395 Ruth Kansier Our condo assn has placed a lein for HO fees without giving any kind of notice before doing so. (it was rented, and we had renter paying them) We found out 5 months later. (last month). I realize I will have to pay them, but I resent the legal fees that are included. I would hope that because they have no valid support for doing this, they say they sent lein notice regular mail,and \" they didn\'t get it back, so we received it\", that they would reduce or remove them. However, this is not the case. However, because I have contacted them, they now realize we do own the place, and have an address for us, which they should have had for over 3 years. Also, we only get things done when we contact president on a good day. How can we get some \"teeth\" into this assn? 394 John Andrews Hello Jan, I spoke to you via phone a few weeks ago and you were kind enough to answer some of my questions and you also refered to me some lawyers in Florida. I am interested in joining your organization because I am a board member of an Association in Fort Myers and I am trying to learn as much as possible about Association rules and regulations and Florida laws. Please forward any questions. Thanking you in advance, John Andrews 393 Mnike Brevard County Clerk of Courts Public Records http://brevardcountyclerkofcourts.net/ 392 Lena Good information. 391 Teresa Harrell Hello, joined the chat on channel 6 last night. I am very happy to finally find a group for homeowners. I ordered 4 of your books on your site and look forward to networking with you all. Thanks, Jan for your response to my previous e-mail. Thanks, Teresa 390 LaJuan Dariso I\'m very interested in joing your guest book 389 Nelson G. Rodriguez Are we Leaving in America or in Cuba? is there any chance we can Reform This HOA Bussiness that is more powerfull than the constitution 388 Norm Glavas We have an abusive Board that refuses to answer financial inquires and an accountant that supports their stance. I have made many attempts to examine official docs that are incomplete and provide no paper trail. And now we have gained some support from other homeowners who want a change in board members but the current board is smearing our names and falsely passing rumors to other homeowners who have taken a neutral stance all this time. 387 sharfuddin i wanna jion this guest book..... 386 sharf i wanna join this guest book. 385 Carlos Pineiro We have a very nice couple who purchased in our Condo \"Champlain Towers East\" in Surfside, FL several years ago. Unfortunately, they are upside down:( and now have been in forclosure for at least over a year. They pay their maintenance speratically and were told to do that by their attorney. Are they permitted to vote in our upcoming board election. In my opinion, it is not their fault that they are in forclosure..... 384 Donald Montgomery I am very interested in knowledge specific to Condo law. 383 alicia I am trying to find out about the Reserve at Point Meadows. I heard the homeowners are suing the builder but I can not find out why, all I am told is structural damage, does anyone have anymore information. 382 Lola Our Small Condo has been operating by moral, good people . We will not hire a Property Management Propety who inflates their prices and over whom we have no checks and balances. We have plenty of operating money and a huge Money Market Acct. for reserves. We pay a few retired people who have Doctorate Degrees to Manage and enforce our rules, write our bills which are signed by the Board President and we send our fianancial records to all Owners. Why they changed that over 10 Units from 50 is ridiculous and it hurts small Condo\'s who hae managed to run our Condo without their pricey help. I say we must reverse this law to over 50 Units again and let Florida Bs. and Admin. Enforcers know we are not happy about it. 381 CHARLES DOUBET Excellent organization. Would like to join. 380 Michael Hanlon You have an article about atty malfeascence refering to Poliakoff\'s comments about our Bookkeeper story reported in the PB Post 9/5/09.. After seeing a copy of the Incident report filed with the police, it turns out the entire situation was a contrivance. Your spotlighting Poliakoff \'s involvement in pending bills eplained why a Director on our Board for two months tried to get our elderly widows to mail a pre-written petition to our legislators requesting that they resurrect a defeated bill SB998. That damn lawyer got us to pay him to let us do his lobbying for him. The reasoning behind the Bookkeeper smoke has yet to be revealed but it may turn out to be legal smoke to cover up a much bigger theft.. More to come..... 379 fay minark hoa is infringing on riparian rights 378 mason haas I have used your services before and have nothing but praise fro your efficency and expertise 377 Don Armstrong I\'m trying to clean up our lakes, and neglected homes. 376 Donald Clements Wonderful information. Thank you from a new activist in Hawaii with similar problems. Living under the GESTAPO, etc. Many Thanks for your efforts for us all Don Clements 375 Helene Sabin much needed information 374 Robert Johnsen I would like to become a member of CCFJ. 373 jerrell coleman We are a fairly new HOA in Jacksonville, Fl. and have similar types of problems. The Turnover from the Declarant to the owners was in January 28 of this year. The development has been in existance since February 2003. We have 473 homes in our subdivision. Annual dues are $262.50 with 35% in arrears. There has been no audit of funds after turnover. Financial statements have been given to only about 10 people. Many questions have been asked and have not been answered to date. Meeting notices have been posted by a sign at the entrance to the subdivision. HOA members have a growing animosity towards the board and the management co. Please advise. (904) 786-9949 home 372 Joseph M. Fischer This seems like a very noble endevor. Sometimes it\'s hard to believe the crazyness that goes on around us. Sometimes you feel powerless to combat the evils in our society. Getting involved is a good first step. There are lots of good people out there trying to do the right thing. 371 Richard Craig Great to hear you on OTC today - the term for these HOA lawyers I use is \"ORGANIZED CRIME\". Keep up the good work, give \'em hell. This absolute despotism must end - spread the word: DEMOCRACY IS THE WAY OUT!!!! Put it to a vote - to have an HOA or not to have an HOA? THIS IS UP TO THE OWNERS AND SHOULD BE MANDATED WHEN THE DEVELOPER \"TURNS THE NEIGHBORHOOD OVER TO THE OWNERS\". Till we get this simple solution implemented, we\'ll continue fighting stupidity. Rich 370 pam cecere this is a great and much needed thing, I\'m having lots of problems with my board of directors over a big mold issue. if there is any attorney out there that deals with mold issues and would like a client, please contact me at 737 493-3949. I got very sick from this and it will be a big case. I\'d also love to here from other unit owners who had problems with mold and the assocation not wanting to pay to fix anything even thought they were at fault, thank you Pam Cecere email: pamelajoanrocketmail.com THE APERSAND SIGN IS BETWEEN JOAN AND ROCKET IT WOULD NOT WORK 369 Rebecca Claypoole I tried to join your organization today through Paypal but they won\'t accept the prepaid visa credit card that I bought just to do this with. I do not know what to do now, for I really wanted to join you. I spoke to you this morning. 561-641-6986 368 larry sartory long with over 20% 367 Mel Globerman Need info on HOA Insurance responsibilities, and related law 366 Louis Tumeo I am Vp of the HOA and would like to join if I am re-elected this fall. Iwould like additional information of HOA laws. 365 Christina Maria Very interesting site with tons of information. 364 Jon M. Kruger Although i don\'t live in Florida i do live under a draconian HOA. The Atascocita South Community Improvement Association. I learned, today, that I am being sued. It seems that after Hurricane IKE blew my roof off I didn\'t have it replaced with the \"right\" type of shingles, even though they were the same type and color shingles that the hurricane blew away. I have written to all my elected officials but NONE of them will even discuss the situation. A local TV station, KPRC, did a wonderful series investigating HOA\'s. I was interviewed. These HOA\'s have no shame at all. It seems this is a nation wide problem. I live in Atascocita but the post office is Humble Texas, about 35 miles NE of downtown Houston. 363 John Allen Jones I am interested in this advocacy group 362 Buck Raith Rosemary, Would like to see what you\'re working on here. Buck 361 Clayton Janicki We urgently need an oversight group for our HOA !!! 360 Joyce Glennon Would like to keep up on new laws & changes for owners of townhouses 359 harry ruffner Keep up the great job you are providing all of us. Thank you. 358 Ruth Morabito I am very impressed by your website. I have just started exploring it but it looks very well made and informative. I have several issues going on that are not good going on my location with my association, but more on that later. Hopefully I can find answers and help here. I would like to join but I cannot afford much, since I am on a fixed income and am 81 yrs old. 357 Elizabeth Ann Bryce My husband and I own a mobile home and the land it sits on, in Ridgeway Mobile Home Subdivision, located in Hobe Sound, Florida. We have one heck of a mess going on with our (so called) Association; lies, liens, foreclosures etc. Absolutely terrible stuff. 