Townhouses at Jacaranda Residents' Watch

The New Format

2012-01-23T17:57:00.000-05:00

The TAJwatch blog has a new format. Google's Blogger calls it "Dynamic Views" because the viewers are easily able to change how the posts are displayed by clicking on a selection from the drop-down menu that is found in the upper left hand corner of this page, just under the Blog Title. The different looks have functional value, as some make it easier to glance through past posts, while others show pictures better, etc.

Also, don't forget that there is a search field in the upper right hand corner of the page. Enter a search term there and watch the blog respond -- especially when it is in "flipcard" format.

Across the top of the page, underneath the Blog Title, there are words that represent different pages. The pages are HOME, WELCOME, MANAGEMENT OFFICE INFORMATION, MAPS OF TAJ, and USEFUL LINKS. Select a page and you will see different information provided to you. Click on HOME to return to the posts.

One draw-back of the new format is that "widgets" and "gadgets" no longer work. All the links that used to be on the sidebar of the previously formatted blog are no longer there. However, you can find some of those same links (the most useful ones, in my opinion) through the USEFUL LINKS page.

I am interested in feedback. Feel free to email me or to comment.

TAJ Sentinel, January 2012

2012-01-15T12:39:00.000-05:00

BOD Meeting

2012-01-10T15:58:00.001-05:00

Special Assessment Meeting, Well Done

2012-01-05T16:27:00.000-05:00

I happened to stop in and listen to a portion of the Special Assessment (SA) meeting that was held on January 4th. I was able to see the paperwork that the BOD had prepared for the owners, and to listen to the dialogue that they were having.

Because I have attended many SA meetings I know how they often transpire. It seems that unit owners are typically on edge and suspicious (and who can blame them) and that the BOD members are frequently under-prepared and defensive.

Pictured, left to right: John Lovell, Mark Morgenstern, Carol Hazan, and Paulette Watson.

I was very pleased to see that the BOD was very well prepared with paperwork that appeared professionally done (thanks to the management office). They BOD members, themselves, were relaxed, respectful, and not overly defensive. As a result, in spite of palpable tension, unit owners were also respectful. A genuine dialogue took place between the two groups, and difficult decisions were made with both parties appropriately represented.

My hats off to the BOD and the management staff for their hard work and dedication in this matter. If this is a sample of how they conduct themselves in all matters, then we have a fine BOD (and management office), indeed. I also congratulate the unit owners of building 34 for their respectful conduct in such a difficult situation.

Reserves Meeting January 4th

2012-01-02T22:11:00.002-05:00

Every year it is necessary to go through the motions of rejecting the full-funding of building reserves. You should have received a ballot in the mail to fill out and turn in as your vote to reject, accept, or modify the building reserves. By default (if you do nothing) your building's reserves are fully funded (a state law dictates that it be done that way). So if you want to save yourself some money, join in with enough of your building's unit owners to reject full funding. To see previous years posts on the subject, click here.

Guide to Christmas tree disposal

2011-12-27T13:04:00.000-05:00

The Sun Sentinel published information about when and where to dispose of your Christmas trees, at the following link: Guide to Christmas tree disposal. Additionally, in the city of Plantation provided the information below:

TAJ Sentinel, November 2011

2011-11-05T22:41:00.002-04:00

* Editors note about protecting yourself from certain Association Assessments -- see previous post for an explanation of Loss Assessment Insurance

Dog Gone, Vultures!

2011-10-16T15:27:00.000-04:00

I wondered why there were vulture-like birds at our canal -- I have never seen those type in our area before. Closer inspection revealed the half-carcass of a little brown dog in the water at the south edge of the canal. The whole scene is just one little ugly segment in the circle-of-life.

Some Buildings Tented for Termite Extermination

2011-10-11T23:26:00.002-04:00

Building #38, above and below, as the tenting was underway...

Building #45, all tented up. Below, see a security guard. All the buildings appear to have security guards watching them around the clock.

Three buildings are currently under tents: 38, 44, & 45. For a list of all the buildings that are going to be tented, see the Ocotber TAJ Sentinel.

TAJ Sentinel, October 2011

2011-10-10T22:39:00.000-04:00

Please notice: 15 buildings are to have termite treatments, including possible tenting of the entire building. See details on page one of the TAJ Sentinel, below.

Questions About Parking

2011-09-07T09:21:00.003-04:00

A letter from a concerned unit owner:

"I am a TAJ resident and I am concerned that the recent change to start enforcing a no back-in parking rule has the potential to make our community less safe and expose our association to unnecessary liability. How would I and other concerned residents go about getting this rule amended? Thanks."

I agree. I think that it is much easier to drive out of my driveway, especially when there are cars double-parked behind other cars on my street, after I have backed into the space. It also provides better visibility so that pedestrians (little children) are at less risk.

Why is backing into the driveway prohibited? How does a ban of back-in parking make our community a better place?

Finally, what are the measures that we can take to change the rule?

TAJ Sentinel, September 2011

2011-09-01T09:11:00.000-04:00

Rain Gutter Problems for Building 33

2011-08-15T13:04:00.001-04:00

Rain gutters have been added to some buildings as a really good measure to help prevent water intrusion damage. However, the rain gutters themselves do require some maintenance. In the case of building 33, pictured below, it is clear that the gutter is so full of leaves and or debris (in spite of leaf guards having been installed) that the water is running over the top of the gutter and down the side rather than down the spout (06 August 2011 rainstorm). That particular downspout also has problems, in that the away-tube portion has never been installed and a rather large hole has grown, from rain-water erosion, at the back corner of that building's foundation. There are some simple solutions that can be applied. But there are multiple such problems around the property that have existed for several years and have not been addressed. Previous posts on this subject can be found by clicking this link: (Other rain gutter posts: rain gutters)

It is too bad that the tree trimmers didn't clean out the gutters while they were right there (on 04 August 2011) with the lift equipment that would make it an easy and fast task to accomplish.

TAJ Sentinel, August 2011

2011-08-08T22:45:00.000-04:00

TAJ Sentinel, July 2011

2011-07-21T13:13:00.001-04:00

The following newsletter was distributed to unit owners, and includes the notification of a TAJ Association rule change. As always, thanks to the BOD members who donate their time and energy, and thanks to the office staff for their dedicated service to our community.

The Clubhouse Gets New Doors

2011-05-12T15:21:00.000-04:00

The Clubhouse now has new doors, with impact resistant glass. It is nice to see improvements when they happen in our neighborhood.

TAJ Newsletter, May 2011 (Crime Watch Edition)

2011-05-10T11:45:00.003-04:00

The Board of Directors and the Property Management staff have distributed an excellent flyer that addresses important issues in the neighborhood. The seven pages of the flyer have been scanned and posted below.

A cleaning service (not really) that I would NOT recommend to anyone! and A Call For Neighborhood Watch

2011-04-22T14:00:00.003-04:00

Yesterday a cleaning service came to our home. Today I thought I would share my impressions of their work. The "good" is that they were very proactive (we did not have to call and remind them to show up), they were kinda' polite (they worked hard to avoid confrontation), and what they cleaned, they cleaned very well -- leaving no trace behind.

But they were a really VERY BAD cleaning service in other ways. Their work seemed quite rushed (I'm certain that they spent less than two minutes in our house, between 1 and 3pm), they were non-communicative (they entered and left without saying hello or goodbye), and they were thieves (they took a 42" plasma tv, and filled a pillow case with two laptops, Belle's Nintendo DSI XL game, Audrey's jewelery boxes, and some coin banks).

All in all, we have decided not to use them again. In fact, we have taken new measures to ensure that they do not return.

The property management and the police informed us that there were two other burglaries in our neighborhood within the past two weeks. Our homeowners' insurance policy has a small deductible, and we will easily replace our laptops and tv. Audrey's jewelry, mostly, had more sentimental meaning than actual pawn value -- it will not be hard to know what gifts to buy for her for the next several years. I have shown Belle how to set and use the house alarm system (not activated yesterday afternoon when the event took place) and how to lock and unlock the deadbolt -- that helped to restore her own sense of safety and well-being in her "safe-haven" home.

[To clarify, it was not a cleaning service that stole from us. Our house was burglarized, and I used the cleaning service metaphor for the sake of dark humor.]

A few weeks ago I witnessed a man steal a push-mower from the maintenance shed at 8:40am, just as my daughter was getting onto her school bus. He did it so blatantly out in the open, with the maintenance crew on the golf carts nearby, that I didn't even think it was a robbery until I reported it to the office later that day and they confirmed the theft. The police were called, then, too. But just as now, there is little chance that they will recover what was stolen or catch those that did it.

I get angry and sad to know that there are some people that are so rude and unhappy enough that they spend their time and energy in such hurtful activities. And then I remember that they, too, are God's handiwork and we're all just doing the best we can to "get by" in this life. I do not seek retribution as much as an answer for how to stop this from happening.

Clearly, one of our very best defenses against the bad people that do not respect us is to keep our eyes open and watch each others' homes and property. All TAJ residents have a stake in our common property, and we all wish to keep our homes and neighborhood free of theft and crime. Neighborhood watch means watching for suspicious activity and taking note of unusual visitors.

Red Light Cameras

2011-03-04T17:38:00.000-05:00

The following was cut and pasted from a Sun-Sentinel website
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sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/sunrise/fl-sunrise-red-light-fines-20110304,0,7403283.story

South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

Sunrise to fine red-light runners at 10 intersections

By Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel
4:07 PM EST, March 4, 2011
SUNRISE

Drivers blowing through red lights at 10 intersections in Sunrise after April 10 will risk a $158 fine if they are caught on camera.

The fines begin April 11, Police Lt. Brian Gerity said.

Under Florida law, cities with red-light cameras are required to notify the public at least 30 days before they begin fining drivers.

The intersections are:

Northbound on University Drive at Northwest 25th Court;
westbound on Oakland Park Boulevard at University Drive;
northbound on Flamingo Road at Oakland Park Boulevard;
southbound on Flamingo Road at Northwest 136th Avenue;
northbound on Flamingo Road at Blue Dolphin Boulevard;
southbound on Flamingo Road at Sunrise Boulevard;
northbound on Nob Hill Road at Sunset Strip;
northbound on Nob Hill Road at Oakland Park Boulevard;
southbound on University Drive at Oakland Park Boulevard; and
eastbound on Sunrise Boulevard at Sunset Strip.

