There is a certain luxury to televised commentary: one may speak uninterrupted, unchallenged, and unburdened by the weight of details. That luxury, however, becomes a liability when a commentator wanders into the realm of public policy armed only with half-truths and a perfumed grievance. Such was the case with Dagen McDowell, who recently offered viewers a narrative about Florida’s condo crisis that was—while emotionally evocative—also spectacularly shallow.
According to McDowell, the state of Florida—under Governor Ron DeSantis—has effectively priced out the elderly by implementing new condominium inspection laws after the Champlain Towers South collapse in Surfside. In her telling, a well-meaning but authoritarian reform effort by the Governor triggered a cascading financial burden, leading to skyrocketing condo costs, a glut in the market, and a mass displacement of older residents.
It’s a neat little tragedy. Unfortunately for Ms. McDowell, the truth refuses to be so tidy.
A Tragedy, Not a Talking Point
The Surfside condo collapse in June 2021 was not just a tragedy—it was an indictment. It exposed systemic failures in Florida's aging infrastructure, particularly in coastal areas where salt, humidity, and time erode both concrete and complacency. Ninety-eight people died, not due to market forces or gubernatorial ambition, but because of decades of deferred maintenance and ineffective local oversight.
In response, Senate Bill 4-D was passed during a May 2022 special legislative session—a bipartisan effort spurred by the Legislature, not a fiat from the Governor’s mansion. This bill mandated milestone structural inspections for older buildings and required that condominiums maintain proper reserve funds to address needed repairs—measures previously and irresponsibly waived by condo boards across the state.
And let us not forget: prior to this, many condos were permitted to waive reserve requirements altogether, often with the consent if not wholehearted support of the very residents now affected. The appeal was simple: keep monthly dues low and postpone the bill indefinitely. That bill has now arrived. The Governor did not send it; reality did.
Let’s Talk About Legislative Sequence
McDowell said, quote:
“Ron DeSantis and the Legislature passed a law after the Surfside Towers collapsed… [which] has driven a glut of condos on the market, and elderly people and older people have been forced out.”
That phrasing suggests DeSantis acted alone, without consensus, and without foresight. In reality, the legislation was a legislative act, signed into law only after public outcry, industry input, and media scrutiny. The Governor’s role was executive in nature—signing a bill passed by lawmakers from both parties.
And contrary to the implication that DeSantis was indifferent to affordability, in January 2025, the Governor explicitly called a special session to address concerns from residents and property managers about the cost burden. He urged the Legislature to make reasonable adjustments, particularly for low-income seniors.
Their response?
The Florida House and Senate said it was “premature.”
Dagen McDowell’s entire thesis collapses on this point. DeSantis acknowledged the affordability crisis before she did. He tried to act. The Legislature refused.
Would she prefer DeSantis ignore the rule of law and impose a housing moratorium by executive order? Or perhaps subsidize private condo associations with state funds? One suspects that had he done so, McDowell would be among the first to criticize such overreach.
Let’s Address the “Glut” and the Elderly Exodus
Yes, there is an influx of listings. But it is disingenuous to claim this is purely due to legislation. Insurance premiums have risen significantly due to hurricanes and risk exposure. Interest rates, set by the Fed—not Tallahassee—are pricing buyers out. And decades of poor building management are finally being reckoned with.
The glut isn’t evidence of DeSantis’s failure. It’s evidence that market correction and safety reforms are finally colliding with years of wishful thinking.
To suggest that Florida is no longer a retirement haven is a claim easily falsified. The state continues to lead the country in net domestic migration, with more retirees moving in than out. In fact, the only elderly Floridians leaving in droves are those trying to avoid McDowell’s analysis.
Punditry as Pathology
Ms. McDowell's comments reflect a larger pathology in modern media: a willingness to prioritize vibes over veracity. It is easier to blame a Governor than to explain bond assessments, to romanticize the elderly than to recognize the consequences of chronically underfunded maintenance.
Indeed, it is no accident that the people hardest hit are in buildings that chose not to fund reserves for decades. When reality finally enforces what governance had allowed to lapse, the cause is not cruelty. It’s the end of magical thinking.
This is not a matter of Republican vs. Democrat. It is reality vs. rhetoric. And unfortunately for Ms. McDowell, rhetoric makes a poor foundation when the concrete begins to crack.
The Cost of Being Serious
If McDowell wishes to enter the policy arena, she might consider arming herself with more than sentiment. Public policy is not judged by its intention, but by its outcome—and the outcome here is that DeSantis tried to preserve both safety and affordability in a system that long ago ran out of both.
He deserves criticism, as all governors do—but not for trying to solve a problem the media ignored until it was convenient to exploit. If the Surfside collapse taught us anything, it is that doing nothing is no longer an option.
So yes, Dagen, elderly Floridians are hurting. But not because the Governor acted.
They’re hurting because too many before him didn’t.
Hey maybe you could comment on the things he’s doing to help the elderly in Florida like Property Tax reform?
We await that segment with bated breath.
(Though we’re not holding it.)
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