356 bill jula great site; let me know more about joining 355 DONNA BLASI I AM VERY INTERESTED IN THIS WEB SITE. BUT NOT READY TO JOIN AT THIS MOMENT. DONNA 354 Leo Smith I am currently Vice President on the BOD for my HOA. I am open to any and all information out there pertaining managing the Association\'s Business needs with a view to holding down HOA monthly assessments fees without jeopardizing the real interest of the members. As we all know Hurricane insurance is the current biggest cost factor for home owners in Florida. Citizens have us over a barrel. Also, having to maintain a huge reserve for roof replacements and painting dictates the inevitable annual whopper HOA/Condo Fee increases. Unlike other Associations, mine elects to bite the bullet every year and vote to accept the linear operational cost increases. With retirement and other income investment strapped by the by prolonged down market the ever rising HOA costs have become untenable. The alternative option would be to cut back on the reserve funds, wait until the maturity of the cost item then impose massive cross the board assessments to fund the cost of scheduled projects. Another approach would be to reduce the common insurance premiums and let owners take their chances with disaster repair/replacement. The ones who get hit will absorb the brunt of the cost out of their own pockets. Or here is a good one, HOA may choose to play Russian roulette with catastrophe and whenever they get hit they take out loans to fund the repairs then hike HOA Fees to pay the high interest loans. All these three approaches are direct routes to community deterioration. Units will be left for months and years with roofs capped in blue tarp or flecked with patches of damaged roofing or patio structures left in dire repair because the owners just cannot afford the repair cost on their own. This then leads to second stage community breakdown when unit owners begin warring against each other. In light of all the above are there any answers out there that can help HOA/CONDO Ass. pursue a \"best course of action\" that can both ease the financial burden on unit owners while at the same time leave them reasonably protected against Wind Blown disasters and other HOA exorbitant expenses? 353 ronnie I\\\'m trying to locate Rose Bubello about HOA information 352 Joe Someone told me that there are changes happening regarding the builder and the HOA at Live Oak, but I don\'t know the details. 351 Lori Costanza Interesting 350 BENJAMIN KIRMAN We are currently involved in just the kind of struggle you describe with a board composed of residents who think that they rule the world which in their case is PGA Village. They specialize in petty rules that do nothing to improve life in our community and have made it just the kind of place you describe when you speak about a community fast moving toward a place that is getting to be a community from hell. 349 Rose Bubello As a member would I have access to help with making Waterchase HOA, which am a Homeowner become more transparent. Thank you Rose Bubello 348 Eduardo Garay very informative, should have known about you sooner 347 Maria Gomez Enjoy your page, will like to participate on your Newsletter 346 Ronald Cantwell You are doing a great job. I enjoy reading your News. We clearly can\'t rely on DBPR for information let alone justice. I live in the Grand Condominium a Multi Use Condo in Miami . We have had a lawsuit going against our Developer controlled Association who sued (and won) the a case that 718.404 was costitutional for all of Florida EXCEPT for the Grand Condominium Association!!! Our \"CLENCH DEVELOPER\" has controlled our Assocation since 1990 even though Residential Unit Owners constitute 66% of all Unit owners. Hopefully we will have an \'untainted\' judge at Trial. Good Luck in all of your endeavors, Ron Cantwell 345 Arthur Sanders Kudos on this web site, dedicated to enpowering our citizens who for good or bad are living within Homeowner Associations. It is often not too pleasant an experience. 344 Deborah Cleaver Very informative website for all owners 343 Hannah Blank HELP! 342 John Manganelli My board has just passed a rule that makes all outdoor common spaces smoke free, but they did not ask the owners to vote on this change. They just sent a notice and put up signs. As a realtor I have already had two customers refuse to see any units for sale in my building because of all the petty rules and regulations. What rights do I have in this matter. John Manganelli ( johnmanganelli@hotmail.com ) 341 Heidi Fleming Jan, Thank you for your quick response. This site is a wealth of information. As a new board member I sincerely appreciate the information and your insight. 340 rihuey I can not understand why our sheriff has done nothing about our loss. But then again I guess I do understand why our sheriff has done nothing!! 339 Saundra Curry Thanks for all you do as an HOA watch dog group...it is really needed. Your site is a wealth of information. But of most benefit is keeping us informed of legislative actions and encouraging our participation in same...better state regulation and ENFORCEMENT of state regulations is the only way to protect homeowners from abusive, dictatorial, retaliatory and discriminatory boards of directors (and even committees). Keep up the good work. 338 Dominick Mileto I can\'t believe that I sat in a session of Homeowners with a group of legislators with the group telling all those horror stories and the FS Bill I just reviewed was the best that came out of it. If I as a homeowner have a legitimate complaint, it will cost me money to show I was right when like many seniors, I would not afford the fees of required in the process of this new legislation. The biggest problem for homeowners are abusive Boards. We need serious help. How do we do this? Dominick Mileto 337 Karen S Hetrick I am a second term board member and have found that this site will be very educational and informational to me. You supply information that I can share with our association. Thank you for being there for us. 336 Iris Pyne-Tanenbaum I am a board member and want to have any useful information I can get. Please put me on your email list. 335 Sharon Vaninger I am a new board member and need to learn much about how to be effective in my role. 334 Carl Stahnke Keep up the good work !!!! 333 The cape petition Love that song!!!! you should look at our blog on google... thecapepetition.blogspot -- the criminal complaints our residents are making here ... to stop the stuff these HOA board members and staff have been getting away with for years. They have to pay their own attorney\'s fees for criminal complaints too so they can\'t bilk it out of the HOA funds to defend themselves. And any stalking or harassment convictions, lands them on probation for a while. 332 Peggy Rustige I have appreciated all the news and information on the web site. I have also appreciated the help recieved from the organization. I have sent my check to become a member and would encourage all who visit the site to do the same. We need each others experiences to survive ! 331 Brevard HOA I live in a HOA and unlike your board ours are ass-**** with personal agendas that knock on doors and are judge and jury----------- lawsuits are flying- directors are resigning------------arggggggggggg 330 Howard L. Worstadt To whom it may concern. I am the V.P. of our H.O.A. Our President who was appointed by his small group of followers (4) who happen to be board members, that are influianced by a non-board member(a resident) who thinks he is above every one else in our community. This individual has become a constant outside influiance on our board without the best interest of the community in mind. At this time our community is divided and our board is totaly disfunctional. How can we as a community rid ourselfs of this parisite. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Sincerly HLW. 329 Tammy Schwartz I am a concerned home owner who would like to see some changes made at the government level for HOA\'s to not be allowed to start forclosure procedures. 328 David Lewin I currently serve on our HOA Board of Directors and I am concerned about the impact of Florida House Bill 27, currently winding its way throught the current session. 327 karen signoriello I AM CURRENTLY SERVING AS A BOARD MEMBER AND WOULD LIKE TO LEARN MORE 326 Jamie Grossfeld Our association just went back to self management. I predict it will be a disaster since the HOA committee members will not be able to be equitable or impartial in their dealings with individual homeowners. I preferrred a management company and didn\'t want to deal with the HOA who are neighbors as well. It just isn\'t comfortable. Recently I sent a design request to the architectural review committee by postal mail. One of the members of the committee called my husband on the phone and informed us that we had an opportunity to meet with them on the third friday of every month. We can\'t meet in person, but asked by postal mail for them to review our proposal and to respond in writing as to whether or not it was approved. We have always done it this way. I never heard back by phone last night, 10 minutes before they were going to leave their monthly meeting and was informed that they would wait for a few minutes for me if I wanted to show up. Otherwise it would be pushed to the next month. Too bad no one called me when the meeting started. Surprised, I emailed the president of the HOA and her email to me seemed less than congenial. I was basically informed that it is done in person so that any vague things can be covered. So basically it is in person or too bad you are out of luck. Do I not have a right to request that the review be done by the committee without my presence? Do I actually have to physically be there. I never was required to be there in person before and they didn\'t seem to have an issue with that. What about absentee owners? What if I were elderly or for some medical or other reason could not get down to the pool to meet with the ARC? Does that mean that I have lost my rights as a member to have my design approved because I want to get approval in writing and not in person? 