Critics say the cameras are a money grab by the cities. Advocates say they make the streets safer by preventing accidents.

Sunrise will collect $75 for each violation and share the rest of the $158 fine with the state. If the fine is not paid within 30 days, it turns into a $277 traffic citation

Letter From A Concerned Resident

2011-02-24T13:12:00.001-05:00

The letter below was sent to the blog administrator after having been sent to the BOD. The author says that he has not received a response to his inquiry.

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With all due respect to the Board and finance committee who volunteered their time, why are we still having issues with the budget?

"Fully funded reserves" DOES NOT mean collecting all the funds in one year: it means determining the remaining useful life of the assets, how much is already in the bank, and how much is still left to collect. In 2009, the total amount to fully fund reserves was $25.33 per unit per month for the outstanding balance of $1.5 million, of which $103,000 was scheduled to be collected in 2009 to fully fund them that year. Based on the budget we received a few weeks back in the mail, the finance committee is using the same spreadsheets that were created several years ago and have in them the calculations for funding the association reserves.

I am unable to figure out how someone came up with $325 per unit per month, or $1.32 million, for 2011 ....we're not supposed to collect all of the funds in one year. And if an asset is already fully funded we don't have to fund it any further. State law I believe also requires the Board to re-evaluate the reserves every couple of years to correct the amounts and useful life - has this been done?

Your accountants - who may already be subject to disciplinary actions for not transferring 2010 and prior common area and building reserve funds each month to a separate reserve account as required by law and which you were previously notified about - should have corrected or advised you on this.

Please see the attached sheets from the proposed 2009 budget - specifically the Common Area Reserves worksheet that had the calculations from 2009.

I am not that smart, but I am smart enough to know that something is wrong when it took me less than 5 minute to review the old files, and your current spreadsheets you sent to us the other month, to see the mistakes. Our budget could have remained the same as last year and fully funded the reserves at about $23 per month per unit, or about $16 per month more than the first budget notice and $302 per month less than the budget you just sent us.

Who will be addressing this at the meeting on Thursday night? Who will answer the questions about insurance deductibles and were they passed back to all the units in the Association or did just the units in the buildings affected pay the deductible on their insurance claims, such as Building 2 and 31 (by law each building is responsible for their own expenses, including insurance premiums and deductibles)? When will the reserve funds that the Associaton colllected be transferred to the Reserve Accounts per Florida Statutes since Moody never transferred them (board votes don't override the law)?

Thank you.

718.111 (14) - note: we don't have investment funds, and Moody never transferred our reserve funds to our reserve accounts!COMMINGLING.—All funds collected by an association shall be maintained separately in the association’s name. For investment purposes only, reserve funds may be commingled with operating funds of the association. Commingled operating and reserve funds shall be accounted for separately, and a commingled account shall not, at any time, be less than the amount identified as reserve funds. This subsection does not prohibit a multicondominium association from commingling the operating funds of separate condominiums or the reserve funds of separate condominiums. Furthermore, for investment purposes only, a multicondominium association may commingle the operating funds of separate condominiums with the reserve funds of separate condominiums. A manager or business entity required to be licensed or registered under s. 468.432, or an agent, employee, officer, or director of an association, shall not commingle any association funds with his or her funds or with the funds of any other condominium association or the funds of a community association as defined in s. 468.431.

718.111(3)(f) - note: description of how to compute association reserve funds
Annual budget.—

2.In addition to annual operating expenses, the budget shall include reserve accounts for capital expenditures and deferred maintenance. These accounts shall include, but are not limited to, roof replacement, building painting, and pavement resurfacing, regardless of the amount of deferred maintenance expense or replacement cost, and for any other item for which the deferred maintenance expense or replacement cost exceeds $10,000. The amount to be reserved shall be computed by means of a formula which is based upon estimated remaining useful life and estimated replacement cost or deferred maintenance expense of each reserve item. The association may adjust replacement reserve assessments annually to take into account any changes in estimates or extension of the useful life of a reserve item caused by deferred maintenance. This subsection does not apply to an adopted budget in which the members of an association have determined, by a majority vote at a duly called meeting of the association, to provide no reserves or less reserves than required by this subsection. However, prior to turnover of control of an association by a developer to unit owners other than a developer pursuant to s. 718.301, the developer may vote to waive the reserves or reduce the funding of reserves for the first 2 fiscal years of the association’s operation, beginning with the fiscal year in which the initial declaration is recorded, after which time reserves may be waived or reduced only upon the vote of a majority of all nondeveloper voting interests voting in person or by limited proxy at a duly called meeting of the association. If a meeting of the unit owners has been called to determine whether to waive or reduce the funding of reserves, and no such result is achieved or a quorum is not attained, the reserves as included in the budget shall go into effect. After the turnover, the developer may vote its voting interest to waive or reduce the funding of reserves.

Flyer From Property Manager

2011-02-01T12:04:00.000-05:00

Flyer From BOD

2011-01-26T13:38:00.000-05:00

Announcement From the Board of Directors and the Management Office

2011-01-05T21:53:00.000-05:00

Information From Plantation City Utilities About Our Water Bills

2010-11-01T15:55:00.002-04:00

New Water and Sanitary Sewer Rates Have Been Implemented to Encourage Water Conservation - "Phase 2 Water Conservation Rates" are now in Effect

With my latest utilities bill I got a flyer that included information about water usage. More complete information is available at the Plantation City website.

From the Plantation City Website:

Mandatory Year-Round Landscape Irrigation Conservation Measures Rules of the South Florida Water Management District Effective: March 15, 2010
Residents and businesses with an even-numbered street address, no street address or those that irrigate both even and odd addresses within the same zones, which may include multi-family units and homeowners associations, may water lawns and landscapes on Thursdays and/or Sundays, only before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m.

Do We Have Parking Enforcement at TAJ?

2010-10-26T20:03:00.001-04:00

I spoke to office workers on Monday and Tuesday about this black truck that has been parked illegally and dangerously since Sunday night. The only change since then is that now more cars are parking in even more dangerous positions.

There used to be a no parking sign, but it is no longer there. Perhaps the maintenance crew could replace that and it might help drivers to know that they should not park there. Also, maybe they could put "NO PARKING" stickers on the cars to help educate the drivers.

For those who don't know, or can't figure it out, it is dangerous for other drivers when cars are parked there because it leaves a dangerously narrow passage. Furthermore, that corner is blind (meaning that opposing traffic cannot see each other ahead of time) and that leaves very little reaction time when drivers meet on-coming traffic. To add to everyone's collective concern is the knowledge that there are a number of young children that walk around that corner (there are no sidewalks). The combination of narrow space, blind corner, and the possibility of pedestrian traffic makes it imperative something be done to enforce the no-parking policy.

By the way, when I took the picture (above) there were six vacant parking spaces further down that very same road, along the canal.

A Strategy For Our BOD To Consider Re Abandoned Properties

2010-10-17T03:49:00.001-04:00

Thanks to Vera Biro for making us aware of the following article, which I have cut and pasted in its entirety (yes, a blatant copyright violation, I suppose) from the Sun Sentinel. The article addresses a strategy that some condo associations are using to deal the problem of uninhabited units.

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October 05, 2010|Daniel Vasquez on condos, Sun Sentinel Columnist

After winning a lawsuit against Wells Fargo that claimed the bank purposely delayed foreclosure proceedings on a condominium unit for more than a year, a Pompano Beach condo association has been awarded title to the unit without owing a dime on the original $184,400 mortgage.

The case, brought by the Palm Aire Gardens Condominium Association, is being seen as a precedent that could pave the way for other condo associations facing similar foreclosure delays.

"Banks are delaying foreclosures and abusing the process and our association is struggling financially because of it, that's why we filed our lawsuit." said Palm Aire Gardens President Oscar Garcia. "Now we own the property free and clear of the mortgage, which gives us options to sell it or rent it."

Palm Aire's legal strategy is being dubbed "The Mortgage Terminator" by the Association Law Group, the South Florida firm that represents the condo complex and hundreds of others across the state.

"Many of our association clients are already starting to use it," said attorney Ben Solomon, of Association Law Group. "The only criteria is that the association has title to the unit through its own foreclosure process and the mortgage holder has not initiated foreclosure yet."

As a result of the Broward County Court judgment in its favor, Palm Aire legally owns the two-bedroom, two-bath unit at the center of the case and is free sell it, recover about $14,000 in the past maintenance and pocket any profit after paying attorney fees and property taxes.

Many condo and homeowners associations across Florida suffer financial losses caused by owners who stop paying mortgage and maintenance fees and then vacate the property after being foreclosed upon by the association or bank. In Florida, condo and homeowners associations and banks are allowed to file separate foreclosure actions on a property for unpaid maintenance and mortgages.

When that happens, associations are out past-due fees and current fees, since no homeowner pays monthly maintenance fees. And associations often can't sell such units, because they are typically worth much less than the original mortgage but still have a lien for the original loan amount hovering over it.

In many cases, say lenders, the foreclosure process can take up to two years due to court backlogs, and because some lenders prefer trying to work out a deal with the original mortgage owner in lieu of foreclosure.

“Some people accuse us of taking too long, some accuse us of going too fast," said Alex Sanchez, spokesman for the Florida Bankers Association. "But the answer is no, Florida banks are not stalling foreclosures to avoid paying condos and homeowners associations unpaid maintenance dues.

"Anyone who says that does not understand the banking industry nor the banking regulatory environment."

Sanchez said in many cases the prolonged foreclosure is due to the bank trying to help owners who find themselves in a financial bind due to the bad economy. "If you want to accuse us of taking our time to work with Florida families to keep them in their homes, then [we're] guilty as charged."

Sanchez added that he was not familiar with the Association Law Group's legal strategy and could not comment.

Solomon said his firm understands and appreciates any lender trying to forego foreclosure and work out a payment plan with a homeowner behind in mortgage payments, as long as the homeowner is still living in the condo or home. But he said his firm's Mortgage Terminator lawsuits are aimed only at lenders who forestall on units or homes that have already been vacated by the owners and are now owned by the association via its owner foreclosure filing. "There is nothing to work out with the borrower in these cases because the owner does not own or live in the unit anymore," Solomon said. "There is nothing to work out, the owner has abandoned the property."

