All For One, and One For All - Almost!

Personally, I support the across-the-board $7,200.00 ($300 x 24 months) special assessment of all 340 unit owners for the purpose of funding construction of those unimproved buildings that need renovating. It is time we got the neighborhood built up to code and looking good.

Some worry that their money will get lost because their building has already been renovated and so their $7,200.00 will not be spent on their own building but on another building. Be assured that everyone's money must and will be accounted for separately (at TAJ, each building is a separate condominium and money from one cannot be used to pay for another). In the books, your money will be applied to your own building, as per state law.

At least, that's what I think. There are pretty clear laws that govern this kind of thing.

Follow this link to read the 1994 Declaratory Statement made by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. It's a big document so you might have to refresh the page once or twice before it fully loads.

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A letter was mailed out to unit owners. The explanation is appreciated, but there are some questions left unanswered.  The letter does not indicate the final disposition of the collected funds. Apparently the money is to be used to make construction loans to buildings that need renovating. Presumably those buildings will repay those loans and unit owners in un-effected buildings will be made whole again. So, at some point can unit owners get their money back if it is not spent on their building, their condominium? If so, what will be the procedure and when will that be available? If not, what becomes of that money?

If I get the answers to those questions, I will let you know.

BOD Special Assessment Meeting for Buildings 12, 28, 20, 2, & 49 on 17 September 2015

Special Assessments for multiple buildings on 17 September 2015.

Posted Special Assessment Meetings

Monday June 15th: 

Building 12 Special Assessment meeting at 6pm;

Building 42 Special Assessment meeting at 7pm.

Happy to Spend The Money

The unit owners in buildings 42, 17, 11, and 8 expressed gratitude, in recent special assessment meetings, that their buildings are scheduled to be worked on, reported property manager Wendi Hill.

Many of us that have sat through Special Assessment meetings, either as recipients of the Assessment or as BOD members passing the assessment. Many or most of us have seen how very upsetting and contentious those proceedings can be. If the property manager's report is accurate, then I am happy that the parties involved were able to make the best of what is very often a difficult situation.

It is worth noting that there are some very unhappy unit owners currently at TAJ. There has been a movement to initiate a recall election and to replace the members of the BOD. Several emails from that group have been sent out to residents/owners at TAJ. I would share the content of the emails but they are anonymous and I make it a practice to not publish material from sources that I cannot verify, especially if it is controversial. So while I cannot in good conscience publish their letters, I will point out that not everyone is happy with special assessments and the construction work here at TAJ.

Special Assessment for Building 40 at BOD Meeting September 8, 2014

Whole Building Refurbishment Is Best, But Only Piecemeal Is Possible

Pictures and information provided by the property manager

The BOD has been unable to collect the Special Assessment payments from all unit-owners in any building except for Building 19. Consequently, whole-building refurbishments (the most cost-effective strategy) have been stalled because of the lack of payments.

An alternative strategy to fund a building's refurbishment is for the BOD to borrow money from a bank on behalf of unit owners, and then pay back the bank with the money that unit owners pay in their Special Assessment. The current BOD attempted to secure that type of loan but were denied because the bank judged our community to be a bad risk because of too many unit owners with unpaid monthly and Special Assessments. 

At the same time, the whole community is in danger of losing insurance coverage, falling property values, and possible actions from the City code enforcement. Unable to fund the projects the way they would like to do it, the BOD has settled for a strategy that is at least possible, if not desirable. They have commissioned repairs to be done on buildings in a piecemeal fashion.  That is to say that various buildings may have only one or more sections of the building worked on, as a reflection of the amount of Special Assessment funding that has been collected for that building.

Coordinating such a dispersed construction effort is a challenging task.  The pictures reveal a color-coding system developed by the Property Manager to stay organized. Materials (purchased by the BOD directly so as to avoid Contractor's mark-up)  are stored in the clubhouse (for security reasons, as it has a security alarm). Equipment stored in the maintenance building are guarded by sensors and alarms, and each night the cherry pickers are used to block the maintenance building garage door. 