325 WILLIAM R PHILLIPS OUR COMMUNITY HOA IS ATTEMPTING TO MANDATE MANDATORY COUNTRY CLUB MEMBERSHIP WITH THE NEXT TRANSFER OF PROPERTY. THEIR ATTORNY, LARRY GLICKMAN, HAS CITED A CASE (ROBERT CLUNE V EAST POINT) AS A CIRUCT COURT DECISION AFFIRMING THE RIGHT OF THE HOA TO MAKE THE AMENDMENT CHANGE. I CANNOT FIND THIS CASE TO READ IT. I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY INFORMATION YOU HAVE ON THIS CASE. THANKS BILL PHILLIPS 324 Dianne Wilkes You\'re doing great work! 323 Ann Lefkowitz I am a Property Manager employed by Continental Property Management here in South FL. I am always interested in changes in the law both for condominiums and HOA, this information is both for myself and to assist in best guiding the Board of Directors that I work with. Thank You, Ann Lefkowitz 322 janet garofalo I am interested in learning why the state government has not provided any options for the property owners in florida. I own my own property and the house I built on it. I am trying to find out what laws there are for the owners to request the rights to their community. We are 100% built and occupied and have been for many years. Why is the developer still holding on to the community center and some common areas. He chargers us for garbage/cable/amenities/and common areas. Based on my computation he is profiting from what he receives. Do we have the right to see his financials, and if so, do we not have the right to demand the community in our own name. Whether we have a HOA or not we could take over and hire a management association to implement the prices and the rules the community knows to be correct and fair in value. This is too much like a communist state which tells me who I have to listen to with no options or opinions. The developer is not the owner of my home, he does not pay my taxes and I have to maintain everything in or outside my home. I pay him money for amenities and cable and garbage. I could pay my own garbage bill, which incidentally he has risen twice in four months, or my cable which he has attached to the ownership of every home, which also went up twice in the same amount of time. The cost of the care of the club house and other amenities have also risen to $100 a month times 784 houses, you do the math. It is an exhorbitant amount of money for the size of the area in question. We the home owners should be able to receive the ownership of the community whether we have HOA or not and establish the billing and care on our own; even if we have to use a Management Corporation. At lease with this in mind it would be not for profit and the homeowners would have complete knowledge of the cost and outcomes of anything done within the community. If you know of the laws that will provide for this within the Florida State Statues please provide them to me. If you need to fight the state than with any monies you seem to be collecting just attact the Govenor\'s office with your money and your knowledge and don\'t write up our complaints, just get the communities the right to govern themselves and then it will be up to them to handle there problems each on their own. I am sorry if I am going off on your web site, but to think that a State provides nothing in written law for the people who buying into their state, paying taxes to the government to keep them afloat and voting for those in office, I want to know what the hell the Developer has that we don\'t have. I hope someone rethinks this real soon and places the needs of the homeowners above the needs of the developer. In my case the developer could have been Donald Duck for all the brains it took to buy the land and find a builder. Sincerely, Janet Garofalo 320 Bobbie J Richter Dear Sirs; I\'m writing to let you know that my Dad who lives in Highland Beach sent me an article about a meeting you had in Boca Raton that made the papers! Good for you! We in the Coral Lakes community have been fighting with our builder, and property mgmt. co. for over a year. We feel that we have literally NO RIGHTS!!! We are like sheep being led to slaughter! We have a builder controlled board, which is due to change after getting the media involved, and having the builder\'s rep. state on TV that we could have 2 more residents on the board. We\'ll see if that even happens @ our next meeting on Feb.25th. We are also looking into the fact that there were NO BIDS for any of the work that is done in our community, from the landscaping to the cable! How is all this legal?? we have placed some of our concerns by letter to the \"board of compliance\" in Tallahassee . We\'ll see if anything comes of it.Any additional help or laws that could possibly help keep us from walking away from our homes would be greatly appreciated.We want to be able to get bids on services as well as find a way to get the people who haven\'t paid a penny in HOA dues, either OUT of our community or take them to court personally and get them to pay!! It is totally unfair to expect people who struggle to pay their bills, to pay for deadbeats who don\'t!!!! HELP US PLEASE!!!! Thanking you in advance, Bobbie 319 Mayrellis Cuba Awesome website with very much needed information!!! Looking forward to finding out about the courses available. 318 JIM ANDERSON Great informative site. 317 HENRI LEVY WOULD LIKE TO BE A MEMBER . ** SUBJECT** THE CCFJ** ADD THE SO-CALLED SNOWBIRDS THE **CANADIAN GUEST** WHY??? AMERICAN SNOWBIRDS CAN DEDUCT FROM THEIR REVENUE .MANY,MANY EXPENCES ( EVEN IF THEY ARE CRO0KED EXPENCES). BUT CANADIAN ARE CONSIDERED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT **GUEST** AND THEY CAN ONLY STAY IN USA ,NO MORE THAN 4 TO 4.5 MONTHS PER YEAR.THEREFORE WHY FLORIDA MAKE US PAY SCHOOLS TAXES ( WICH IS 48%) OF THE MUNICIPALITY TAXES.. 316 James tevenson I have fooun this site I hope it can help me or send me the right direction ..I am in COND HELL as I cal it...I sttod up and had a opinion and I have been intimdadted ,harresed etc since .... I own 2 condos one in WEst Palm beach and one in Oakland Park Fla, I did rent them both but the Oakland Park condo has changed there rules and say I either sing and addeme to a lease prouduced by the board and singed by the ownwer and the tentant or I dont move a tentant in I will be happy to publish all I have recived from this assoc ... These people are out of control.. 315 Marcia Savich Glad to come on board!!! 314 Rosemary Zuba I live in a subdivision with an HOA that has board members who hired a manger from Leland Management. She, along with the board, allowed a builder to vote 101 votes to gain control over the HOA. This is not allowed according to SS 720.307, yet it\'s impossible to find out who I can get to address this. Forget an attorney, I should have to pay thousands. Also, there was a violation for SS 720.305 in regards to no allowing homeowners to vote because \'the papers\' the manager had did not show dues paid. Total disregard for the SS..I want to do all I can, along with others in my community to put a stop to this. 313 HERMAN RICHERT I am a board member at the Estero Beach and Tennis Club interested in your website. There have been many legal questions concern some members of the board and their authority. 312 Jeane Fullerton FS720.3075 pertains to what is not allowed in Covenants, etc. One clause addresses xeriscape and states that an owner cannot be prohibited from xeriscaping an owned yard if the Covenant was created after October 1, 2001. Our Covenants were created in 1998; does that also mean an amendment to cover yard care for every owner as has been carried out since the townhouses were built in 1998 and included in the Association fee--no increase in fee. Over 2/3 of the owners voted for this amendment. The common areas and all yards are maintained by a yard service. 311 Grey Wilson Looking forward to getting information on commercial condominium associations 310 Isabel de la Rionda Was just elected to the Board of my condominium and am looking for these courses available. There have been a lot pf problems in our Condominium, was referred to your site by Brien Gittens, The Voting Group, LLC 309 James Fogarty Dear Mr. Bergemann......I am neither a rabble rouser nor a fighter of our Board of Director\'s, but I have a concern over leaving a key to my condo with the current Board. The Board has reasonable and supervised access to my condo through my condo caretaker (Condo Watcher) 24/7. I have read your statement \"You don\'t have to give them one (a key),\" in a newspaper article and need the authority for your statement to delay providing the current Board a key till they move on.....Thank you for any help you may be able to provide me .....Jim Fogarty 308 John S. Jackson I\'m ready to move back to the good old U.S.A. - At the age of 66 I\'m surprised I got along without this HOA idea for all these years. Now my HOA has become an ITCH and I need relief from its imaginary security. I would be proud to join CCFJ - sign me up. 307 Valerie King I would like to join your organization. I need to be educated on what my rights are as a condo owner in reference to a dispute that I am having with my neighbor. While I was out of town for a week, there was a leak from the pipes for my neighbor\'s condo. There was water damage to my condo, and my neighbor does not want to