In the Palm Aire Gardens case, the owner purchased the condo unit in January 2006, signing a mortgage contract for $184,400. By April, 2009, the owner had fallen behind in maintenance fees by 11 months, owing about $5,500 in regular and special assessments. At that time the association, as allowed by Florida law, filed a foreclosure lawsuit, winning a judgment in Broward County Court and taking title of it in January of this year. By then the owner owed more than $9,000 in unpaid maintenance fees. The lawsuit led to a foreclosure judgment based on the unpaid maintenance fees against the property in Broward County Circuit Court.

Had the bank filed a foreclosure against the original owner and completed the process, it would have owed about $5,800 for its share of unpaid maintenance fees on the unit as required by state law. In Florida, banks are liable for up to 12 months of unpaid maintenance fees or 1 percent of the original loan amount, whichever is less. On Aug.13, Broward courts issued a judgment in favor of Palm Aire Gardens, granting it full title without being on the hook for the mortgage.

"The bank has a right to go after the owner for the original amount," Solomon said, "But it cannot sue the association for that loan amount."

Wells Fargo did not respond to requests for comment.

The current value of the Palm Aire Gardens unit is about $32,500 — about $150,000 less than what is owed on the original mortgage.

"But because of our lawsuit we can either choose to sell now and recover what money we can," said Garcia, the Palm Aire Gardens president, "or just to keep it, rent it out for now and sell in better market down the road."

Solomon said his firm aimed to help the association financially by forcing the lender, Wells Fargo, to either foreclose on the loan and pay its share of unpaid maintenance fees or, instead, agree to release its mortgage and walk away. According to three court judgments already won by Association Law Group, including another issued last week on the behalf of Palm Aire Gardens, the bank cannot later try to collect on the original loan amount from the association.

Enter the Mortgage Terminator: The Association Law Group came up with its new legal strategy. "The desired result is that the mortgage holder can either release its mortgage and walk away from the property, which is what we have already achieved in both Miami-Dade and Broward counties," Solomon said, "or cause the lender to initiate their foreclosure and take title becoming the new owner of the property."

Another case: Solomon said his law firm filed a similar lawsuit against Citibank several months ago on the behalf of 7149 Bay Drive Condominium Association.

In that case the lender did not contest the lawsuit in court, leading to a similar judgment in Miami-Dade Circuit Court that awarded title to the association without the legal "encumbrance" of the original mortgage.

Daniel Vasquez can be reached at CondoColumn@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4219 or 561-243-6686. His condo column runs Wednesdays in Your Money and at SunSentinel.com/condos. Check out Daniel's Condos & HOAs blog for news, information and tips related to life in community associations at SunSentinel.com/condoblog. You can also read his consumer column Mondays in Your Money and at sunsentinel.com/vasquez.

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Waste Disposal Public Service Announcement

2010-09-17T15:53:00.003-04:00

Broward.org/waste

How Long Did It Take?

2010-08-29T11:57:00.000-04:00

Nevermind. The tree got trimmed some way other than waiting for the management office and maintenance crew to respond to my request to have the tree pruned to remove an obstruction to my wife's vehicle.

Broward County Elections

2010-08-19T11:39:00.009-04:00

Are you thinking about voting in the up-coming Broward County Elections? While election day is August 24th, early voting happens in several places around the county. You can even vote through the mail. Those options and much more information are easily found on the Broward County Supervisor of Elections' website.

Maybe just as how to vote is the question of WHO to vote for. The Sun Sentinel has provided a forum for candidates to express themselves through blogging, and a voter's guide. Who knows how much and how accurate the information will be that you find on either of those sites (the information is provided by the candidates), but at least it is something. Rather than just randomly picking a name or voting by party affiliation alone, reading their words can give a voter some basis for making a choice. Also, the blog page has links to many articles from the Sun Sentinel about political events that it has recently covered.

I have heard it said that the wrong people do not get elected because people vote for them. Rather, the wrong people get elected because not enough people vote. We, the voters and citizens of Broward county, owe it to ourselves and each other to make an informed vote.

*I discovered, a day after I originally posted this article, that the Sun Sentinel also has a page describing their endorsements of various candidates.

Tree Trimming Needs

2010-08-09T16:11:00.002-04:00

This is an old picture, and the leaves are now hanging so low that they touch my car and interfere with passengers getting in and out of the vehicle. I called the office today at 3pm and got their answering machine so I left a message, and I also sent a request via email asking them to please trim back the tree, or give me permission to cut it myself and I would happily do the job. How long do you think it might take before something gets done?

TAJ Sentinel, July 2010

2010-07-02T13:43:00.008-04:00

The above pages were put on TAJ residents' doors on 1 July 2010. Good job to whoever put in the work to make and distribute this latest version of a community newsletter.

From page 4: 5 squatters? What the heck is THAT about? Are people illegally entering empty units that have been abandoned or neglected due to foreclosure? I guess it is important to know your neighbors for several reasons.

From page 3: For more information on Florida law 1196, click here. To read the actual Senate Bill 1196, click here.

Some of the BULK PICK-UP dates in the newsletter above are incorrect. The correct dates are: Jul 13, Aug 10, Sep 07, Oct 12, Nov 09, Dec 14. It is an easy mistake to make, so whoever wrote the newsletter (office manager or BOD member -- there is no authorship indicated) should not feel too bad about the snafu. Click here for more information and for links to the Plantation City website that shows the county-wide calendar and the written policy for bulk pick-up.

Plantation's Midtown

2010-06-07T17:02:00.005-04:00

The article about Plantation's midtown, below, was taken from the Sun Sentinel:

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sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/plantation/fl-plantation-fountains-20100606,0,6477822.story

South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

Plantation's Midtown takes shape

By Lisa J. Huriash, Sun Sentinel

10:17 PM EDT, June 6, 2010

Taking a mall that's a known quantity and turning it into something new is helping the Fountains Shoppes of Distinction defy the odds in this recession, its developers say.

The Fountains renovation project is just months away from completion, making it a rarity in South Florida's struggling construction industry.

Plantation sees the mall as the centerpiece of a live-work-play community that will serve as this city's Midtown centerpiece, a commercial and residential attraction.

"They'll come for a destination. 'Let's go walk around the Fountains,'" said attorney Paul D'Arelli, who represents the project's two developers. "It's what Plantation has been trying to create, a sense of downtown that they lacked before. Here people can congregate."

The old Fountains mall, just south of Broward Boulevard on the west side of University Drive, has been struggling for years. In 2002, after big retailers Linens-N-Things, Old Navy and Ross Dress for Less moved out, patrons and store owners complained about the emptiness.

The City Council decided to do something and think big. The plan was to redesign the mall and combine it with a residential component so it could be both self-contained for city dwellers, and a regional marketplace for shoppers.

"We wanted to head off the possibility of our midtown area becoming blighted like [State Road] 441 had done," said Councilman Jerry Fadgen. "It was a unanimous decision to make it a more vibrant area of the city."

In the following years, the city began to think about a downtown concept and named it "Midtown," reflecting its central location. The city held public design meetings for business owners and residents to talk about their visions, and then the developers came around, Fadgen said.

In June 2006, the City Council approved plans for two residential towers on unused parking lot space in the back of the mall. The retail component followed in 2008.

Developer Granvil Tracy's 252-unit Midtown 24 apartment complex is up and running. The first tenants moved in a few months ago.

"There's always a risk, but the reality is people need shelter — it's a necessity," said Tracy. The tower is 20 percent occupied. When it fills up, he plans to start construction on a second, 226-unit tower.

As for the mall, it got a new anchor in December: Kohl's Department Store. Anchor transience had been a chronic problem.

Once completed, the expanded Fountains will have 477,343 square feet of commercial space. A Dick's Sporting Goods — the first one in Broward County — will move in this winter, as will a Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores.

Existing stores, including a dry cleaner, Jenny Craig, TooJay's Gourmet Deli, Stromboli Pizza and Pat's Macabi Cigar Bar, were shifted to new locations.

Before, the mall was shaped like the letter "E," making it hard for people to browse, said project attorney D'Arelli.

"It wasn't pedestrian friendly, it wasn't vehicular friendly. Cars would come in and they couldn't figure out how to get from one side of the 'E' to the other," he said. "The circulation was very bad."

The new design eliminates the center wing, allowing for easier access.

Ken Luba, who manages the cigar bar, said he's already starting to see more pedestrian traffic. Before, "we were in an obscure part of the mall. It's going to be interesting to see how it all fits together."

Jo Anne Di Fiore, the co-owner of Stromboli Pizza, said she's staying optimistic.

"The end product will probably be beautiful, but now we have dust and bulldozers," she said. "The end justifies the means, when we get new tenants and the roads are nice."

She's hoping the pedestrian friendly idea takes off, and worries about the mall's overall health.

"People don't really walk too much in Florida. Maybe in the winter, but in the summertime it gets brutal. And it's a big risk for anybody to go into business right now."

Across the country, there is little new development, said Marty Richmond, spokesman for Ohio-based Developers Diversified Realty, which is redeveloping the mall. Richmond said the company has spent $24 million so far.

"Redeveloping shopping centers is an efficient way to meet growing demand, particularly in high-quality locations," he said. "We are starting to see retail demand increase."

Councilwoman Diane Veltri Bendekovic said she envisions a bustling shopping area.

"The Fountains is coming back," she said. "By the next holiday season we'll have a lot of activity. You always want that for your city."

"The important thing is people come —horse, car, walk, I don't care," she said. "Just as long as they come."

**************************************************************************

NOAA's 2010 Hurricane Season Predictions

2010-05-27T16:12:00.003-04:00

The article below was taken from the Sun Sentinel's Storm Center website:

**********************************************

Expect an active to extremely active storm season that could be almost as intense as 2005, government forecasters said today.

They released an outlook calling for 14-23 named storms, including eight to 14 hurricanes. They call for three to seven of the hurricanes to be major, with sustained winds greater than 110 mph.

If the outlook holds true, it would be one of the most active seasons on record. In 2005, historically the most active year, 28 storms, including 15 hurricanes emerged. The average season sees 11 named storms, including six hurricanes, two intense.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s seasonal outlook, released during a press conference in Washington, D.C., makes no attempt to say how many storms will strike land or what parts of the coastline are most at risk.

However, NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco said, "The greater likelihood of storms brings an increased risk of a landfall. In short, we urge everyone to be prepared.”

Like other climatic experts, those at NOAA said abnormally warm waters in the tropical Atlantic combined with the disappearance of El Niño should fuel the season.

