Grand Vista owners prepare recall ballot

 
By the Special Action Group of Grand Vista Condominium
Published December 14, 2003

HIALEAH GARDENS, FL -- At an organized and peaceful protest this evening, unit owners of Grand Vista Condominium nominated five unit owners to appear on a recall ballot later this week.  "This is justice!  This is what democracy is all about,"  chairman Eddie Hernandez told the group of upset unit owners.  "We have rights in this country and as members of the association, we have the right to recall these board members."
 
Hernandez, who has for some time taken criticism because he was one of several unit owners who reported his association for serious violations of state laws, coordinated this meeting to teach his neighbors about the recall process.
 
''A lot of them don't understand what their rights are,'' State Representative Julio Robaina (R-Miami) told the Miami Herald.  The Grand Vista situation has received statewide attention.  Robaina, who chairs the state's Select Committee on Condo and Homeowner's Associations Governance, met with several department heads this week to discuss Grand Vista and the overwhelming number of complaints the state is getting from many other associations like this one.
 
Several unit owners at this meeting volunteered to go door to door this week and gather signatures on properly prepared ballots.  According to unit owners, the fate of this community lies on a successful recall of board members and future compliance with the laws.
 
"It will not be easy to recover from this situation," unit owner Giraldo Victoria told the members. Victoria said that owners had lost confidence. "We need to rebuild our finances, work with the enforcement agencies investigating this situation, continue making our payments, and volunteer our time to work for our association."
 
Chief Michael Cochran, for the Department of Business and Professional Regulations told the Miami Herald that if a new board is elected, it will inherit the [$50,000] fines of the current board but his agency would be willing to negotiate the amount.  



Go to the inofficial WebPages:      www.grandvistacondo.com 
For a list of violations, please visit: www.grandvistacondo.com/violations