accept responsiblity. I contacted my insurance company, got the mess cleaned up, but I am concerned about mold and mildew behind the drywall. My neighor isn\'t the slightest bit concerned about this issue; especially since their condo didn\'t suffer any water damage. Do you have any advice for me? 306 Robert Green would like to join 305 Olga Campillo Johnson I live in a condo and we have problems withe board off an on. Now since we are happy with our current Board we really did not need elections so they planned on staying because no one was to file to be a candidate. Except 5 of the \"old members did file\" this are the same we voted out. According to the rules and regulations since is less than the existing 7 we do not have to have elections because the existing board was elected. These \"old members\" have interpreted this rule in the opposite way, they say they do not have to be lected that they will be the New Board and that the will appoint 2 more of their people. What can we do? Where can I go to get clarification in paper? Please let me know ASAP I really appreciate your prompt cooperation in this serious matter. Thanks Blessings Olga Campillo ola913@comcast.net 304 lauren kaufman Please help me with my condo mess. My HOA association told me that Gus’s Windows and Doors were hired to replace Impact doors and windows for the insurance work in The Pilot House located in Fort Lauderdale. The association said that if I were to do the rest of my windows and doors using the same contractor it would be most cost effective and efficient. The association gave him @ a $400,000.00 deposit. I contracted him for a $16,000 contract and deposited $8,000 in Feb 2008. I was recently informed by a neighbor that Gus absconded with my associations insurance money and all who placed deposits with him. Phone calls and e mails have gone unanswered. A call to the manufacture of the door company(EGS) confirmed that doors and windows were never ordered for my unit 415. Rocky of VICO windows ( the owners son) told me that at the time bids were submitted, Vico told THE PILOT HOUSE PRESIDENT that they would commence work with no money down, post a bond and submitted a COMPARABLE bid to Gus’s bid. The association hired Gus and never asked Gus to post a bond. Gus is not a licensed contractor. The president of my board is the chief of police in Margate. I contacted the attorney generals office and was told to file a report with the police. I contacted the police Dec 15th and filed a criminal complaint with Sgt. Sodano case # 08-145-421 and never heard back from him or anyone else. Please assist me with this case of fraud before Gus is allowed to file for bankruptcy . Lauren Kaufman 3100 NE 48th st Fort Lauderdale FL 33308 908-420-6023 Unit 415- one of many 303 Nancy Spellman Can condo board require owner to purchase insurance? 302 Bert Caplan Reading your site. It looks good. I need a little time to think about joining group. 301 andy gorny I along with several other residents at eden isles condominiums have gone through the majority of the horror stories with our board ; filing complaints with the d.b.p.r. since 2004, and the non-action or \"we sent them a letter \" that is all to common from the cochranites of the d.b.p.r.; and our problems are still ongoing ! Unfortunately it appears that thousands of other owners of condominiums throughout Florida have the same pathetic experiences when they hope to have the protection and oversight of a state governing agency. I came across your organization while researching \"Rizzo vs.Riverreach \" and was very impressed ! With your input and demands for change to protect unit owners from self-serving boards the d.b.p.r.seems to have enacted statues that will be more apt to protect concerned owners ;- now lets put some big teeth in them !! 300 Jean Morris I was researching information about a situation we are facing with our situation regarding damage that was done to our unit because property manager failed to notify us of a pipe break in the wall between another unit which backs up to ours.It flooded our place which in turn caused mold because weeks passed before we eventually found out.They do not want to pay for any damages.I found this site which was so helpul. I want to thank Jan for responding to my email and all the time and help that she has given me. 299 Louis Robbio I attended a town Hall session in Charlotter County yesterday and I was most impressed with level of knowledge of the panel and the enthusiasm of the State representatives for our cause. I would like to offer my volunteer service on the legal committee if there are any openings. I have 30+ years of experience as a trial attorney and feel that I could be of assistance. 298 Shawn Martin I have created a website for justice that I am seeking against my condominium for neglect, waste, and etc. of my property. My website is listed at www.myspace.com/omegavillas. I would appreciate any thoughts on how we can win against our corrupt association. Shawn Martin 297 Diego Velez I\'m extremely interested in becoming actively involved in issues concerning condominium owners.. I desperately need assistance in seeking a good inexpensive attorney to sue condominium board as soon as possible. Your assistance will be greatly appreciated. Yours truly, Diego Velez 305 807 5986 296 Raynold Cabral Keep up the great work,we need more involvement by unit owners, shall join jan 1, 295 Herb Zydney Is there some more details on #13 developer regulation. The summary statements are good - but reading exactly what each one means would be helpful. 294 Keith Goldstein The battle between the St. Augustine Shores Service Corporation and the residents are heating up again. Some of the players have changed but the tactics continue. Homeowners are threatened with arrest if they speak out against the board president, Jerry Zinn. Come and join us one month. I have been here for over 7 years and this board\'s conduct amazes many of us. Every time we think we have a decent cast of board candidates they are somehow found to not have properly qualified. Things that make you go hmmm! 293 Bobbi Goodall I would like to join as a homeowner. I was previously a member when I lived in a Condominium. Have questions that I need to get answers to. bobbi goodall 292 Karen McGinnis In response to Entry 288 I am fortunate enough to live in a beautiful subdivision known as Silver Lakes Acres. There is a clubhouse, a beautiful beach, a boat ramp, which provides easy access to North Lake Bryant, street lights and a nicely maintained entry. During this time of plummeting property values, the value of our properties are still at a respectable level due to these features. All this for a maintenance fee of just $50.00 per year. When my husband and I moved here 2 years ago, we thought this was a misprint. It was unimaginable that we could have all this for such a small amount. The only problem that we have found is that there are a few residents who do not want to pay their share and think that the other residents should carry them. Just wanted to clear this up. Thanks for listening. 290 Lorraine Blair Great web site! 289 Carol J Hirsch I am facing the threat of a state arbitration and/or a lawsuit in 25 days by my condo Board at Winston Park NE regarding the replacement of my A/C unit on the metal condo roof. I hired an attorney and demanded proof that my A/C unit was damaging the roof after I submitted several licensed contractors\' reports that it was not. After 6 months of letters back and forth, the Board finally produced an Oct. \'08 report by a roofing expert stating that my unit must be replaced because some rust from my grate which is going into a stainless steel pan \"will aid in clogging the drain\" if a heavy rainfall makes the pan overflow and the unit \"has become a detriment\" to the metal roof. Still no proof. The background is that: 1.) I have been very critical (mostly in writing) of the Board\'s (and particullarly of the Board VP\'s) behavior towards unit owners; 2.) The VP spearheaded intimidating elderly owners into purchasing new A/C units \"to save the 20 yr. old metal roof\" even though the A/C units still worked and no damage was proven (16 people were afraid of retaliation and the threat of a lawsuit and spent $3,000 on new units without question); 3.) During my letter challenges through my attorney, my A/C had all the freon drained out (the contractor verified no leaks), I called the police and filed a report and named the VP as a suspect since only he and 3 others have a key to the roof and the Pres. stated VP was the only one who goes up there; 4.) The VP alone determined who needed new A/C units and there are many others in much worse shape than mine that have not been targeted; 5.) I am a senior on a fixed income, have run out of money to fight this, and have just had major surgery and need to avoid stress; 6.) The management company is helping the Board 100%, which is where they got their \"experts\"; 7.) I am certain this is \"selective enforcement\" by the VP (who no Board member will go against) and I could prove this but haven\'t the means to litigate. Can I defend myself from here on without an attorney? Should I initiate arbitration/intervention by omsbudsman? Could I attempt a compromise (ie: some repairs) on my own? I will not give in on this and am open to any suggestions as to how I can proceed. Yes, I want to join your organization even though I plan to sell and never again live in a condominium. People in condos need help desperately as the transgressions by ignorant Boards are beyond outrageous. Thank you for any help you can give me. Carol J. Hirsch 288 Ernie Barney I am unfortunate enough to live in a