Indeed, it’s possible that La Niña, El Niño’s polar opposite, could emerge over the summer, a factor that could make for a hyperactive season, experts say.

“The main uncertainty in this outlook is how much above normal the season will be," Gerry Bell, NOAA's lead hurricane forecaster, said. "Whether or not we approach the high end of the predicted ranges depends partly on whether or not La Niña develops this summer."

He added that at present, the atmosphere is "in a neutral state, but conditions are becoming increasingly favorable for La Niña to develop.”

While El Niño creates strong wind shear that disrupts storm formation, La Niña calms the atmosphere, allowing systems to grow.

The 2010 Atlantic hurricane season starts on June 1 - this Tuesday - and runs through Nov. 30.

Last May, NOAA predicted nine to 14 named storms, including four to seven hurricanes. Of those, it expected one to three to be major.

The season actually saw nine named storms, including three hurricanes, two intense, making for the slowest year since 1997.

NOAA officials say the seasonal outlook is meant to be a guide, to let people know what’s in store. No matter how many storms are forecast, they urge residents to prepare the same each year – as though at least one hurricane might hit.

NOAA will issue an updated hurricane outlook in early August, prior to what is historically the peak of the hurricane season.

**********************************************

Changes to I595

2010-05-11T14:14:00.004-04:00

There is construction happening on Interstate 595. The Sun Sentinel described the changes that are underway and also some history of I595. It was a very interesting read. The three photos in this post are taken from the Sun Sentinel.

Who Reads Our Blog?

2010-05-10T17:19:00.002-04:00

I wonder why people from all around the world read this blog about our community. Somebody in India not only read this blog but also downloaded many of the pictures from it. I wonder why. What do you think?

TAJ From Above

2010-04-24T14:30:00.000-04:00

Hurricane Season Again

2010-04-08T16:15:00.005-04:00

The following was taken from USA Today, online. Click here to go to the original story.

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2010 forecast as busy year for hurricanes

By Doyle Rice, USA TODAY

The Atlantic basin is facing a busier-than-usual hurricane season, in part because of record warm water in the ocean, according to the latest hurricane forecast.

Colorado State University's forecast, released Wednesday, calls for 15 named tropical storms this year in the Atlantic basin, which includes the Carribean and Gulf of Mexico. The team says eight will become hurricanes, with sustained winds reaching 74 mph. Four are expected to be major hurricanes — Categories 3, 4 or 5 — with maximum wind speeds of 111 mph or greater.

The average Atlantic hurricane season, going back to 1950, has 10 named storms — six of them hurricanes, and two of those major.

"The probability of a major hurricane making landfall along the U.S. coastline is 69%, compared with the last-century average of 52%," says William Gray, a member of Colorado State's Tropical Meteorology Project.

At the end of March, the part of the Atlantic Ocean where hurricanes form was the warmest it has ever been for this time of year, says Phil Klotzbach, the team's lead forecaster. "The average water temperature is about 78 degrees," he says. Hurricanes need water temperatures of about 80 degrees to form.

Forecasters say the unusually warm water, coupled with the diminishing El Niño in the Pacific, will lead to an active season. El Niño produces strong winds at upper levels of the atmosphere that tear developing hurricanes apart, which is what caused the quiet season last year.

Insurance companies, emergency managers and the news media use the forecasts from Colorado State to prepare Americans for the season's likely hurricane threat.

Since 2000, the team has under-forecast the number of named tropical storms and hurricanes four times, over-forecast three times, and been almost right — within two storms — three times, a USA TODAY analysis shows. In 2009, the team predicted 12 named storms and six hurricanes. Nine named storms actually formed, including three hurricanes.

Last month, the private forecasting firm AccuWeather predicted 16 to 18 tropical storms and hurricanes would form, and seven would make landfall on U.S. shores.

Hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. The first named storm will be Alex.

Doorknob Flyer from the BOD

2010-03-25T12:25:00.002-04:00

TOWNHOUSES AT JACARANDA CONDOMINIUM ASSOC.

8201 NW 8 Street · Plantation, Florida 33324

Phone: (954) 472-2283 · Fax: (954) 472-3857

Board of Directors

Wendi Hill, President

John Lovell, Vice-President

Phyllis Fabara, Treasurer

Paulette Watson, Secretary

Ben Odebralski, Assistant Secretary

Mark Morgenstern, Director

Carol Hazan, Director

Dear Unit Owners and Residents,

There have been some recent developments in regard to our Hurricane Wilma insurance claim for building damage. It looks as if we may reach a resolution on this painstakingly long ordeal we have been subjected to. Our appointed judge, after hearing a recent motion, has allowed the insurance company ninety days to investigate for mold damage. The short story is that we desperately need your cooperation in facilitating an inspection of the unit interiors. The inspection of the unit interiors will begin this Monday, the 22^nd of March. Our representatives from Epic Adjusters and maintenance staff will accompany the insurance company’s inspectors from Rimkus Consulting Group as they look for damage in the units.

Please be sure to let the inspectors know of any and every place that has leaked after the storm, even if the area no longer leaks, or has been repaired.

1. Please point out areas that were water stained, even if they have been repaired since the storm.

2. Point out any fixtures that are rusted due to leaks as a result of the storm.

3. Point out any soft drywall or soft exterior wood paneling, even if it simply got worse after the storm.

4. If you can see any water stains on the underside of the roof by looking in your attic, please photograph it, or let us know. This is to check for any damaged or failing roof structure.

5. Please provide to our office (and only our office) any pictures of hurricane damage that you have.

6. If you filed your own hurricane claim with your own insurance company, any documentation or records showing this will be instrumental in furthering our case. Please stop by our office and allow us to make copies of these items.

**Please contact the office and let us know the day and time that you will be available for inspections in order to schedule you in accordingly**

This is a very important and time sensitive matter and we greatly appreciate your cooperation.

With Regards,

Townhouses at Jacaranda

Locked Out?

2010-03-22T19:08:00.007-04:00

The reasons that certain common-area facilities are locked are public safety and also to prevent property damage. As you can see in the pictures below, the fences around the pool, tennis court, and playground are in such disrepair that they can no longer keep everyone out.

Unfortunately, property damage is repaired at the expense of unit owners -- unless someone wants to claim responsibility for tearing the tennis net, breaking the playground swings, or destroying the fences. What if the people that broke the property actually had to pay for the property -- do you think it would break less?

The gate on the tennis court (below, left) does not even latch. A sturdy lock and chain on both playground gates does manage to keep some people out -- the rule-abiding children who would like to play there.

Busy Hurricane Season May Be Ahead

2010-03-11T09:36:00.004-05:00

South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
Active 2010 hurricane season predicted

The Associated Press 4:14 AM EST, March 11, 2010

Meteorologists are predicting an active 2010 hurricane season with above-normal threats on the U.S. coastline.

Hurricane Forecaster Joe Bastardi, with the AccuWeather.com Hurricane Center, said Wednesday that he predicts seven landfalls. Five will be hurricanes and two or three of the hurricanes will be major landfalls for the U.S.

Bastardi forecasts 16 to 18 tropical storms in total, 15 of which will likely be in the western Atlantic or Gulf of Mexico.

In a typical season, there are about 11 named storms, with only two or three impacting the coast of the United States.

The rapidly weakening El Nino, warmer ocean temperatures, weakening trade winds and higher humidity levels will all contribute to greater storm activity.

Change of Staff

2010-03-03T13:38:00.002-05:00

Apparently there has been a change in the Property Management staff. I do not yet know all the details, but Beth G. is reportedly not in the office anymore, and there have been changes in the maintenance crew.

More details will be provided as they become known.

Office Closure Feb 15th - 22nd

2010-02-18T09:18:00.002-05:00

I stopped by the office to follow-up on the wild rumor that the property management staff had quit. Taped to the front door was the message that due to an internal financial audit the office is to be closed for a week.

I have no further information about this situation other than to say that I do not recall this having happened before. I mean, is this a standard operating procedure, or this an extraordinary measure that signals the existence of a significant problem?

Bulk Pick-up Schedule for 2010

2010-02-01T10:00:00.006-05:00

Jan 12
Feb 09
Mar 09
Apr 13
May 11
Jun 15
Jul 13
Aug 10
Sep 07
Oct 12
Nov 09
Dec 14

For more information, click here, or here.

Let Your Light Shine...

2010-01-24T22:35:00.004-05:00

The President of the BOD had promised that the light would be fixed. Years of disappointment had convinced me that it would never happen. But now I want to say THANK YOU to both W2ndi H1ll and the TAJ management and maintenance crew for fixing the light between buildings 35 & 36. It has been since Hurricane Wilma, in October of 2005, that our street looked like the picture below left. But this past week the maintenance crew did the hard manual labor necessary to bring the illumination, below right.

Haiti Relief

2010-01-22T16:51:00.001-05:00

There are a number of organizations that are trying to provide some relief to the people of Haiti. TAJ is apparently also making an effort.

Building Reserves Funding

2010-01-13T17:06:00.003-05:00

It is time, once again, for each building (each building is an individual condominium) to cast their collective vote regarding the funding of their building's reserve fund. By law, if the building does not vote, the owners will owe the amount that has been estimated by the BOD to fully fund the reserve fund for their building. In the years that I have observed the outcomes of the voting process, it is extremely rare that unit owners want to pay the fully funded amount. The forms below were mailed to unit owners to complete and return by the published date, January 28th at 7:30pm.

Annual Budget Meeting: Attendance Low, Monthly Fees High

2010-01-12T16:58:00.004-05:00

Of the several hundred unit owners that make up the TAJ community and will collectively share the cost of the $1,040,949.00 budget in 2010, four of us showed up for the Annual Bedget meeting on Monday, January 11th.

The BOD members out-numbered the unit owners 2 to 1. Our thanks goes out to the BOD and especially the Finance committee for their work in the creation of the annual budget. It is not an easy task and we appreciate that they donate their time to do this for all of us.

Yearly Budget Meeting; Something Missing?

2010-01-11T07:34:00.008-05:00

It is time, once again, for the yearly budget to be approved for the following year. This includes determining the yearly maintenance fee that is assessed to all unit owners (and then divided into equal monthly payments). As part of the process, the BOD is required to determine what the buildings' reserve amounts should be. Each building is then allowed the opportunity to vote to reject the proposed reserves for their building. All this is part of the law in Florida, as shown in an earlier post.

