At the Parkwood Condominiums near Doral, a short trip to the lobby has turned into a daily grind of stair climbs, missed appointments and frayed nerves. With multiple elevators out of service for weeks, residents say elderly and medically fragile neighbors are effectively stranded inside their own homes as Miami-Dade’s late-spring heat keeps climbing too.
Tenants report that at 9240 Fontainebleau Boulevard, the elevator has been out since May 14. At 9270, the outage started May 15, and the elevator at 9180 is also down, according to CBS News Miami. Longtime resident Ronald Bedenis summed it up bluntly: "It's terrible. People are having a really difficult time." Neighbor Sandra Hanson said her 80-year-old husband cannot walk and is "very sick," leaving him stuck upstairs. Other residents described missing medical visits, struggling with grocery deliveries and feeling their stress spike as the stairs became the only way in or out.
What Florida Law Requires
Under Florida's Condominium Act, associations are responsible for the operation, maintenance and repair of common elements, a category that typically includes elevators. The law requires associations to budget for and take action to keep those shared systems working. As outlined by Florida's statutes, associations have the authority to "maintain, repair, and replace" common elements and can face state oversight in certain disputes when they fail to do so.
Management's Timeline
Atlas Property Management Services, which oversees Parkwood, told CBS News Miami that crews uncovered different mechanical problems in each affected building. One elevator is waiting on a damaged valve to be replaced, with that part expected by the end of the week. Another is missing a control card, and a third has a defective control board that the elevator company is working with the manufacturer to fix. Property manager Joaquin Alvarez said the condominium association has approved the repair work, but he did not give firm completion dates for all the buildings.
A Wider Pattern in South Florida
Parkwood’s elevator mess is not an isolated story. Around South Florida, similar breakdowns have been documented, with investigations finding elderly and disabled residents stuck for weeks or even months when elevators go out. A WPTV investigation pointed to gaps in enforcement and lawmakers weighing possible reforms, a backdrop that makes the outages at Parkwood all the more alarming; see WPTV for that reporting.
What Residents Can Do
Residents who believe their association is dragging its feet have a formal option: filing a complaint with the Department of Business and Professional Regulation's Division of Condominiums, Timeshares and Mobile Homes. That office handles certain condominium disputes and provides guidance on next steps. The division posts complaint forms and other resources online; more information is available from DBPR's Condominium Division.