developement that has a small amount of peopole that think you should do exactly what they tell you to do! They have been told by the State of Florida they are not a HOA but will not give up on trying to collect dues. Now there latest trick is to have a lawyer send every one that did not pay there unenforceable dues a threatening letter to pay up or else a lein will be put on your property and you will pay interest until it is paid. The name of this unfortunate place to live is called SILVER LAKE ACRES PROPERTY ASSOCIATION INC. It is laocated in the ocala national forest Silver Springs Fl. 287 Lisa Farinacci I found your website while I was researching the pick up truck issue in condos in florida. I am exited to finally see that people are fighting back against these uneducated Boards that are making wrong decisions financially, morally and basically across the board. I live at Bay Colony Club in Fort Lauderdale, Fl and the Board is a joke. WE REALLY HAVE A RULE THAT A PICK UP TRUCK CAN BE ON THE PROPERTY FROM 8:00 AM UNTIL 11:OO PM PUT THEN HAS TO BE REMOVED!!!!!!!! I need help with this issue. I been researching it and it is going both ways with the courts. It is clearly selective enforcement, classicism and against people\'s civil rights to drive the type of vehicle of their choice. I am going to join your organization since I want to be part of the solution to fix this Condo nightmare. It has to stop. People elect boards to control their money; their rights; their control-----it is ludicrous. Please get back to me on you opinon on this pick up truck issue. I want to get a coliation together and take this to Supreme Court and finally resolve this unjustified issue. Thank you so much for your work and this forum. 286 Tony Penny Moscato Since 2004 when we purchased our common grounds and got a ruling from a Clearwater judge to not allow the LLC to make money off their neighbor\'s backs, we have run into most of the corruption spoken of on this site with our own attorneys, management company, the board, and even our members wishing to make money off the retirees in our village with smoke and mirrors and plants in the audience at town meetings. Regulation is the only way to close the lid on the cookie jar. 285 Kim Pruett Found Website to be extremely helpful and informative! Had no idea, until it affected my family personally, how HOA\'s in the state of Florida are running \"wild\" and can affect your income and standard of living! They have the power (or they THINK they do) to almost devastate your life and that of your family! We have lived in a neigborhood Governed by an HOA for almost 10 years, the first 8 of them, we had no trouble, but the last 2 have been a living hell! If you live in a Community that has an HOA, you will be fine, UNTIL, they decide, for whatever reason, they do not like you anymore, then you are TAGGED and here they come!!! 284 Brian Followed the gentlemen at burroakscircle.org, who deal with the same insane property managers was we do! 283 Kathy Rowe This site has and will come in very handy as I am having issues with the Pres. of my HOA....Thank goodness I saw and article in the paper with your website.... 281 JOEL DOUGHERTY Am currently President of Kings Gate Residents Group (non-profit corp.), organization of homeowners with no power, simply trying to give voice to homeowners\' concerns. Pleas advise procedure for joining and membership details, price, etc. 280 Jan Schwarz We built our retirement home in Kings Gate.. Started with false advertising.. monthly dues go up however much and whenever. Then we find out we cannot get out...even though we own our property, pay taxes etc. we are treated like mobile home owners ie; no signs on our property..For Sale signs must be placed in front window only. And out of sight for anyone looking to buy Our \"community clubhouse\" reopend 4 years after Charlie, but is off limits for us the home owners..keeping it nice for public affairs 279 Diane Fitzpatrick Thank you for this site and all of your hard work to inform homeowners of their rights. 278 Bob Great site 277 David A Hoffmeyer Bob Sitton told me to join your group! Can\'t wait! 276 Dee Pls add me to your subscription list Thanks 275 Angel gonzalez NICE AND HELPFUL SITE !!!! MISS.INGER GARCIA RECOMEND ME THIS SITE THANKS !!!! 274 Phil Castronova Jan I hope you are well and all is good in NE. Florida. Please change my info to the new email address and the new phone # is 561-707-6717 Christiano Philip Castronova area 9 Nova Development Corp. 6768 Turtle Point Dr. Lake Worth, Fl. 33467 561-707-6717 pacc7@comcast.net 273 Bob Ayrsman You deserved an award for you Site for victim of Associations in Florida.I have shared your website with everyone that will listen, now that the crash took place today Dow down 777, HOA\'S MUST BE ACCOUNTABLE, TRANSPARENT AND TAXABLE FOR WRONGDOING...JUST LIKE A REAL CORPORATION OR BANK! Association fees are a large portion of being able to QUALIFY FOR A LOAN, BUT NO REGULATION! 272 Rosalyn Haskelson I live in the Summit Greens Subdivision in Clermont, Florida. We are interested in joining with others HOA\'s. Please send info on your programs and how to join.... Roz Haskelson 271 christine Marfut Robert K. Robinson, North Port City Attorney since 2001, became a partner in the Nelson Hesse Law Firm of Sarasota in 2005. In 2006 lawsuits against homeowners began, all handeled by Nelson Hesse. Per his official duties, Robinson was supposed to suervise and advise officers and commissiners as to Florida Statutes, prosecute citizens beore the commissioners to establish cases against them, and to oversee EVERY legal document pertaining to this inefficient small City, which is a municipal corporation. In 2006, the Nelson Hesse law firm began sending collection letters for huge amounts, grossly in excess of Florida Code, using the Mail to collect this fraudulent debt. They then file suit to forclose on property to collect these amounts, as much as 33,000 % in excess of an alleged missing permit. The more Robinson can sue, the more he personally receives. This year so far, Nelson Hesse is to receive 1.3 million in legal fees from the City. This is conflict of interest/racketeering. A partner at this firm stated in court that no attorney at his firm had any knowledge of this case against me other than to file suit. He also, in answer to my interrogatories, they said that it was lawyer-client priviledged info. as to the relationship of Robinson to both the City and the Firm, but said priviledged info is on their web site. They are actively concealing this relationship. I am pro-se as I can\'t afford the $20,000 to defend and neither can others whose properties they are taking. This is not a deed restricted community or condo. We need help in North Port. This is criminal what they are doing. 270 howard kreps this is my first visit to the CCFJ site. my coop association is having many diificulties, and may be looking for assistance. we have just filed a complaint with the Dept of Business and Professional Regulation. i may join at anothet time. 269 Lawrence & Sarah Maziarz Reform is over due and necessary. Look forward to being a part of this process. Thank you for your efforts. 268 Ernest Smith Condo Board member and interested in FL Condo law updates 267 Barbara Cole I have just joined through Paypal. Looking forward to being involved to straighten the HOA\'s out! 266 Roslyn Nehls I have enjoyed and appreiate the information I have received on this blob. Keep it coming. 265 .Eddie Velie I like your Web site -- :-) 264 Richard Alpert Keep up the great work. Thank you! 263 Anthony Sanchez Please place me on your mailing list. I live in a community with a association and I hate it. While I agree with the purpose of having an association, I don\'t agree with how certain homeowners are treated differently than others, especially if you are a member of the board. 262 Pam Sandpointe Townhomes in Orlando FLorida is an embezzlers paradise. We need help!! Board members are compensated for their time by having their monthly dues waived and special assessments waived. Spoke to a board member today and her daughter who has half interest in the unit. Daughter had no knowledge of the recently forged and passed special assessment of 3,000 dollars......because her board momma ain\'t paying it!!! This criminal element has nearly destroyed this once beautiful community. The president doesn\'t even live in Sandpointe He owns a 485,000 dollar unit in Viscaya!! By the way he was put on the board as a bully to shut up anyone who dared question their crimnial behavior by a previous board president that has recently fled the community. Interesting that all the previous board presidents have fled as well over the years or don\'t show their faces anymore. We have fallen victim to these board vultures waiting to pounce on homeowners and steal their homes through their self-procreated embezzment machine. We\'ve had enough and need your support and help. 261 verna williams I would hate to think of what Condo Board Directors and officers would get away with if it were not for your organization. I would be lost without being able to contact Jan Bergman on various problems. Thank you so very much. 260 Joseph Franze Nautica HOA and Quality Management Company will not allow homeowners to speak at Board meetings on agenda items even after written request, and indication on the sign in sheets. They were advised that it is against the Florida Statute 720, but they don\'t care. The property Manager who runs the meeting will only allow homeowners to speak after the board meeting is adjourned. After the meeting is adjourned and the floor is opened for questions, or statements the Property manager will not allow any recording devices, and minutes are not taken of the open forum. This Board is on a witch hunt against previous board members, because of personal vendettas. 