The BOD sent out the flyers shown above. However, in past years the BOD also sent out proxy ballots so that unit owners could submit their votes to reject the proposal without having actually to attend the budget meeting. It seems that the proxy ballots did not get sent out this time. Does that mean that in order to reject the proposed monthly payment of $410 in favor of the lessor payment of $260 each building has to have a majority of their owners show up at the meeting?

Florida Statutes Chapter 718.112(1)(f)2:
2. In addition to annual operating expenses, the budget shall include reserve accounts for capital expenditures and deferred maintenance. These accounts shall include, but are not limited to, roof replacement, building painting, and pavement resurfacing, regardless of the amount of deferred maintenance expense or replacement cost, and for any other item for which the deferred maintenance expense or replacement cost exceeds $10,000. The amount to be reserved shall be computed by means of a formula which is based upon estimated remaining useful life and estimated replacement cost or deferred maintenance expense of each reserve item. The association may adjust replacement reserve assessments annually to take into account any changes in estimates or extension of the useful life of a reserve item caused by deferred maintenance. This subsection does not apply to an adopted budget in which the members of an association have determined, by a majority vote at a duly called meeting of the association, to provide no reserves or less reserves than required by this subsection. However, prior to turnover of control of an association by a developer to unit owners other than a developer pursuant to s. 718.301, the developer may vote to waive the reserves or reduce the funding of reserves for the first 2 fiscal years of the association's operation, beginning with the fiscal year in which the initial declaration is recorded, after which time reserves may be waived or reduced only upon the vote of a majority of all nondeveloper voting interests voting in person or by limited proxy at a duly called meeting of the association. If a meeting of the unit owners has been called to determine whether to waive or reduce the funding of reserves, and no such result is achieved or a quorum is not attained, the reserves as included in the budget shall go into effect. After the turnover, the developer may vote its voting interest to waive or reduce the funding of reserves.

~12 Jan 2010~ At the BOD meeting to ratify the annual budget, held on 1/11/2010, the BOD indicated that the proxy ballots were soon to be mailed out to owners and that there was to be a subsequent meeting to determine each buildings' vote on reserve funding.

Can "Dead-Beats" Use Common Area Facilities?

2009-12-01T17:57:00.004-05:00

The following article was found on the Sun Sentinel's Condo Law section. It is about denying use of the common area to association members that do not pay their fair share of the common area maintenance fees.

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Should "Mrs. Smith" be able to use the pool if she hasn't paid her maintenance in a year?

Posted by Donna DiMaggio Berger, Esq. on August 25, 2009 08:30 AM

Hardly a day goes by that I am not contacted by a client asking whether or not certain common area and recreational use rights can be shut off for a chronically delinquent owner. The frustration that these board members, paying unit owners and property managers express is easy to understand. It must be difficult to share a spot by the pool with a neighbor who hasn't paid maintenance in nearly two years!

One of the reasons many people buy in common interest ownership communities is the recreational amenities that most people couldn't afford without a budget shared by many. Over time, people tend to forget all of the amenities that initially drew them to a particular community: tennis court, pool, clubhouse, guard gate, etc. When non-paying owners continue to use these facilities without contributing to their expenses and upkeep, the rest of the community naturally does a double take.

If you live in a homeowners' association, Chapter 720 does give the board the authority to suspend a delinquent owner's use rights and voting rights if the proper authority is provided in the declaration or bylaws. Many HOA's have amended their documents over the last few years to take advantage of this signficant tool.

Unfortunately, no such right exists for condominium boards. Last year, my firm drafted language for inclusion in two bills which would have given condominium boards the similar right to suspend use rights for delinquent owners. Sadly, that bill and every other community association bill failed.

When I am asked by a condominium board if they can make "Mrs. Smith" use the visitor entrance at the gate, stop her from using the pool or shut off her cable, I point them to Section 718.106 (3) of the Condominium Act which clearly states that a unit owner is "entitled to use the common elements in accordance with the purposes for which they are intended but no use may hinder or encroach unpon the lawful rights of other owners." At the time this language was written, the drafters could not have foreseen our current foreclosure crisis and the fact that it is not equitable to give such unfettered rights to owners who might not have paid their fair share of common expenses for quite some time.

The language we drafted last year will return next session. Please make sure your condominium communities support such change loudly and early. There is no justifiable reason that HOA boards should have this useful tool while condominium boards are deprived of same.

*************************************************************************************

Will Insurance Rates Rise?

2009-12-01T17:36:00.003-05:00

Lisa Magill recently wrote an article of interest about Condominium property insurance in Florida: Citizens' to Increase Condo Insurance Premiums by 20%

She writes:

"Citizens' Property Insurance is the state-run, not-for-profit insurer of 'last resort' in Florida, created in 1992 and operating pursuant to Section 627.351, Florida Statutes. It insures over 23,000 commercial residential properties in Florida and recently issued an Agent Technical Bulletin notifying the public of its intent to increase premiums for policies affording coverage to properties valued in excess of $10 million. Many policyholders will see rates increase by 20%. Insurance premiums are often the most significant line item in a community association budget. Communities already struggling with shortfalls and bad debt need to take the increases into account when preparing budgets for the upcoming year."

I don't know if this will have an impact on TAJ's insurance or our budget, but I thought I would bring this development to the attention of the finance committee as they go into the new year and the new proposed budget.

Tax Credits for First-time Home Buyers May Make it Easier to Sell TAJ Homes

2009-11-09T16:33:00.006-05:00

The article below was taken from a Zillow blog. Click here to go to the original article. Perhaps with incentives like this tax credit owners will have more success in selling their TAJ properties.

*********************************************************************************
$8000 Tax Credit Extended Through April 30, 2010

By: Diane Tuman, Zillow Content Manager | November 6, 2009

In what has been urged as a must-have by real estate professionals and builders, the $8000 tax credit for first-time home buyers (previously due to expire Nov. 30), has been extended through April 30, 2010, according to the Associated Press. Not only has it been extended, but it has also been expanded to include more buyers.

Details on Tax Credit Extension:

$8000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers extended for buyers who sign a contract by April 30, 2010 (and who close by the end of June).
$6500 tax credit offered to homebuyers who have lived in their current residence at least five years and who want to “trade up” (buy a new primary residence).
Couples earning as much as $225,000 a year and individuals earning up to $125,000 would qualify (up from $75,000 for individuals and $150,000 for couples).
Tax credit not applicable for those buying homes worth more than $800,000.
Those who sell their new home or stop using it as their main residence within three years would have to repay the credit.

Will the Tax Credit Extension Help?

According to a recent survey Zillow conducted through Harris Interactive, nearly one in five (18%) prospective first-time home buyers said extending the $8,000 tax credit would be the primary influence on their decision to buy a home before the end of 2010, potentially stimulating an additional 334,000 home sales. The caveat here is the survey asked first-time homebuyers if they would purchase a home prior to the end of 2010; this bill will only go through April 2010, not the end of 2010 and it involves a different type of buyer, as well.

The cost for the tax credit extension is estimated to be $10 billion and opinions vary on whether it will actually help the economy or not. One writer provides 5 reasons the U.S. should stop homebuyer perks.

What do you think of the tax credit extension? Good or bad? Jump into Zillow Advice and take part in discussions on the tax credit extension.

What the Heck?

2009-11-09T13:27:00.003-05:00

What's going on, on 9th court? The sign on the fire hydrant reads:

DO NOT TURN OFF
WATER QUALITY MAINTENANCE
IN PROGRESS

Tennis Court Vandalism

2009-10-13T12:05:00.000-04:00

While walking to the pool with my daughter I noticed that the tennis court net had been damaged. Then I noticed that the tennis court gate does not lock, which explains why the damage happened. It was likely the result of kids hanging or otherwise playing on the net in ways that harm it.

TAJ Sentinel, October 2009

2009-10-05T12:06:00.003-04:00

Flyers From the Board of Directors, I Guess

2009-09-24T11:38:00.002-04:00

Although there are no "by-lines" anywhere in this newsletter, the names of the Board of Directors are listed in two places. It is probably safe to assume that this information is coming from and has been approved by them. To view a larger image, click on any of the pictures below.

Aerial View: Old Picture

2009-09-23T15:02:00.002-04:00

This is an old picture because it does not reflect the new roofs that have been put on many of the buildings in the neighborhood. But it still does a good job of showing the shape and dimensions of the TAJ community.

As The Flu Season Approaches...

2009-09-17T18:46:00.003-04:00

Have you ever wondered how to tell the difference between a cold and a flu? The Department of Health and Human Services has circulated the flier pictured on the left to help people to know the differences between the two maladies. Click on the picture for a larger image.

TAJ Sentinel, September 2009

2009-09-12T18:21:00.000-04:00

BOD Meeting: 14 September 2009, 7pm

2009-09-12T12:38:00.004-04:00

According to the office management staff, the next TAJ Board meeting will be on September 14th at 7pm. The normal meeting was postponed a week due to the Labor Day holiday. As always, the public is allowed to attend and unit owners will be given an opportunity to participate with their comments, questions, and concerns.

CALL FOR ASSISTANCE

I think that it is useful information for the TAJ community to know which Board members are in attendance at the meetings and to know what items are discussed, etc. However, I am often unable to attend the meetings. I need help from someone, anyone, who would be willing to take some notes at the meetings. If you would be willing to provide me with that information I would make the process an easy one for you. Contact me via email if you are willing to help. You can send me an email by clicking the link in the left column, or by using this address: TAJResident@gmail.com.

Construction Committee Meeting

2009-09-09T07:52:00.000-04:00

According to the signs at the TAJ entrances, there will be a Construction Committee meeting on September 10, Thursday.

Vandalism at the Pool

2009-09-07T13:38:00.006-04:00

When I read the bulletin from the office about vandalism in the pool area I was not sure what to think. When I went there today with my daughter and her friend to go swimming I looked around to see signs of vandalism. Just inside the gate is an electrical outlet that is in need of repair, but I'm not sure that was the work of vandals...

And I was happy to see that there was pool furniture to sit on. When a family member had previously visited the pool there was not any for them to sit on. There are a few sets of the upright chairs around tables, set out for us to use.

When we were walking back to our home I spied the evidence of the vandalism. In the maintenance area adjacent to the pool and the clubhouse, and visible from the parking lot, there is a stack of reclining lawn chairs. Apparently the bottom section of these chairs has been damaged. As I recall, the cloth in these chairs was quite sturdy and thought to be able to handle a lot of weight. To see them in such bad shaped can only suggest that somebody was actually standing or even jumping on the chairs, causing the material to rip from its fasteners. What a shame that anyone would treat our property to carelessly. And to do it to more than one chair suggests an attitude of deliberate destruction. There it is: vandalism.

