serves as vice chair of the Task Force. Additional committee members include Michael Gelfand, Richard DeBoest, Allison Hertz, and Chris Davies.
“The COVID-19 crisis has brought operational and economic challenges for community associations of all shapes and sizes throughout Florida. Our Pandemic Task Force will make sure that the Florida Statutes’ emergency powers clearly equip volunteer boards with the tools they need to meet these challenges in the wake of both natural disasters as well as a contagion,” said Ms. Berger.
As Founder and Executive Director of Becker’s Community Association Leadership Lobby (CALL), Ms. Berger has led various community association advocacy initiatives, working with legislators and other public policymakers on behalf of those who live, serve, and work in common interest ownership communities.
She has testified before the Florida Legislature regarding community association law and often appears on radio talk shows and in print media discussing these issues, including a monthly column in the Miami Herald.
Ms. Berger is a member of the College of Community Association Lawyers, a prestigious national organization that acknowledges community association attorneys who have distinguished themselves through contributions to the evolution or practice of community association law and who have committed themselves to high standards of professional and ethical conduct in the practice of community association law. She is also one of only 190 attorneys statewide who is a Board Certified Specialist in Condominium and Planned Development Law.
Ms. Berger has been honored as a member of Florida Trend’s Legal Elite, named a Woman Extraordinaire by South Florida Business Leader and honored at the 4th Annual 100 Outstanding Women of Broward County benefiting the Boys and Girls Club. She has also been recognized by Broward Lawyers Care for her commitment to pro bono service and served as the Pro Bono Legal Advisor for The Broward Coalition from 2008-2011.
About Becker
Becker, with headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is a multi-practice commercial law firm with attorneys, lobbyists and other professionals at offices throughout the East Coast. More information is available at www.beckerlawyers.com