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Article Courtesy of The
Gainesville Sun
By Deborah Strange
Published July 27, 2018
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In the middle of a lawsuit and dealing with beetle infestations, the Haile
Plantation Association will consider charging homeowners $300 at its Aug. 6
meeting.
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While it deals with a lawsuit and an
infestation of beetles, the Haile Plantation homeowners
association is considering charging homeowners an extra $300
in addition to the group’s annual membership fees.
It will consider the plan at its Aug. 6 board meeting.
Haile Plantation Association, a homeowners group that
includes some 850 homes in the upscale development southwest
of Gainesville, last September dropped its management firm,
claiming it kept information from the association and was
hostile to residents.
Management Specialists Services did not go away quietly,
however, and sued the Haile homeowners group, arguing that
the homeowners group had breached its contract by dropping
the company without cause. And the lawsuit argued that
Management Specialists Services was entitled to $533,000 in
management fees and expenses it would have been paid during
2018 and 2019.
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The Gainesville-based management company, which works
throughout North Central Florida, also argued that it wasn’t informed of
shortcomings in its work and therefore didn’t have the opportunity to
rectify errors. In its complaint, it said the contract termination would
lead the company to lay off at least four people.
Haile Plantation Association, in turn, argued that Management Specialists
Services misrepresented the association’s finances and rules multiple times
in an “incurable breach” of their contract, according to court documents.
Charlie Hughes, a litigator for Haile Plantation Association, said the
association was satisfied with a decision made by an arbitrator in
non-binding arbitration but that Management Specialists Services was not.
Management Specialists Services asked for a trial.
Jeb Branham, attorney for Management Specialists Services, said neither
party has since moved the case forward.
“There hasn’t been much activity for the past several months,” Branham said.
In a notice given to homeowners this week, Haile Plantation Association said
its board of directors will consider a one-time charge of $300 to homeowners
saying that “it is clear we have insufficient funds to meet our immediate
needs.”
Julie Naim, Haile Plantation Association’s general attorney, said the
association was financially stable.
The homeowners association charges different quarterly fees depending on
which subdivision one lives in and the services the management firm
performs; Haile Plantation Association covers almost 20 subdivisions. One
Haile Plantation resident said he pays $379 a quarter.
The notice to homeowners lists the lawsuit, liability from past and future
storms, fence and sign repairs, paving issues and tree work as expenses to
be covered by the assessment if passed.
Many pine trees in Haile’s common area were recently found to be infested
with pine beetles, the notice said, an issue that requires immediate
attention.
Leland Management, which is based in Gainesville and has locations
throughout North and Central Florida, has been managing Haile Plantation
Association since the Management Specialists Services contract was
terminated.
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