Building 19 Refurbishment, Thanks to Special Assessment Paid in Full

Pictures and information provided by Property Management, July 29th

These pictures show the effects that water intrusion can have on the sub-structures of our buildings. Quite simply, studs in the exterior walls were rotted underneath moldy and rotted plywood sheathing.  

Although the wall was in terrible shape, the building is in pretty good shape, financially.  It is a four unit building with only one occupant.  That occupant paid their share of the estimated $27,000/unit repair bill. The property manager was able to get the non-occupant owners of the other three units (the bank) to pay their share. That is $81,000 collected from the banks. Because the full amount was collected, the building refurbishment could commence.  

The property manager reports that no other building has fully paid their special assessment. That is to say, even though some unit owners in a building may have paid their portion of a special assessment, others have not, making a full-building refurbishment economically unrealistic.

Special Assessment Meeting for multiple buildings

Even though I am late in posting this picture, I'm putting it up here just for the record.

Board of Director meetings with multiple buildings this week

I was only able to attend during a short period of time.  While I was there only two of the eight owners from the specified building showed up.  The meeting was for the purpose of implementing a payment plan to collect $99/month from those unit owners in buildings that have received a special assessment and have not already paid their assessed amounts.  The board was well-prepared for this difficult task.  They had handouts that  clearly communicated the appropriate figures.  They were all willing and able to spend time responding to unit owner questions and concerns.

Special Assessment Meeting, Well Done

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. 

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

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.

Special Assessments for Buildings 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 19, 28, 29, 42

According to a recent flyer, buildings 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 19, 28, 29, and 42 will be receiving a Special Assessment on Wednesday, October 8th at 7:30pm. Those buildings have been selected for the next phase of refurbishments, and so it is likely (but unconfirmed) that the Special Assessment is for that purpose. I have no information about the amount of the Special Assessments currently under consideration.

I served for two years on the BOD directors, during which time there were several building refurbishment projects. Also, as a unit owner I faced my own Special Assessment for the refurbishment of my building. From those experiences I know that the cost of some past building refurbishment projects has totaled as high as approximately $35,000.00 per unit (some more, some less).

There was a time when we had a relationship with Floridian Community Bank that allowed us to offer payment terms through a construction loan. The details of providing that service makes the accounting hugely complicated (and apparently beyond the scope of our previous accounting firm's abilities). It is not known if that situation still exists, or what the terms of the Special Assessment are going to be.

Special Assessment Meeting Scheduled

The flyer pictured left was recently distributedto unit owners.  It announces that there will be a meeting on October 2nd at which the BOD will levy a Special Assessment of $144.00 per unit to install leave guards on those buildings with gutters and without leaf guards.

Building 35, where I live, is one such building. Because of large trees adjacent to our building the rain gutters clog quickly with leaves and debris, making them almost useless in keeping the water off of the walls of the building.  I have asked for the installation of leaf guards for more than a year, and so I am appreciative that the BOD is addressing this problem now.  

Good job, BOD!

BOD Meeting Agenda For Monday, June 2, 2008

There are several items of interest on the agenda for the next BOD meeting:

• BOD members to pay their cell phone bills with Association funds ($50/month) -- a practice that has never before, to my knowledge, happened at TAJ
• There will be an election to fill the BOD vacancies. Manny Solomon, Theresa Levy, Augusta Alvarez, Yvonne Fabozzi, and Dan Capobianco have all resigned. Inside sources report that Florida's Department of Business and Professional Regulations (DBPR) has deemed that the BOD appointment of directors to fill the resulting vacancies was in violation** of regulatory documents. That means that at this point only Ben Odebralski, John Lovell, and W2ndy H1ll are properly seated Board of Director members.
• Bob Balch resigned, Douglas Broadhead is apparently to be a new maintenance engineer.
• A new lawn maintenance company
• A new bookkeeping company, again (Weinberg and Black was voted to be our new bookkeeping company to replace MAI on May 16th, and then shortly thereafter that was rescinded)
  