259 marisa Our Community needs help in many different levels 258 Arthur E Boucher You\'ve got a great informative web site. 257 harvey lewin interested in condo florida condo law 256 John Homer I live at Golfside Villas Condominiums in Winter Park. 255 JOHN ANSAH The complete statute with amendments spotlighted is gratefully received. Thank you .. I live in a not good condo 328 units; may be facing receivership. It is a combination of bad ego-maniac board members, cannot find quite the right words for several management companies and incompetent, disbelieving owners living in la la lands of myths, legends and more. I did file with The State in 2005 with three complaints; investigation verified significant reserve problems and disregarding owners\\\\\\\' voices at Board meetings but the state\\\\\\\'s words and powers were meaningless to the Board President and other board member. If it takes money for membership presently I have very little as we have staggering special assessments. 251 Rick Bass I am having problems with the cono association taking care of exterior maintainance of my condo. wher can I go for help? 250 MaryElizabeth McIlvane The complete statute with amendments spotlighted is gratefully received. Thank you .. I live in a not good condo 328 units; may be facing receivership. It is a combination of bad ego-maniac board members, cannot find quite the right words for several management companies and incompetent, disbelieving owners living in la la lands of myths, legends and more. I did file with The State in 2005 with three complaints; investigation verified significant reserve problems and disregarding owners\' voices at Board meetings but the state\'s words and powers were meaningless to the Board President and other board member. If it takes money for membership presently I have very little as we have staggering special assessments. 249 VALORIE WILDER The music says it all 248 steph currently being targeted by HOA of my community, everything i do to my house subject to new regulation passed by committee therefore a violation and fee /fines........ i need some pointers as to where to file complaints outside of the HOA committee unjust and overpowering rules against me. 247 Frank Bonano I would like to join because of the good work you are doing. 246 Louis Zak Appears to be a good idea. 245 A.J. Partington I live in a homeowner association and would like to have some info on how we can get better organized, In the last few years our boards have really messed us up. It seams like they can do what ever they want. 244 Joe Mestas I want to join to get help and to help 243 Katy Carrigan I live in a community that is so set in their ways. They pretty much REFUSE to make any changes which is costing more and more money. I call them the \"CONDO NAZIS\" 242 Gabriel Banfi I want to become a member of your organization. 241 CARROLL CLEEK I PRESENTLY LIVE IN A COMMUNITY (delwebb sprucecreek golf & country club) WITH A BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF LITTLE DICTATORS AND WE MUST GET LEGISLATIONS PASSED IMMEDIATELY TOO ELIMINATE THE TREMENDOUS POWERS THESE H.O.A\\\'S PRESENTLY HAVE. IF WE DON\\\'T THE COMMUNTITIES WITH H.O.A.\\\'S ARE GOING TOO \\\"DIE\\\". 240 Joan & Ricardo Fugaro We would like to join on the band wagon regarding Homeowners Associations...We have talked to people all over the State of Florida that are part of a Homeowners Association and it seems that ALL Homeowners Associations are having some sort of problems, but no one seems to care and people are being ripped off in many different ways. We live in the Meadows South Association, Titusville, FL and have 157 owners in the Meadows South Association, Inc., mostly seniors, and the Association has income yearly of $122,460.00, we have written letters to our Legislators: Governor Charlie Christ, Senator District 24, Bill Posey, House of Representatives District 24, Tom Feeney and NO correspondence has ever been received from anyone. Board violations like the President and Vice President have affidavits, per the Bylaws that was filed against them with Brevard County Clerk of Courts, Titusville that states that they where dismissed and that they were not eligible to be elected to any position for the association at any future date, but the are in office as of today. The Clerk of Courts told us that it will be on file forever and is a legal document, but they tricked the homeowners and are in office as of today. Elections ballots at the Annual meeting in January were collected prior to the beginning of the meeting and nominee’s names were refused from the floor during the meeting….owners where just told it was already a final vote and the election had already taken place and they were now the new Associations Officers and Board. The officers are paid the entire monthly maintenance in taking credit on their accounts, therefore they pay no maintenance, which amounts to over $780 per year, the Board of Directors also get paid and I would also be sure that they do not report or pay income tax on this amount either. Isn’t that tax envision, too….???? Chapter 468 There also have been No reports to the owners of the financial statues, we hear they have purchased a computer, copier and a printer, we have no place of business/office, so where is the equipment? And we cannot get answers as to the Association Annual Financial Report as of 12/31/07. The owners do not know where their money is or what is being spent monthly, or if the reserve funds are still there....if there is any left. A group of owners (unknown just who) contacted and paid for a lawyer and he wrote a letter to the Association it was just read to the owners at an Annual Meeting. The lawyer suggested that a CPA or management company be hired and the cost would be less that paying those being illegally paid that are in office now. It was presented at the annual meeting with a bid from a Bookkeeping & Tax Service for $2,200 a year a savings of $1,760 per year. The President and Vice President and Board just laughed at it...and said it wasn\'t true; we did not need that, so no vote was taken. We have tons more Board violations and no one in the State will help us... so we agree.....all Homeowners Associations need to band together... We will be sending in our membership, 239 Fran Gyomory Your group sounds interesting. We moved to this community three years ago and continue to be amazed at what we cannot do in our own home. We were given the book of \"rules\" at closing and were so wide-eyed at our retirement and the wonderful community that we never got around to reading it all for some time. Still can\'t believe the control over property owners here. 238 Dawn Great Resource! 237 Janet Lifshin I am so thankful for you and the help you gave me many years ago when the HOA put a lien on my property. Now, I have a violation for my screens on my patio and I am so tired of replacing the screens so I offered to put up a plastic roof (similiar to ones I saw at two other units) and I got turned down saying the only approved roof is the screening and that the other two homeowners have been asked to remove their plastic roof. What should I do. This is ridiculous. Thanks, Janet Lifshin 236 Bruce B. Blog Readers, have a look: CCJR, feel free to add this to your list of articles! http://blogs.tampabay.com/newtampa/2008/06/cory-lake-isles.html 235 Norman Skul The HOA hypocrisy extends throughout the United States – please see our web site at www.burroakscircle.org delineating our issues in Illinois. Thanks for the much needed information. 234 Graciela Catasus Need information on what to do about interferance and intimidation tactics being used regarding our condominium\'s ongoing criminal investigation. 233 Richard Hesselton Would like to browse resources 232 Richard J. Charron Please let me know how I can pay you with a credit card. I don\'t use pay pal . 231 elsa A. Garcia-Cartaya I would appreciate further information on the goals of this organization as I am not sure whether this is directed specific to the condominium section of real estate or in general to the real estate government offices. Thank you for you information. 230 Irving Great site 229 Lucius Day You have a very impressive site. I appreciate very much the many documentary resources you make available. If you did not restrict membership to Florida residents, I would be inclined to join to show my support and to help further your worthy work. I am hoping to see someone put together a national association of homeowners to counter the propaganda and lobbying of CAI. Thanks, Lou Day 228 mary smith unhappy with board 227 Joseph Tavano I did join paying by Pay Pal on May 25th and got conformation from Pal Pal but have not been able to go on line. Please explain. Thank you. Joseph Tavano 5/26/2008 226 Eunice Consider me joined! You\'ll probably hear from many others after I tell them about CCFJ. Thank you for supporting condo owners across the nation and putting your life on the front line. I\'d like to learn what I can do to contribute in a tangible way. United together we can accomplish much... I believe that. 225 Norman P. Michaud Need info related to Cooperatives (FS 719). 224 Vivienne Parker CCFJ is a great place for news and for organizing victimized unit owners. 