Why should anyone care about vandalism? Because it costs money to repair. Every owner here has to pay for it. Whether it comes out of your building reserves, your monthly maintenance, or out of your purse/wallet, damage to our property is cash out of your personal economy. As if financial matters were not hard enough, some idiots (vandals) have to go and make things worse.

Nothing To Worry About, Most Likely

2009-09-01T23:53:00.001-04:00

It is nothing to really worry about just yet, and will likely never be a problem for us here in South Florida, but Tropical Storm Erica is a reminder that we do live in a hurricane-prone part of the world.

Building Maintenance Issue: Rain gutters

2009-09-01T00:22:00.012-04:00

You might recognize this picture from an earlier post. It shows the damage that happens to our buildings when we do not adequately protect them from water intrusion. This picture of building 27 shows that the water had leaked through the stucco, rotted through the underlying plywood sheathing, rotted through the insulation, rotted several 2x4s, and had even rotted some of the paper off of the outside of the interior drywall. Damage that extensive is very expensive to repair, and even more so when it is involves replacing supportive trusses that have been rotted. The finding of rotted underlying materials has been a very common theme in our building refurbishments, resulting in very costly change-orders.

To address the problem of water intrusion, our buildings have all been given rain gutters when they are refurbished. Unfortunately, building 35 had one gutter that was perpetually clogged by leaves from the nearby trees. Those same trees clogged the rain gutters of buildings 33 & 40, also. In the pictures below (building 35 on the left, 33 on the right) you can see that clogged gutters do little to protect the walls of a building. When I noticed this problem, I made my first request (August 2007) for the installation of leaf guards.

I was pleased when I noticed that buildings 33 and 40 got the needed leaf guards installed. Their rain gutters now functioned perfectly, moving the water away from the walls and down the downspouts where it cannot rot the buildings' wood. But I was very displeased to find that building 35 did not have the leaf guards installed. I compared the downspout productivity of the two buildings (pictured below, building 35 left, 33 right) and immediately suffered from downspout envy! I wanted my gutters to work as well as my neighbors. So I asked the Property Manager and made my concerns made known to the Board of Directors. My building remained without leaf guards.

The Board of Directors eventually did send out a notice, in September 2008, that they intended to make assessments and install leaf guards on buildings that needed them. The assessment for building 35 would have been $864.00 (6 x $144.00). Unfortunately, that special assessment did not happen, and the leaf guards did not happen.

In all fairness, you may recall that the Board of Directors at that time was involved with mid-term re-election turmoil and associated controversies. They were also in the process of straightening out some very difficult financial and accounting problems. By comparison, leaf guards can seem like a very small issue. Nonetheless, I think that building maintenance is too easily overlooked and dangerously forgotten. So I made another request for leaf guards in March 2009.

The response that I got was that the maintenance men occasionally climbed ladders to the roofs and scooped out the leaves that clogged the gutters. The problem with that is that it did not work. Clogs reoccurred too quickly.

So eventually I bought leaf guards myself. Eight three-foot lengths cost a grand total of less than $16.00 at the local hardware store (pictured left, below). Click on the picture (below, right) to enlarge it and look closely, and you can see the leaf guard installed on the left side of the gutter on the back of building 35.

Now building 35 no longer suffers from downspout envy. The pictures below show the output during a recent daytime downpour. Both buildings 35 (below, left) and 33 (below, right) have leaf guards, fully functioning downspouts, and relatively dry walls during heavy rains. The problem was solved for a small fraction of the proposed price. Building 35 saved $848.00 in the cost of leaf guard installation. More importantly, it will save itself thousands of dollars by protecting itself from the inevitable rot that happens when water intrudes through a building's siding.

One purpose of maintenance is to spend a little money now to avoid spending more money later. Building 40 is a great example of that principle. In the picture below you can see the water streaming down a corner on the back of building 40. The downspout has fallen off and the water is just streaming right down the stucco, searching for any crack or hole. It would cost a little labor and maybe even a few dollars in material to reinstall a downspout. It is the kind of job our maintenance men can perform quite easily. If it is not done, the cost to building 40 will eventually be much higher when the siding and underlying structural materials have to be replaced.

Vandalism Leads to New Keys for Pool Area

2009-08-25T12:11:00.000-04:00

Their Favorite Parking Spaces: Illegal!

2009-08-22T00:09:00.004-04:00

Why is it that Chevy Cavalier drivers think that it is okay to park on the striped lines that mean no-parking and that were put there to protect the otherwise dangerous blind corner? And why does the driver of this pick-up (with phone # conveniently written on his back window) insist on parking on the grass every Friday night?

Retire Young! Retire Rich! Park on Other People's Lawn!

2009-08-14T23:39:00.005-04:00

Parking Enforcement?

2009-08-13T00:14:00.002-04:00

What happens to cars parked where they are not supposed to be parked? Years ago we had an independent parking enforcement agency (Garing) that would come through at various times of the day to issue warnings and eventually tow cars. I do not know what the procedure is now. Do any of the readers know what the parking enforcement policy is? Please comment if you do.

By the way, the car pictured above is parked in the clearly marked no-parking area that is at the blind corner on 9th court. At the time of the picture there were two open parking spaces within 30 feet.

For Your Situational Awareness (FYSA is the new FYI)

2009-08-11T00:26:00.004-04:00

The five paged document, above, was submitted by the Management office to be shared with unit owners for informational purposes. Click on each page to see a larger and more legible image. Submissions such as this are very helpful to the neighborhood and I would like to thank the management office for their efforts in promoting community understanding -- good job, Beth G.

Editor's Opinion: Change Can Be Bitter Medicine To Swallow

2009-08-08T11:16:00.003-04:00

Have you seen the news about the disruptions in the townhall meetings about the proposed healthcare changes? An interesting article about it is here. People opposed to the changes, currently under debate in Washington, are apparently organizing their efforts to become instruments of intimidation toward those who night support or want to learn more about the possible future legislation.

It reminds me of a situation that occurred right here in the TAJ community. When we were hit by hurricane Wilma several years ago we sustained significant damage to our roofs -- nearly $1,000,000 of damage, collectively. In an effort to lend some assistance to the people of Florida, the state offered Small Business Administration (SBA) loans at a substantially lower interest rate than otherwise could be obtained. If we borrowed the money through them we would save the neighborhood many thousands of dollars in interest repayment.

However, before we could borrow the money we had to have the affirmative vote of 50% +1 of our membership. Seemed like a no-brainer to get people to vote yes to saving money. Weirdly, however, it did not happen that way. In spite of the dissemination of information through the normal channels of mass communication, and the efforts of several community activists going door-to-door explaining the benefits to individual owners of the SBA loan, people were suspicious and generally loath to vote for it.

Consequently, now there are many people who have repaid or are in the process of repaying loans with an interest rate of 10%. The SBA was offering loans at the rate of 4%.

At the time I was struck by the irony that we could not convince people to vote for something that was so obviously in their own best interest. But now I have come to understand that, for many people, decisions like this are based on a straight-forward consideration of the facts. There are also other forces at work, like resistance to change, suspiciousness of government, fear of commitment, and maybe even a little bit of social isolationism that also come into play.

In the current debate over healthcare reform, I fear there are even nefarious influences at play. I fear that political gamesmanship and Insurance company dollars are also behind the vocal resistance to the sharing of information in the townhall meetings.

It is an interesting time that we live in. Our children will one day read about how we made things so much better, or how we really screwed it up when we had the chance. I can't wait to see how it turns out!

Parking On the Grass

2009-08-05T23:45:00.002-04:00

Even though parking spaces are available, some drivers are choosing to park on the grass. It is bad for the grass, bad for sprinklers, bad for traffic, against community rules, and just plain inconsiderate.

TAJ Homes for Sale

2009-08-04T20:50:00.004-04:00

Click here to view a listing of six TAJ homes that are currently for sale, according to one internet source. Asking prices range from $75,000 (above) to $249,000 (below). Interior pictures of the units are included on the website and are very interesting to view. I think there might be some real bargains available in the neighborhood.

General Contractors, Etc

2009-07-24T11:14:00.002-04:00

I recently received an email from a General Contractor who expressed an interest in working in the TAJ community (I have included his email* at the bottom of this post). He was apparently referred by a TAJ owner I have want to say "good job" to that person who made the contact. The more we can get qualified workers interested in our community the more we can all benefit.

Because I was on the BOD during a time when building refurbishments were in full-swing, and because my wife is the Chief Financial Officer of a very successful General Contracting firm, I know that the daily workings of a construction project are a complicated business that requires the expertise of people with specialized knowledge. Those people include

General Contractor, Architect, and Engineer with a state license and in good standing with the DBPR
Office bookkeeper with knowledge of construction accounting
Project Manager with construction knowledge and the will-power to argue with a GC (a seemingly juvenile, but none-the-less necessary part of every construction job I've ever witnessed)
Accoutant with expertise in construction loans, financing, etc
Attorney to oversee contracts and to aggressively pursue claims of poor performance (again, an oddly necessary part of doing business with GCs)
An educated, interested, and involved owner (or group of owners) that actively participate and ensure that the other experts do their jobs

Click the following link Protecting the Association Against Unlicensed Contractors to go to an interesting article written by Thomas Code. In other places on that same website are other very informative articles about Condominium Associations and their legal responsibilities and limitations, like

************************************************************************************************

Good morning. A friend of mine who resides in your community suggested I contact your Homeowners Association regarding your needs for an honest, efficient quality General Contractor to provide numerous construction services for the development. We would be very interested in speaking with a representative from your Association regarding any needs you may have and look forward to the opportunity to bid your work and provide you with excellent service.

Please check out our website. We anticipate hearing from you on how we can take the next step.

Sincerely,

LANE BIRNBAUM

Bluewater Construction Group Inc.

(954) 551-2911 cell

www.bwconstruction.us

A Letter From BOD Member Paulette Watson: Roofing repairs

2009-07-21T17:56:00.001-04:00

Building Captains:

The following letter is from the Office of TAJ. Please read and give us a hand in getting this accomplished. It is very important to the unit owners with roof problems that we have the insurance adjuster see everything when he is out here so we can get these problems corrected without costing us more money.

