Most weeks we blog about particular statutes, laws, cases or regulations.  This week we’re going to blog about something that may be more important than all of those things.  Our behavior.  Our interaction with each other.  How we treat each other.

I think this blog is going for about a decade now.  You can just imagine how many negative comments were left by readers about board members, and how many board members left negative comments about jerks that live in their community.  I’m sure it would fill volumes.

So we have been under a lockdown now for nearly two months. Many of us, including yours truly, are going a little stir crazy.  We are all a little emotionally screwed up right now.

So, you would think that may translate into me receiving more e-mails or telephone calls to the Condo Craze radio show about nasty board members or big mouth unit owners, out of control rules and regulations, unit owners who won’t comply with social distancing.  But here’s the thing…….. it didn’t happen.  In fact, the reverse happened.  During this Coronavirus crisis the fighting, bickering, wining, complaining and usual belly aching from both sides actually went down.

Sometimes and unfortunately, it takes a crisis to put things in perspective.  When we are trapped in our homes, a thousand Floridians have died, millions are laid off and there are food lines that stretch for miles, suddenly the fact that you’re not thrilled with the carpet in the lobby isn’t that important or that the maintenance man hasn’t gotten around to painting the speed bumps in the community.

Boards who are normally aggressive in collecting association assessments, are suddenly realizing that it does no good to lien and foreclose on their neighbor’s home if they temporarily lost their job and can’t even collect an unemployment check because the system is months behind.  Instead, as suggested by a prior blog, there is compassion, there is common sense.

On the flip side, Boards have been forced to make tough decisions.  Do they stop guests, prevent new renters, keep out repairmen?  Difficult questions at a difficult time.  But unit owners far and wide stood by the decisions of their Board members and deep down were happy it wasn’t them being forced to make these extraordinary decisions.

I remember after 9-11, how the entire country was so patriotic.  I’m sure you didn’t forget all of the cars with flags hanging out the windows.  Another example of coming together after a tragedy.  But the flags and the comradery didn’t last long.  I’m hoping for a better result in our Florida community associations.  So far, we are off to a great start.