223 Michael Bonn Looking for resources for resident property rights 222 Nora F. Curtis This is a great site, full of important information that is not put together anywhere else, congratulations for a job well done! I manage the web: www.floridacondomediation.com, where we educate owners and boards on the convenience to use mediation for condo disputes. It\'s affordable, faster than going to court, and can help repare relationships with your neighbors. We offer a Free \"Condo Living Report,\" and you can get your copy here: www.floridacondomediation.com/condolivingreport.pdf If you need someone who can do a presentation about how to improve condo life, ease tensions and promote cooperation, we have mediators who can do it. Just give us a call. Let\'s stop nasty confrontations and hatred in community living! 221 Cheri Amoruso Love the site \"rights\" for cyber citizens for justice! 220 Michael Harwsood Past President of 142 unit condo , many stories to tell ! 219 Anthony You have a great website full of great information and we would like to just say Thank you for being there for the Homeowners 218 joseph robert clementz i live in a condo and am this year a current board member. thanks. 217 Connie Chillemi Thanks for keeping us informed. :) 216 Frances Griner I would like to join, AND I need to talk to somebody that knows association laws. I have to go before the Judge in a few weeks to try to get him to vacate an order for $66,000 attorney fees against my association. I think the judge also violated association law by appointing a receiver when there was a full quorum of officers on the board. A handful of begruntled homeowners filed suit against the association for potholes in the roads! What an expensive mess. Does anybody know the proper way members should be notified of a lawsuit. I didn\'t even know about one until a judge had already entered orders!! 215 Darrell W. Mackovic I have really enjoyed learning from some of many Condominium articles that I have been allowed to browse. 214 Mr.&Mrs.Elliott Singer We appreciate the communication please keep us informed!! 213 Charles Matthews Please add me to your e-mail list. 211 Elvin Santiago There is no community but it is communism, next will be rules telling us when to enter and exit our presume houses. Some need to control the hoa\'s, I don’t see the concern about value depreciation, and frankly I won\'t matter if no want wants to live in your community. This is my second hoa, is a complete 180 from my first one. If I had the opportunity I move back to my first house. This hoa is going to make me set camp on the new developments to let people know what they are getting into. 210 Jim & Linda Deel/Lattin For complete story of Woman chains herself to fence in protest please go to the following websites: Baynews 9 report: http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2008/3/16/332856.html WWSB-7 TV report: http://www.hoanewsnetwork.com/media/video/woman-chains-herself-to-gate-to-protest-hoa.php I use a wheel chair; and my able bodied co-owner of our Condominium Villa; installed a free-standing gate that closes in our patio area. I did not get permission from the Board of Directors to put a gate up first, I thought it was my right under ADA. The Board of Directors has retained a lawyer to make me take the gate down. I am the only person named on the violation, and they know that I did not install it physically. I want to know \"why\" they decided to charge ME with the violation. There is a need for the gate on the patio: which houses my puppy when someone comes to the door. I have fallen out of the wheel chair many times as I am trying to hold him back so I can open the door. In an email the President of the Board of Directors, in which she refuses to give me the needed permission she said: \"There is no way this is a case of discrimination. If anyone should feel harrassed it is Ellen and I who keep getting the ADA thrown in our faces when people go ahead and do things without explaining what they are doing. That\'s all we are looking for - all you had to do is consult the board. And if we continue to let board members get away without following procedure, what does that say to the rest of community? Procedures still need to be followed, even by people with disabilities. You and Jackie have both gone ahead and had work done to your units without getting approval (that probably would have been given if all the facts and reasons had been given) and then cried discrimination. It is what gives people with disabilities a bad name.\" Sheryl Randall is the President of the Board of Director\'s which is in Palm Cove Villa\'s in Ellenton Florida. I was sent certified letters dated March 7th and March 19, 2008 telling me I had to take the gate down. The letter is signed Stephen W. Thompson of: Porges, Hamlin, Knowels, Prouty, Thompson & Najmy, P.A. of Bradenton, FL 34205 Tel. (941) 748-3700 I do not know what to do. I have told HUD about the problem, but I do not know if that will have an affect on my situation. I guess I will just keep on refusing to take it down. They are also threatening me with paying \"the legal expences\" they are incurring. I live on my Social Security Dissability Income, SSDI, which is about a thousand dollars a month. I cannot afford to hire an attorney and I can not be held responsible: physically and/or financially. We don\'t want sympathy, we just want justice. linda34222@tampabay.rr.com 209 Tony Masso In my opinion the fault lies at the Tallahasse Legislative Branch of Gov. They alone have created a MONSTER ie:HOA\'s and CONDO ASS.\'s. Now they do not want to take care of it properly as they now realize that it has become and will be a Nightmare to control and administer. We as Homeowners must unite to let Tallahassee know we want Boards to follow well defined rules and laws. New laws must be enacted to bring present Boards under control. I\'m sure the Building and Housing developers are pouring thousands of dollars to back present and proposed future Association Boards. 208 Cathie Rockwood I would NEVER buy into another home with an association. Hard lesson learned! Now I am stuck until the RE prices improve. Our HOA is going through helter skelter and no relief in sight. Got rid of one board, new board has no clue and yet is doing as they please. Very confusing for the rest of us. 207 Bob Maddern Would like to be informed about HOA issues 206 Robert M. Sullivan I am interested in helping to change existing law. Currently, the statutes provide protection to Homeowners Assoiations against SLAPP suits. This protection is not availavble to members of Condo Associations. I recently settled a lawsuit brought against me by two members of the Board who claimed defamation and slander based on my complaints against them. They did not prevail but it was expensive to hire lawyers to defend it. Had a SLAPP defense been available to me, I could have saved a lot of money. 205 Carolyn Arsenault We\'re having major problems with our condo association board of directors, who seem to think that State statutes and condo regulations are just a hiderance to them. Anyone who disagrees with them are labled as \"trouble makers\". We tried to get help from the Ombudsman\'s office with unsatifactory results. We need major help. We are joining CCFJ. 204 Kevin McGrath Yes, I live in a condo. Yes, we have officer/director vs. owner membership conflicts. I went and got a FL CAM license and I\'d like to know more about CCFJ. Kevin McGrath. 203 DUDLEY J Alsop We have some real problems in the Cascades at Estero, Fl 202 Milly Cestone I am concerned about ignorant members of my association giving up there private property rights. The senior citzens that live here at Whitehall are turning this into a century village. They have taken away the right to rent for 2 years of ownership and now they are reducing the percentge of rentals to 15%. Owners that cannot sell are going to be walking from their properties as they cannot sell. These ownership restrictions are shrinking the pool of available buyers. At the condo meetings the BOD tell the members how to vote! A disagreeing member is silenced or ignored and treated like a trouble makes,. They want their own kind in here and are structuring the association to be so. I want to set up a forum and contact members, let them know that they have place to voice their issues and also to educate these owners as to why their vote and input matters. I had a sign to vote No on changing the By laws, etc. and a got an angry letter attacking me and they sent it to my company\'s CEO and to the Regional President as well. This was sent by a person who\'s name does not appear as an owner. ...so I need to tke action. The owners have no forum in which to discuss their concerns as they hush them up and meeting, ignore their e-mails. I want to educate,so these good folks can enjoy their properties that they are paying to maintain and keep up. 201 Simon Zielonka Jan - Add me to the members list! I have just been fined by my HOA ($50 per day) for not pressure washing my roof, when I cannot due to the water restriction ($10000 dollar fine). Damned if you do, Damned if you don\'t. Our board is way out of control, and needs reeling in. Going to try and get on the board and then raise hell. Keep up the good work. 200 Anne Berry Thanks for all the good info. How about a sections that \"rates\" management companies? 199 rose coley Continuously trying to educate myself and stay atop of the much needed and prayed for changes regarding the operations and conduct of Condo community, from repairs, finances, etc. Have previously forward information founded within your site to other unit owners within the community hopefully they will join in the fight also. Thanks for being there and keep up the good work. And I am a new member!!! 