• Termite treatment of all buildings?
• Bob Allen settlement information
• The community lighting project by FPL progress (this project has been underway in one form or another for at least five years, maybe longer)
• Building #10's Roof Assessment
  
• Committees and Building Captains to be established, or recognized

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Loss Assessment Insurance: Low Cost For Higher Coverage

[The article below is reprinted from the February 2007 edition of the official TAJ newsletter -- TAJ Community News, Volume 4 Issue 1]

The following explanations about loss assessment coverage were taken from sources on the internet, as cited.

Loss Assessment Coverage
Property insurance (ISO form CP 04 19) for a condominium unit owner, covering assessments charged by a condominium association for a loss to the property. The policy pays the amount of the assessment, if the loss is caused by an insured peril. (from Rupp's Insurance & Risk Management Glossary. © 2002, NILS Publishing. All rights reserved.) http://insurance.cch.com/RUPPS/loss-assessment-coverage.htm

Loss Assessment: Coverage D
This valuable coverage is uniquely designed for owners in condominiums/ associations. It recognizes the potential for owners to be assessed for certain kinds of loss. Here are examples of circumstances that might require the condominium/ association to assess all unit owners:

• Someone is seriously injured on common property (perhaps at a swimming pool) and the courts award a judgment that's higher than the amount of liability coverage provided by the condominium/association policy.
• Major damage occurs to commonly owned buildings and it is not fully covered by insurance.

In either case (and other similar cases), loss assessment coverage would pay your share (up to stated amount). You should review the need for this coverage with your agent and buy an appropriate amount of coverage. http://www.statefarm.com/insurance/condo_owners/condoinform_5.asp

It may be that, without even knowing it, owners have insurance coverage for the Special Assessment that they receive for the replacement of their roof due to Hurricane Wilma damage. Check your home-owner’s coverage to see if you have this type of coverage. See below for an example of what it actually looks like in an insurance policy.

You can see that in the policy shown below the coverage is limited to $1,000. All it took to raise the limit to $3,000 (this particular insurance company’s limit) was a five minute call to the insurance agent and a yearly premium increase of just $11.00.

Since Hurricane Wilma, we have all been faced with the difficult reality of the need for re-roofing. Hopefully LOSS ASSESSMENT coverage will reduce the suffering of unit owners caused by Special Assessments. Certainly we should all consider taking action to protect ourselves against future financial difficulties through the relatively inexpensive measure of acquiring an appropriate level of LOSS ASSESSMENT coverage through our home-owner’s insurance. Steve Frahm

Seguro del gravamen de pérdida: Bajo costo para una cobertura más alta

[El artículo abajo se reimprime de la edición del febrero de 2007 del boletín de noticias del funcionario TAJ -- Noticias de la comunidad de TAJ, edición 1 del volumen 4]

Las explicaciones siguientes sobre cobertura del gravamen de pérdida fueron tomadas de fuentes en el Internet, según lo citado.
Cobertura del gravamen de pérdida
Seguro de característica (la ISO forma CP 04 19) para un dueño de la unidad del condominio, cubriendo los gravámenes cargados por una asociación del condominio para una pérdida a la característica. La política paga la cantidad del gravamen, si la pérdida es causada por un peligro de los asegurados. (del & del seguro de Rupp; Glosario de la gestión de riesgos. © 2002, publicación de NILS. Todos los derechos reservados.) http://insurance.cch.com/RUPPS/loss-assessment-coverage.htm
Gravamen de pérdida: Cobertura D
Esta cobertura valiosa se diseña únicamente para los dueños en asociaciones de los condominios. Reconoce el potencial para que los dueños sean determinados para ciertas clases de pérdida. Aquí están los ejemplos de las circunstancias que pudieron requerir la asociación del condominio determinar a todos los dueños de la unidad:

• Dañan alguien seriamente en característica común (quizás en una piscina) y las cortes concede un juicio que sea más alto que la cantidad de cobertura de responsabilidad proporcionada por la política del condominio/de la asociación.
• El daño importante ocurre a los edificios comúnmente poseídos y no es cubierto completamente por el seguro.

