VENICE, Fla. — A Florida condominium association is reversing a policy that allowed only singles and husband-and-wife couples to buy or lease units in the complex after an uproar from gay rights activists.
The Casa Di Amici Condominium Association Inc. held a special meeting Thursday to amend the rule previously approved on July 17, reported the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
Outrage over the decision put the quiet condo complex in the public eye, generating not only local attention, but media attention from across the country. LGBT advocates claimed the the policy was discriminatory against gay couples, who cannot legally marry in Florida.
An attorney with the condo association had initially argued that “there’s nothing illegal” about the policy because Florida state law does not outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.
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Board member Bill Moniz said at the meeting Thursday the policy was meant to keep corporations from buying multiple units in the neighborhood, not discriminate.
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The original wording was flagged by Julia Nowak, a gay realtor who owns a condominium in Casa Di Amici.
Nowak said she was glad the association took out the discriminatory language.
“The end result was great,” Nowak said. “We need a law to protect people and keep this from this happening again.”
Condominium owners will vote on the amendments within 45 days.
