The American Resort Development Association (ARDA) has a dedicated team of government relations professionals who work day in and day out to promote and defend the timeshare industry and timeshare owners at every level – from city and county commissions, to state legislatures and assemblies, to Capitol Hill. At ARDA’s recent Spring Conference, Timeshare Together: Leaders and Innovators, held in Orlando, Florida, attendees were provided several opportunities to hear important updates from the government relations team and special guests.
One such opportunity was the Legislative Committee Meeting, led by Chris Stewart, ARDA’s vice president of state government affairs. With the conference taking place in Florida, ARDA invited Chevonne Christian, director of the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s Division of Florida Condominiums, Timeshares, and Mobile Homes, to speak at the meeting. Chevonne provided an overview of staff changes at the division, briefly discussed the impact of legislation passed in the aftermath of the Surfside condominium collapse, and noted that the division is tracking several pieces of legislation this session that may impact condos and timeshares in the state. Chevonne also expressed her appreciation for the collaborative partnership the division has with ARDA, noting that the government relations team is always sure to solicit the division’s feedback on legislation.
Then, Robert Agrusa, president and CEO of the Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association, addressed attendees at the meeting. Robert highlighted how the hospitality industry has helped drive Florida’s economic recovery post-pandemic. He also provided an overview of legislation being considered in Florida that would impact tourism in the state and how the hospitality industry engaged to advocate on behalf of continued funding for VISIT Florida, the state’s tourism marketing entity.
Jeff Stern of Holland & Knight discussed a rule recently proposed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that prohibits non-compete clauses in contracts across the board. As this rule would impact the timeshare industry, Jeff assisted ARDA with drafting comments to submit to the FTC. He noted how ARDA’s comments highlighted several issues, including concerns with sales agents switching companies and taking customer lists with them, inside knowledge developer staff has regarding upcoming resort developments, and the personal relationships management companies develop with homeowners’ associations – all of which make non-compete clauses essential in employment contracts in the timeshare industry.
Jerry Kilgore of Cozen O’Connor then provided an update on data privacy laws around the country, noting that all state attorneys general agree on the need to protect the data and privacy of consumers. As such, they expect businesses to have procedures and protections in place to secure consumers’ data.
Addison Russell of Farrar & Bates, who assists ARDA’s government relations team in the state of Tennessee, gave attendees an overview of the legislative landscape in the state.
Justin Vermuth, ARDA’s vice president of state government affairs and deputy general counsel, closed out the Legislative Meeting with an update on legislative activity in the state of Hawaii this year. He noted that ARDA has made significant efforts to build strong relationships with new leaders in the state, which has provided the opportunity to advance three proactive bills this session, which touch on issues such as streamlining the registration process.
This year’s conference also included a high demand Regulators Luncheon, with the special event reaching full capacity as eager attendees gathered to hear updates on top regulatory issues. Chevonne was gracious enough to also speak at this event where she again provided an update on staff changes at the department and legislative issues the team is tracking that could impact the industry. She also gave insight into the number and nature of complaints the department receives relating to timeshare.
The majority of the luncheon focused on a panel of condo safety law experts who discussed legislation that was passed in Florida last session in response to the Surfside condo collapse. The panel was moderated by Kate Saft of Greenspoon Marder and featured Bill Guthrie of Foley Lardner, Paul Ryan of Marriott Vacations Worldwide, Steve Mainardi of Rimkus Engineering, Lena Combs of Withum and Robert Webb of BakerHostetler. Panelists discussed what buildings the new law applies to, questions that remain about various aspects of the law, and additional legislation that is being considered on the issue.
These events gave conference attendees insight into the depth and breadth of the issues that the ARDA government relations team is working on and involved in to ensure the continued success of the timeshare industry. The team will continue its tireless efforts to ensure that ARDA remains the frontline advocate for timeshare.