You have all heard the saying “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Apparently, The Florida Legislature overlooked this concept when it recently passed a bill which authorizes owners in community associations to vote by e-mail in their elections and for other unit owner votes. In condos, H.O.A.s and co-ops, the association may now conduct…
Author: admin
WHO MAKES BETTER BOARD MEMBERS, MEN OR WOMEN?
Happy belated Father’s Day to all of the fathers out there who are reading the blog today. I hope yesterday was filled with fun and joy and you were surrounded by the ones that you love and the ones that love you. If you were, it’s a pretty good guess you were not at the…
CAN A C.A.M. CERTIFY A DIRECTOR?
Certain issues are more near and dear to my heart than others. This is one of those issues. For those of you that have ever attended a Board Certification Course that I teach, I hope you would agree that a lot of hard work and preparation goes into the teaching of the course. Each slide…
HOW ONE ASSOCIATION LOST BIG BY FAILING TO UPDATE THEIR DOCS.
Every now and then, the courts of our state issue an opinion in a case involving a condo or HOA that is very important and certainly worth mention. On June 1st, the 4th District Court of Appeals issued a decision in Pundit 2 Joint Venture v. Westwood Gardens HOA that does not bode too well for some…
THE FALLACY OF COMPETITIVE BIDDING
Sometimes the exceptions to the rule swallow the rule, rendering the rule virtually meaningless. Mandatory competitive bidding is a fine example. The Florida Condominium Act provides: If a contract for the purchase, lease, or renting of materials or equipment, or for the provision of services, requires payment by the association on behalf of any…
THE LAWYERS V. THE MANAGERS --- SO WHO WON?
The long awaited decision by The Florida Supreme Court is finally in regarding what a licensed community association can do, without being accused of practicing law without a license. The Florida Bar tried hard to curtail what community association managers can do without a license to practice law, while the community association managers argued that…
CHECK YOUR CHECKS
Many of you may have seen the news again this week concerning allegations that another licensed community association manager misappropriated over $220,000.00 from a condominium association in Hollywood. Click here if you missed it: http://www.local10.com/news/lawsuit-property-manager-embezzled-228000-from-condo-association/32977920 It certainly seems to be a growing problem. Over the last few months I have personally been involved in three…
MEMORIES OF MOTHER’S DAYS PAST
A happy and healthy belated Mother’s Day to every mother reading today’s blog. Many of you already know that I grew up in a co-op in Brooklyn consisting of 4 buildings, each with 60 families. Mother’s Day I remember as something special. The weather was finally getting warmer. We would eat lunch or dinner in…
MUST WE ENFORCE EVERY LITTLE RULE?
The top story in the news the last week or two has certainly been the tragic death of Eric Garner in Staten Island, New York. Regardless of whether or not you believe the grand jury did or didn’t make the right decision, it seems that everyone is in agreement that it’s a shame all this…
DID YOU CORRECTLY WAIVE YOUR RESERVES?
As the weather begins heating up, our thoughts inevitably turn to the hurricane season that we deal with each and every year. Associations all across the state hope and pray that they’re able to escape the wrath of a storm for another year and that luck remains on their side. They have their fingers crossed…