If you can’t do it, please try to get someone else in your building to give a hand or let us know so we can make other arrangements for your neighbors to get the info.

Paulette Watson

Dear unit owners at Townhouses At Jacaranda,

An adjuster from Mercury Insurance, who represents Needham Roofing, will be on site to assess the damages [su]stained from the failure of Needham to address our roofing issues in a timely manner.

We would like for you to contact the office by email (admin.jacaranda@comcast.net or assist.jacaranda@comcast.net) or phone to immediately take pictures of the damages in order to have on file.

I will try desperately to schedule the appointment for a Saturday not to disrupt your schedules. If I’m unable to have the appointment set for a Saturday you will be notified by the office within a reasonable time frame to suit your schedule. We do apologize for the inconvenience; however, we would like to include you on the claim due to the contractor’s negligence. It is important that you try to make your selves available or schedule someone trustworthy to be in your unit.

Building captains, if able to assist the board of directors and the office in notifying your neighbors that suffered damages due to Needham Roofing it would be very helpful.

If there are vacant units in your building please notify the office – it is the unit owner’s responsibility for keys to be available to the office for your unit, in order to take pictures for the claim.

Please, let us collaborate as a team to get your roofs repaired efficiently and correctly.

Thank you so much for all your efforts and cooperation.

Meetings On July 9th and 10th

2009-07-09T12:41:00.004-04:00

An announcement from BOD member, Paulette Watson:

There will be a building captain meeting on Thursday , July 9th, at 7:30 pm.

There will be a construction committee meeting for July 23.

Special Assessment Meeting, July 8th 2009, 7:30pm

2009-07-08T13:55:00.007-04:00

I assume that the affected buildings received more full notice, but for those others who might care, the time of the Special Assessment meeting tonight is to be 7:30pm, according to Beth G in the office.

PS. I attended this meeting very briefly. It was packed with unit owners, as you can imagine. I was told by one owner in the audience that the BOD had disclosed their intentions to, in the future, levy a Special Assessment for the refurbishment and/or roofing of their buildings. The details of when and how the Special Assessments would be passed were apparently not clearly defined or agreed upon.

New Parking Spaces: Great Solution, but New Problem?

2009-07-08T11:53:00.012-04:00

In the picture below you see two cars parked on 9th Court. Before yesterday the car on the right (near the building) would have been parked legally and the car on the left (near the canal) would have been parked illegally. But that changed yesterday and now it is legal to park on the canal side of the road but not on the building side of the road. Anyway, I think that is what is happening. I do not recall receiving any notice or flyer or other form of explanation from the BOD or Property Management regarding the parking change. The maintenance crewman that did the painting said that he added 10 new parking spaces and removed 2 old ones.

The old yellow parking stripes,on the building side of the road, were "blacked-out" and new yellow stripes were added on the canal side of the road (pictured below). I assume that the sign that reads "no parking, Fire Lane" will eventually be removed from where they painted parking places in front of it (below, top-right picture).

There is no question that the extra parking spaces are greatly appreciated. The big question, though, is whether the new parking scheme will create an unsafe traffic situation. Parked cars along the road will narrow the street so much that two cars may not be able to pass each other. Worse, there is a blind corner at the end of the newly painted parking area.

BOD Meeting July 6th, 2009

2009-07-07T18:46:00.004-04:00

The Board of Directors met last night. They spent a good amount of time explaining to the owners of building 27 the complicated details of their finances. Apparently a building refurbishment loan with a premature repayment deadline had been renegotiated. The Board explained that the terms of the new loan were more favorable for building 27. They also explained that a loan default would have serious consequences for the entire Association because the once building-specific bank loans were "cross-colateralized" with other loans when the previous BOD purchased two units within the community.

There was much back-and-forth between unit owners and BOD members about the finances (when, how, and why decisions were made). In the end, a BOD member summarized the situation by stating the simple truth that we (the Association) owe the bank money and we simply must pay.

Apparently building 27 is not the only condominium facing financial problems. Keeping the financial records straight has always been a challenge here at TAJ. Every new BOD in recent history has expressed strong intentions to correct any problems in that area, and every BOD discovers, eventually, that our way of doing business is so complex that even well paid professionals have difficulty handling the work. By the way, it seems that the new accouting firm (Moody) is on top of our finances. Unfortunately, there are a lot of mistakes to correct from past years of poor accounting.

TAJ Sentinel, June 2009

2009-07-01T09:48:00.005-04:00

Pictured below are the six pages of a flyer that was sent out by the office on behalf of the Board of Directors. I was not able to achieve a high quality scan of the document and so some of any blame for lack of aesthetic quality is mine. Click on the pages to enlarge them for reading.

For clarification, I had no part in this newsletter/flyer. I have published a newsletter in the past, both for the Board of Directors when I was the President and then also as a concerned owner when I published independently with my own money and delivered them myself. My newsletters are unmistakably marked with multiple citations and by-lines. Since the newsletter pictured below has only one by-line and no other discernible citation, I offer this clarification so as to avoid any confusion about the flyer's authorship.

Remembering Hurricane Wilma, from October 2005

2009-06-18T18:09:00.015-04:00

Here are some pictures that I took in the aftermath of Hurricane Wilma. Captions to be added later.

Above is the path that Hurricane Wilma followed, from the West to the East across Florida. Below is what it looked like out my back window when the rain started to fall and the wind started to blow. You can see a piece of the plastic that was supposed to protect our building that was mostly under construction.

Pictured above, we could see trees start to lose limbs during the storm.
Pictured below, the aftermath of the storm when it was safe to walk around the neighborhood.

Above right and below left, building #35 can be seen to be without exterior siding as that building was under construction. It had been wrapped with sheets of plastic by ConTech, the construction company working on the building. The plastic quickly blew off in the storm and offered little protection. Fortunately the storm was more about wind than about water so the building experienced little damage due to water intrusion.

Trees were the big casualties in Hurricane Wilma. When the ground became saturated with water, the high winds toppled many of the big trees that had big, full, leafy "heads".

Letter To Building Captains From BOD Member, Paulette Wilson

2009-06-06T22:33:00.004-04:00

We need a Captains meeting. Scheduled for Thursday, June 11 - 7:30pm - at the clubhouse. I'll get an agenda to you before Thursday. Hope you all make it. See you then,

Paulette Watson
Bldg 14 Unit 3

A Letter From Paulette Watson, BOD Member

2009-05-13T13:12:00.004-04:00

Hi all,
Tree trimming is underway for the next 7-8 days. Palms and some of the other trees will be cut. We tried to get started today, but with the rental company's delivery problem of flat tires, faulty working machine, unit owners cars in the way, and the rain, we couldn't get much of a start. We have hired temp help, 2 men, who will be working with Rob and Chris in getting this done and they will be working from tomorrow to next Tuesday or Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday included,depending on when the company picks up the rented equipment. Along with the cherry picker to reach the trees, we have rented a mulcher. This will help us dispose of the tree branches and has the added benefit of giving us needed mulch around our community's surrounding bushes and other places.

They started today on the west side (the cherry picker is difficult to move from one side of the community to the other, so they will work all of that one side to start. They will move to the east side to finish up what wasn't done there last month by next week, weather permitting.
Please note the importance of moving your cars out of the way if you recieve a flier indicating that they will be trimming on your buildings the following day or the day after that depending on the weather. We will not cut a tree if there is a car parked beside it to avoid any possible damage to cars.

Thanks a million for your help ( or maybe I should say thanks a thousand for the thousands we are saving with our staff doing this much needed trimming work),

Paulette Watson 14/03

Update From BOD Member Paulette Watson

2009-05-11T07:35:00.006-04:00

The BOD settled on a candidate, Charles and interviewed him. Because of a conflict of interests, we could not further entertain hiring him at this time. We did not have another candidate that seemed to fit our community at this time.

In the meantime, our office is in good hands and is running as smoothly as possible with all of TaJ's daily and any on-going problems, many inherited from the past. Beth is, of course, still working in our office.

[Editor's note: I have heard many share their opinion that Beth G. is a dedicated worker who works tirelessly for the good of the community.]

Tree trimming will start again in about a week. We look forward to having the rest of the palms and other trees touching buildings trimmed before hurricane season takes hold. A cherry-picker will be rented as well as a mulcher to be used to get rid of the cuttings, helping us with clean up and giving us some needed mulch in the bargain. Our trimming of the trees, instead of hiring an outside company, is saving our Association thousands of dollars.

I would like to applaud the unit owners who picked up their brooms and rakes and helped out the last time by sweeping their driveways and even giving our staff some clean-up help. It certainly made our clean-up go faster. This is community togetherness at it's best.

Building Captains are passing out voting ballots for the staggered term for board members. It would be nice if we could have the unit owners fill them out and drop them off to the office or their building captain.

On this note, we have building captains for more than half of the buildings. And they are a great group of helpful people looking to make our community better. At a meeting held about two weeks ago, the building captains came up with many positive ideas - packaging any fliers, passing them out to their building as well as taking buildings with no captains to help our staff use their time for other necessary work, getting votes for whatever is needed, dispelling rumors and passing along information of use to other unit owners, wanting to be our "events committee" for things like organizing garage sales events, Easter and Halloween events for our community's children, maybe even a get together for adults with music provided free from Dave Muri's band ( a building captain for bldg 11), I've never been at a more positive and energizing meeting of a group as I was with this one of the building captains. They deserve our many thanks and cooperation.

We still have buildings with no captains and hope that others will join the committee. Co-captains for the buildings we have covered would help out as well. Unit owners who are interested in joining this group can sign up in the office or email pauletttewatson@bellsouthl.net or call 954.472.2283.

Paulette Watson

[Editor's note: I wish to express a special thanks to Paulette for providing the above information. All BOD members and unit owners are invited to share their information, thoughts, questions, and even complaints. Even though all are invited, only a few ever take the time to share. Thanks, Paulette!]

The Whole Hole

2009-05-06T09:09:00.004-04:00

For the past three days there has been a hole in the ground at the end of buildings 35 and 36 and behind building 40. It is a beautiful and professional hole. How long will it be there -- time will tell.

BOD Meeting Scheduled for Monday May 4, 2009

2009-05-01T07:41:00.005-04:00

Board of Director meetings are open to the public. Anyone and everyone is invited to attend. Even if you were not invited, you would have the right to attend because of Florida Sunshine laws that mandate that BOD discussions and decisions be done publicly and openly.