En cualquier caso (y otros casos similares), la cobertura del gravamen de pérdida pagaría tu parte (hasta cantidad indicada). Debes repasar la necesidad de esta cobertura con tu agente y comprar una cantidad apropiada de cobertura. http://www.statefarm.com/insurance/condo_owners/condoinform_5.asp

Puede ser que, sin incluso saberlo, los dueños tengan cobertura de seguro para el gravamen especial que reciben para el reemplazo de su azotea debido al daño de Wilma del huracán. Comprobar la cobertura de tu dueño de una casa para ver si tienes este tipo de cobertura. Ver abajo para un ejemplo de lo que parece realmente adentro una póliza de seguro.

Puedes ver que en la política demostrada debajo de la cobertura está limitado a $1.000. Todo lo que tomó para levantar el límite a $3.000 (este límite particular de la compañía de seguros) era una llamada de cinco minutos al agente de seguro y a un aumento superior anual de apenas $11.00.

Desde el huracán Wilma, nos todos han hecho frente con la realidad difícil de la necesidad del re-material para techos. Esperanzadamente la cobertura del GRAVAMEN de PÉRDIDA reducirá el sufrimiento de los dueños de la unidad causados por gravámenes especiales. Debemos todos considerar ciertamente tomar medidas para protegerse contra las dificultades financieras futuras con la medida relativamente barata de adquirir un nivel apropiado de cobertura del GRAVAMEN de PÉRDIDA con nuestro seguro de dueño de una casa. Steve Frahm

Did You Know? (Sun-Sentinel's Bogen Answers Questions)

The following article is taken from the Sun-Sentinel's internet publication, authorship as attributed:

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Unit owner liable for unpaid assessments from previous owners
by Mark Bogen | South Florida Sun-Sentinel | December 23, 2007

Q: I purchased a condominium in Fort Lauderdale earlier this year. I purchased the unit directly from the owner and took title at the time of purchase. The previous owner owed money to the association for an unpaid assessment. The board now wants me to pay what the previous owner failed to pay. The association attorney claims that I am responsible for any unpaid amount that the previous owner owed to the association. Is this true?

A: According to Chapter 718.116, Florida Statutes, a unit owner is liable for all assessments which come due while he or she is the unit owner. Additionally, a unit owner is jointly and severally liable with the previous owner for all unpaid assessments that came due up to the time of transfer of title. You may have a right to take action against the previous owner for the money owed to the association during the time he or she lived at the association.
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I found this article to be useful and informative. I know there is at least one case of a TAJ unit owners who has moved into the neighborhood and received an unexpected Special Assessment and then refused to pay. He has retained an attorney to try to help him avoid paying. In the meantime, TAJ has had to pay the construction bills for his building without collecting his payments. That leaves the co-owners of his condominium (his building neighbors) in a deficit situation. In the end I expect that a judge will order him to pay his share. If he wins his legal battle and is not compelled to pay his share, then my understanding is that the difference will have to be passed on to his neighbors within his building, the people with whom he shares ownership of a condominium.


El artículo siguiente se toma de la publicación del Internet de los Sun-Centinelas, profesión de escritor según lo atribuido:

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Dueño de la unidad obligado para los gravámenes sin pagar de dueños anteriores
por Mark Bogen | Sun-Centinela del sur de la Florida | el 23 de diciembre de 2007

Q: Compré un condominio en Fort Lauderdale a principios de este año. Compré la unidad directo del dueño y tomé título a la hora de compra. El dueño anterior debió el dinero a la asociación para un gravamen sin pagar. El tablero ahora quisiera que pagara lo que no pudo el dueño anterior pagar. El abogado de la asociación demanda que soy responsable de cualquier cantidad sin pagar esa el dueño anterior debido a la asociación. ¿Es este verdad?

