The Florida legislature is finally addressing the Chinese drywall problem. According to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, the Florida Senate’s Community Affairs Committee held their first hearing on the issue in Tallahassee yesterday.
Florida has been the state hardest hit by the Chinese drywall debacle. According to the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), just over 1100 Florida homeowners have reported problems with Chinese-made wallboard. It is estimated that thousands of Florida homes were built with the defective materials. Gases emitted from Chinese drywall are being blamed for significant property damage, including damage to HVAC systems, smoke detectors, electrical wiring, metal plumbing components, and other household appliances. These gases also produce a sulfurous odor that permeates homes, and cause metals, including air conditioning coils and even jewelry, to corrode. People living with Chinese drywall have also suffered eye, respiratory and sinus problems that may be linked to the gases.
Though the first complaints about Chinese drywall came from Florida homeowners a year ago, the state legislature has done little to address the problem. According to Herald-Tribune, lawmakers in other states have acted. Louisiana, for instance, has approved a measure intended to provide as much as $5 million to help homeowners affected by Chinese drywall. Local officials in Virginia Beach and Norfolk, Virginia have banned use of Chinese drywall in their cities. Laws have also proposed on the federal level that would, among other things, establish tighter regulatory standards over wallboard and other construction materials.
Despite the slow response of the Florida legislature, the Herald-Tribune reported that lawmakers on the Community Affairs Committee said there was an urgency to get something done to help affected homeowners. According to the Herald-Tribune, some actions the Florida legislature could consider include:
* Providing relief on mortgage payments for homeowners trying to rehabilitate their homes at the same time they have had to move their families because of potential health threats from the drywall.
* Developing a standard for remediating homes and certifying them as being free from the drywall problems.
* Allowing homeowners to receive a tax break to offset their rehabilitation costs.
* Providing help to homeowners trying to deal with insurance companies over the cost of the home rehabilitation.
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October 7th, 2009 at 8:43 am
Defective Chinese Drywall is certainly a problem and I’m glad to see it’s slowly being handled by the government. In the meantime residence should look at the option of testing to see if their home has it and if so should have it removed by experienced people.
October 7th, 2009 at 8:51 am
I am happy to see that the legislature is finally addressing this issue. It has been too long in coming. I hope that they use the scientific research available to make decisions. It has been show that this is a bacterial issue which can be treated with chlorine dioxide using the same gassing process as mold remediation in New Orleans. By not causing everyone to rip out exisiting drywall efftected homeowners can be saved millions in cost and weeks in inconvenience.
October 7th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
This has absolutely not been shown to be a “bacterial” issue! People who think that it is that easy to fix are not well educated or obviously not experiencing the toxic drywall nightmare. Quick fixes are “snake oil” and the ONLY way to properly fix the home is to remove all of the existing drywall, insulation, and perform tests on the concrete slab, since it is porous and can absorb the sulfur. Not only is the drywall affected, all the furniture in the home contains sulfur and is completely ruined. Believe me, we have spent thousands on testing and everything in our home is ruined. It is no different than losing all of your belongings in a fire! It isn’t only China to blame… there are American manufacturers at fault… some really big ones! They cannot be allowed to manufacture a defective product, put it on the market and not have to pay when it ruins homes and lives! We have to hold them responsible! As far as the gov response… what a joke! Talk to the people with Chinese drywall who don’t have a prayer of being made whole… tell them about the chlorine dioxide idea… hah! We need to tear all of these homes down and rebuild them… that would be a huge stimulus for the economy and put millions of construction workers to work. This entire disaster has been poorly handled and mismanaged, and unless you are living the nightmare… you have no idea what we are all going through!!