Even though are all allowed to attend BOD meetings, not everyone has the right to actively participate. The TAJ BOD has rules that limit verbal participation of the audience to people that own property here at TAJ. That is a very common and appropriate practice for a condo Board.

Is Home Owner's Insurance Mandated By Florida Law?

2009-04-24T14:42:00.004-04:00

Have you heard about the new requirement passed by the state of Florida that requires Condo Associations to ensure that unit owners have homeowner's insurance? Click here to read an interesting discussion on the subject. The link leads to an online news-like article by attorney Jerome F. Skrandel in which he exchanges thoughts and opinions and Florida law citations with readers. It is educational and interesting reading.

An Explanation Of The Credit Crisis That Is Worth Watching

2009-04-22T20:02:00.003-04:00

The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.

Let It Rain

2009-04-21T19:31:00.005-04:00

Not everybody is sad when it rains. Some actually like the rain because it gives them an opportunity to get their feet wet and to have a drink of fresh water (these ducks enjoyed the puddle in the middle of the road in front of building 02).

"Hey, watch out, here comes a car!"

Others like the rain because it gives them their very first experience of wearing a really cool poncho!

TAJ Sentinel, April 2009

2009-04-21T09:32:00.006-04:00

Click on images to enlarge them.

Tree Trimming

2009-04-14T10:01:00.004-04:00

Trees are being trimmed in preparation for the coming hurricane season. The Association is saving money by doing the work ourselves with the help of the rented cherry-picker.

Our Condolences

2009-04-13T14:35:00.004-04:00

The Management Office sent out the following message in a mass email:

"It is a sad day here at TAJ, Robert Gregson (Robbie ) our maintenance man, has had a loss in his family. Sorry to say he has lost his mother this Easter Sunday. The Community would like to take any donation you would like to give to help him in his time of need. Please drop your donation at the office by Friday April 17, 2009 . Thank you for your support."

We are sorry for your loss, Robbie.

Stowaway

2009-04-10T23:10:00.002-04:00

Look closely and you can see the stowaway that I discovered when I got into my truck today. What a good looking lizard!

New Feature Translates This Blog Into Spanish, Etc

2009-04-10T19:12:00.007-04:00

You will notice in the upper left hand corner of this page is a button that will allow users to translate this page into any of a number of different languages. To translate this page into "Spanish" simply click on "Espanol" and the change happens almost instantly. To return to English, click the link at the very top of the page that says "View original web page."

I hope this will help those in our community that do not speak English to feel more included.

Good Reading About Community Living

2009-04-10T09:38:00.009-04:00

Below is an article from the Sun-Sentinel that has been passed around amoung active members of the TAJ Association via emails. I am posting it here as it seems like a very worth-while article for our whole community to read. Click on the link at the top to go to the original article on the Sun-Sentinel website.

****************

sun-sentinel.com/business/custom/consumer/sfl-condo-classes-condocol-b0408sbapr08,0,2335149.column

South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
Online courses can help condo board officials
Daniel Vasquez on condos
Condo columnist
April 8, 2009

You don't have to have a PhD to serve on your community association board, but shouldn't you at least be educated?

Florida law requires condo board candidates to sign a form stating they have read and understand their governing documents and state condo laws. Lawmakers will soon debate a bill giving directors the option of taking a state-approved course in lieu of the attestation.

To find out what that would be like, I took a 90-minute online course (it took me two hours) offered by The Human Equation, an approved provider of condominium governance training. It offers nine courses in Florida Condominium Management alone, which cost about $10 each or $67 for the entire 10-hour curriculum.

I chose "Communication Skills for Condominium Association Leaders," which is meant for homeowner association directors, too.

Less than a minute into it was this lesson: The duties of a condo or HOA leader involve more than most people would think. They must conduct board meetings, explain bylaws and regulations to unit owners, express opinions clearly, negotiate with vendors, contractors and service personnel, defuse conflicts among unit owners and respond to all sorts of inquiries from unit owners.

Note how the unpaid directors are not only expected to know the rules and regulations, but also should make time to explain them to unit owners and find a way to clearly express decisions and actions.

This curriculum started out with a bang and made me want to continue. Then I took my first quiz and scored 70. That's a C, right?

(For the record, I rushed. And one thing I know I missed was the part about maintaining eye contact with someone at least 50 percent of the time when talking.)The 90-minute course was complex, but not too complicated for anyone willing to be on a board. More importantly, it was informational and useful.

Here are some examples of what I learned or had reinforced:

Strong communication skills are not recommended, they're required. To be effective, you have to deal with conflicts or challenges without expressing anger or loss of control. It is your responsibility to make sure each unit or homeowner understands key information, such as why a parking lot is being resurfaced, when it was approved and how it may save money over time rather than just communicating it will lead to an assessment.

There are natural and man-made obstacles to community communication. You will have to deal with difficult people. Some have difficult personalities; others are themselves dealing with tough situations (a job loss that makes it difficult to pay a special assessment). You'll have to control your reactions to those who question decisions or information and you must always speak with respect. The course acknowledges obtaining these skills takes work, but is still part of the job.

Failing to listen is failure. The course suggests that half your time be spent listening. That doesn't mean just keeping quiet, but also making sure you comprehend what is being said, taking note of important details and being able to restate what the unit owner has said and wants done. And you should listen even if the owner is a chronic complainer.

Put yourself in a unit owner's shoes as much as possible. If someone complains about a loud noise, check it out yourself.

But here is the best lesson I learned: You may bring a world of skills and experience to your association table, but learning more is well worth the time.

Anyone up for the job? Or for at least signing up for the job and learning how to do it right?

TheHumanEquation.com offers one free demonstration course on condo communication skills if you call 954-888-1267. The other state-approved online community training provider is the Community Association Institute: "http://www.caionline.org/">www.caionline.org

****************

Property Manager Progress

2009-04-09T22:05:00.003-04:00

There is no news to announce about a new Property Manager, except to say that the Human Resources Committee has been hard at work and has presented the BOD with some excellent candidates. The BOD met with some of those candidates and that is as far as the process has gone. We are all hoping that the BOD can come to a decision and hire a good leader to help guide the Association.

Much Ado About Nothing, Thankfully

2009-04-09T00:21:00.005-04:00

It is hard to discern the firetruck in this dark and blurry picture. This was the last of three emergency vehicles that made a slow and noisy three-point-turn in the narrow streets of 9th court on Wednesday night around midnight. They had responded to a call for assistance from the resident in 3501. He had discovered that a propane tank on his back porch had ruptured and was leaking gas uncontrollably. He reluctantly called emergency responders when he was unable to get help through non-emergency contacts due to the time of day. They over-responded with a hazmat truck and two full firetrucks. The gas was released without incident and the resident was apologetic to neighbors for disturbing the calm. The noise was actually relatively low and short-lived, but the resident's sensitivity to his neighbors was appreciated.

Oh yeah, and we are all especially grateful that the building did not catch on fire! :-)

BOD Meeting April 6th, 2009

2009-04-07T14:34:00.003-04:00

I attended the meeting only from 8pm to 9:15pm and so what I write here is a very limited report of the board meeting.

They voted to approve the minutes of a previous meeting with some small modifications.
The Board passed an amendment to the Association Rules that would require the owners of abandoned units to provide a key to their residence so that the management could monitor the a/c setting for that unit in order to control the humidity and thereby avoid the threat of mold.
The Board passed another amendment to Association Rules that would change the requirements for renting out the clubhouse. Apparently there has been damage caused to the clubhouse and the new rule would protect the Association from the threat of financial losses.
There was much heated discussion about the towing company that patrols our neighborhood for parking violations and the apparent unfair practices they are using. It was reported that ALL COUNTY TOWING COMPANY is the name of the service we are using. It was alleged that at least one driver threatened to tow a car but then haggled over a cash payment that he would accept to not tow it, eventually settling for $50 instead of his initial demand of $100. Board members said that they would consider alternative solutions to the parking enforcement problems.
By-the-way, it is reportedly now a "towable" offense to not have a TAJ parking sticker on your car, unless you are parked in one of the very few guest parking spots. Stickers can be obtained from the management office. Talk to Beth G.

I had business elsewhere and left the meeting before hearing more discussion or board business.

2009-2010 Board of Director Members

2009-04-07T14:20:00.005-04:00

W2ndy H1ll and John Lovell

Carol Hazen and Paulette Watson

Phyllis Fabara and Ben Odebralski

Mark Morgenstern

Screened Porch With a Hard Roof

2009-04-01T10:26:00.011-04:00

Some people have asked for information about the enclosure that we added to the back of our unit, so I am posting pictures and the contact information of the company that did the work.

Before the project; early stages of preparation; men on the job (they finished in 3 days)

End of day one; built with 2"x5" posts; corners and seams were caulked and screwed and bolted

Securely anchored; 3" foam-core aluminum-clad roof; end of day three and construction is complete

Morning view; from the outside; Architectual Change Request approved by TAJ BOD

Architect's drawing that shows the dimensions of the porch; Venetian Builders contact info

We put pavers down months in advance of building the porch. We got a permit from the City for the pavers. Venetian Builders took care of the architect drawings and city permits after I got the BOD approval for the ACR. I half-considered trying to build the porch without a permit, but was later glad we had followed the proper procedures.

We enjoy the porch immensely and use it daily. It adds more space to our living area that we had anticipated.

Easy Maintenance Reminder

2009-03-31T15:54:00.005-04:00

I have heard that you should changing your air filter saves you electricity and money, and also keeps your air conditioning unit running longer and better. I discovered that having an inferior type of filter and not changing it often enough resulted in a very poorly functioning air conditioner. It cost me about $500 to have the unit acid cleaned and recharged. Now the A/C runs perfect and I am protecting the system with filters that I conveniently ordered online. There are a number of companies (just type in air conditioning filters into a google search) that will take your order online and ship the filters to your house. How much easier could it get?

Pictured: I thought that my old filter was still clean after a couple of months of use -- but next to a new filter I could see how dirty it was.

New Officers for the 2009-2010 BOD

2009-03-29T20:36:00.002-04:00

The BOD met on Saturday for the purpose of appointing officers, which are as follows:

President is W2ndi H1ll
Vice President is John Lovell
Treasurer is Carol Hazen
Assistant Treasurer is Phyllis Fabara
Secretary is Paulette Watson
Assistant Secretary is Ben Odebralski