A: Según el capítulo 718.116, los estatutos de la Florida, un dueño de la unidad son obligados para todos los gravámenes que vengan deuda mientras que él o ella es el dueño de la unidad. Además, un dueño de la unidad es en común y separadamente obligado con el dueño anterior para todos los gravámenes sin pagar que llegaron deuda a la época de la transferencia del título. Puedes tener una derecha de tomar medidas contra el dueño anterior para el dinero debido a la asociación durante el tiempo él o ella vivió en la asociación.
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Encontré este artículo para ser útil e informativo. Sé que hay por lo menos un caso de los dueños de una unidad de TAJ que se ha trasladado a la vecindad y ha recibido un gravamen especial inesperado y después ha rechazado pagar. Él ha conservado a abogado para intentar ayudarte a evitar pagar. Mientras tanto, TAJ ha tenido que pagar las cuentas de la construcción su edificio sin la recogida de sus pagos. Ese deja a co-owners de su condominio (sus vecinos del edificio) en una situación del déficit. En el extremo cuento con que un juez lo ordene pagar su parte. Si a te gana su batalla judicial y no obligan que pague su parte, después mi comprensión es que la diferencia tendrá que ser pasada encendido a sus vecinos dentro de su edificio, la gente con quien él comparte propiedad de un condominio.

Special Assessment Meeting

Last night the BOD passed the following Special Assessments (amounts are approximate):

• Building 22: $989 ($166/unit) [hurricane expenses]
• Building 25: $192,642 ($32,108/unit) [building refurbishments]
• Building 26: $354,754 ($29,563/unit) [building refurbishments]
• Building 44: $206,135 ($34,356/unit) [building refurbishments]

Apparently owners can arrange to make payments over a 10 year period, or they can pay in whole before Jan 15th to avoid fees associated with the Association's construction loan. Specific information will be mailed to each unit owner affected by the Special Assessment.

Buildings 28, 29, and 42 are invited to a pre-Assessment meeting on January 10th, which will be followed by the Special Assessment meeting on January 17th.


The meeting was attended by the Property Manager and the following Board members: Manny, Prentis, Ben, and Bryan. Unit owners from several buildings were also present.

Board of Directors' Meeting on Monday 17 Dec '07

There will be a meeting of the Board of Directors (BOD) to pass special assessments for several buildings (25, 26, 28, 29, 42, & 44) on Monday December 17th, 2007. The special assessment is to cover the cost of building refurbishment, as has been happening throughout the community. (Building 22 is also going to have a special assessment for past hurricane expenses).

Jim Miles (a General Contractor who has performed much of the refurbishment work in the community) will be on hand with a photo display of construction concerns and to answer questions.

As with any meeting of the BOD, any and all TAJ unit owners are allowed, by law, to attend [Florida Statute 718.111(2)(C)] . The law also states that unit owners have the right to participate at those meetings, but the BOD has the right to determine the manner of their participation. That means that the BOD can choose when and how long unit owners can speak during the meeting. The BOD has, in the past, used a system of allowing speakers 2-3 minutes each. That is a pretty common arrangement in this type of meeting, and is generally seen as fair because it gives everyone a chance to talk and limits any one person's ability to monopolize the time.

Next buildings in line for Renovations and Special Assessments

According to the BOD meeting minutes of 03 October 2007 (see post at that date) buildings 25, 26, 28, 42, and 44 are the next phase of construction to begin at TAJ. The paperwork is being prepared that will be sent out for competitive bids by general contractors (GCs), one of whom will be selected for each of the above named buildings. Soon thereafter each building will be given a Special Assessment to cover the cost of paying the GC for the work they perform.

Because TAJ has been fortunate enough to have a line of credit with a local bank for construction, the BOD has been able to offer somewhat flexible payment terms to unit owners in some of the past Special Assessments.

September 5 BOD Meeting: Multiple Special Assessments