Evidence suggests builders knew of Chinese drywall problems as early as 2006.

In a 4300-word column in the Broward (FL) New Times (1/5), Tim Elfrink discussed the Chinese drywall problem in Florida. A New Times investigation, "with reporting from a freelance writer in Beijing, has found that some of the Chinese manufacturers who made the tainted drywall are still producing it by the truckload - likely without any new safeguards in place. And if these manufacturers deserve the blame, so do the builders, the contractors, and the suppliers who had documented evidence at least as early as 2006 that something was wrong with the drywall." Jeremy Alters, a Florida lawyer representing some homeowners, said, "It's awfully hard to believe [builders] were buying this quantity of Chinese drywall, putting it in homes, and not knowing what was going on." State Sen. Dave Aronberg said, "The only people taking any initiative are trial lawyers." He added, "The government has dragged its feet on testing, the state has not acted... and there's been no real legislation."

Aronberg pushing drywall legislation.

The Bradenton (FL) Herald (1/6, Marsteller) reports that Aronberg "says he is tired of waiting on Gov. Charlie Crist and the federal government to act more quickly on Chinese drywall, so he's asking his fellow legislators to take action." He "has filed several bills that would create a task force on the problematic building product, set standards for drywall and ban any that exceed them, and require those who remove and replace Chinese drywall to be licensed by the state." Although "the upcoming legislative session in March is expected to be dominated by the state budget, Aronberg said he's optimistic of his bills' chances for passage."