198 Hobson D. Beeman I,M one of those Retires that fled Florida Due to Hoa that refused to abide by Fl. statures and put out financial statements (None since forming in 1970) HIGHER TAXES HIGHER INSURANCE. I have been beaten down by the existing board which remains the same majorty in the last 5 years I am certainly looking forward for laws to be enforced by the state that were created. I still own property there .. Will be glad to be a member just to help make sure that these HOA can be made to conforn to the LAWS. 197 Susanne Lenahan I am a new member and have found your site very helpful. I enjoyed reading all the comments from others. I will research all my new information this week. Thank you!! 196 Winifred Conners As one who has been beaten down by the Condo Association Board, I really appreciate what you folks are doing to improve life for all of us. 195 Carol Pattison Reference to me in your files 194 Heinz Herbertz I am a new member 193 Donna Livaudais I am a member 192 Elizabeth Pickens I am concerned about John Frances and his unrealistic sentence and the way the the homeowners association is being \"run\" by Danny Cross. 191 BETTY PUTNAM i AM USUALLY IN fLORIDA INTHE WINTER AND OWN A CONDO IN FORT MYERS BEACH, BUT BECAUSE OF MY HUSBAND\'S ILLNESS HAVE NOT BEEN THERE FOR TWO WINTERS....hE HAS PASSED AWAY, AND i WILL BE FLYING DOWN IN MAY, AND FROM NOW ON PLAN TO RETURN TO FL. EACH WINTER...tHIS SOUNDS LIKE A WELL NEEDED ORGANIZATION....... 190 Nancy Graham Our condo association needs direction and I need advise. I hope you are the answers and I can be an advocate for other members. 189 Fernando VAca My communty is being abuse by the Bord in charge and the previous one.We have been paying $ 358 for maintenance+$156 for an assessment every single month for more than 3 years.( we have 14 months left) Now they want us to pay an assessm. For $1500.00( to be paid in 2 times , plus another assessment for $150.00 ( monthly ), for the following 5 years.. They assessed us double \'because the people in the previous board plus the current bord misused the funds.(they stole it in my opinion).I pay all my bills but this is to much and the management company ( Alliance) threat us to be lien!!!!!.I HAD TO CUT MY Health INSURance FOR THE INTiRE FAMILY INCLUDING MY 11 MONTHS BABY, TO BE ABLE TO PAY aLL MY BILLS, BUT NOW IS GOING TO BE VERY HARD FOR MY FAMILY TO AFFORD THAT MUCH($664PLUS $1500)I \'d like to hire a lawyer to suit the boArd ...but I do not have money.PLEASE WE NEED HELP!!!!!!!! Is there any way to stop them stealing our money!!!!!!!!???? We live in Westview Condo Phase III. pEMBRIKE pINES, flORIDA, Broward County. 188 Aisha Ellzey I am so glad I received the Opinion and Report by Jan Bergemann. We also have many issues concerning our Condo Association (Casablanca Condominium Association of Miami Beach). We are planning on going to Tampa tomorrow. Your dedication is appreciated. I just read the presentation and will be sending my donation. Thanks for caring and defending those who need assistance. 187 barbara muchnick I came across your site while looking for help with my condo situation. 186 G Woods I think what you do for the Home Owners’ of Florida is great. I’m about to go to battle with my HOA, They have spent thousands of are hard earn money on attorney fees. That we do not have. So they think “No problem we will just slap a Special Assessment fee on the Owners.” I think it is a very sad day when people have to live in fear, because a group of people get the power to control your life and money, and are not held accountable for there actions. Keep up the great work 185 zaharia levy interested in questions and answers 184 JaNeen Hedquist having probs with condo property manager renting to people who are not following the ordinances of the property and refusing to enforce them...I need help and have been unable to find an attorney interested. 183 PJP Keep up the good work! 182 Mike Baron A sincere THANKS Jan, for all the past help. CCFJ is invaluable. Great work,articles and news. Keep it coming! 181 David Holt I am the President of an HOA (2 years since turnover from developer) and am curious whether you would welcome my participation in your group? 180 Linda Chartier Thank goodness, seems like there is hope against these maniacs after all. 179 Raymond Casey I am having issues in Woodbine Jardin POD with a board that ironically is not enforcing Ordinance Section 8 and I am not sure if this site will help me or hurt me :). Not into bucking the system by I am getting jerked around by the \"board\" which is really just one person, Carol Pattison. Can i use this site to educate myself re how to get people to comply with Section 8 Ordinance? Or shoud I look elsewhere? 178 Henry Dunn Howdy, I\'m a home owner and now a board member of an all volunteer HOA with a \"live and let live\" credo. I believe in reason and communication, but from what I\'ve read so far it\'s a good thing folks such as CCFJ take such an interest and offer such a supportive forum. Thank You. 177 Joy Interested in your opinions and updates. Thank you 176 R. H. Ayer We read about the 2-day conference in the newspaper. My wife and I drove to Century Village and were turned away at the gate because we didn\'t have an \"invitation\" that was not mentioned in the newspaper. We were not the only ones turned away. Please ask the newspapers to mention such requirements in the future. 175 Mr. Ren Lueder I attended Friday night on the Galt and enjoyed getting educated. 174 Nirupa Achaibar I just saw an article in SunSentinel regarding your upcoming conference this evening. I love that there is such an organization as I just moved into a community where the HOA is in total control of telling us who can visit, where to park, how to care for our homes and yard, etc. I feel it is to the extreme because some residents who are in cahoot with the HOA gets away with things while others cannot. I understand there are some regulations to follow but not the extreme!! 173 Dorothy Brown I\'ll study your site, looks like a lifesaver. 172 Amanda-Jayne Ross How do we rally apathetic community Telephone calls and door to door visits dont work 171 ROBERT CONNORS A GREAT WEB SITE. THANK YOU 170 VAlentina Corona This is a very interesting tool. 169 Suzana I would like to find feedback (complaints if any) on Management Companies 168 Gregory G. Wright see e-mail. 167 Beverly J. Molawka Please send materials. I wish to get better informed on HOA Boards. Thank you, Beverly J. Molawka 166 GRANT FEISS THE SILVER LAKES POA DEFAULTED ITS CC&R via MARTA IN 1994. SOME $POWER HUNGRY OWNERS WANT TO REVITILIZE. THEY REPRESENT THE SAME FACTION [ 5 OF 9 ON BOARD ] THAT WAS RECALLED IN 2005. THEY NEXT ELECTION IN DIRECT VIOLATION OF STATE LAW THE BOARD DENIED PROXY VOTES THUS RETAINING POWER. EVERYTHING I HAVE READ ON THE INTERNET REGARDING LOSS OF CIVIL RIGHTS IN HOAs HAS HAPPENED IN THIS ASSOCIATION 165 ARLENE ASLANIAN Thanks for providing all of this information! 164 Stefan Bartelski keep up the good work, nice to see someone helping the ordinary people stand up to the power crazed HOAs (signed up for membership) 163 SBK Does anyone know the statues or rules regarding board members who are \'compensated for their time\' by having their monthly assessments waived? Our by-laws currently state the compensation is to be determined by the association members. But the statues - at least what I understand of them - say that directors are not to be compensated. Now that they\'ve raised our monthly yet again (3rd time in three years!) they are getting a 55% discount rather than the full exemption. How nice of the freeloaders to finally pay. What are the rules here? How do we go after the freeloaders and get the money they didn\'t pay back into our association coffers? 162 MIMI I have been involved in a law suite with four other unit owners, our board has refused to replace windows after Wilma. Instead they defy the laws in Fl. and told all owners that they were to replace thier own windows at thier own expense by a date they set April 2007 \". At the same time they informed owners that they were not going to call our insurance (which the condo pays specifcly to cover all windows and doors) adjuster because A member of the board worked as a appraiser for insurance forty years ago. Another member of the board hired a contractor to fasciltatre the repairs. Following that they assesed every unit for repairs. Roughly half of the 25 units had window damage. I really hope the powers that be open thier eyes to whats going on and give owners reasonable say so in thier communities. The court in Fl. move very slow. We are now waiting for a court date with our patched up windows. I will be joining you and your group. Most fo all I want to \" Thank You \" for posting the \"Plaza East\" documents we hope that will help us in front of a Judge. . 161 Chely Schwartz I would like to become a member. I didn\'t know you had membership available. Please let me know how. 160 Dennis Mozier I am a home owner in a HOA in Boynton Beach, Fl. Our bylaws clearly state that any betterment expenditure by the Board over $25,000 requires prior membership approval. My Board violates this bylaw. I bring it to their attention and get no satisfaction. What can I do? 159 Rose Patterson I was with Paul Fappiano at the L:egislation Meeting in Fort Pierce on Tuesday. You are absolutely correct when speaking to the fact that the very law, Articles 718 and 719 iof the Florida Statute have holes in it that cripple anyone living in a condo situation from getting help save putting money out of their pocket to pay a private attorney. The very people who need help and cannot afford it are stuck within a law grouping that is not only unfair but totally unjust. Whomever wrote these articles should be shot! They protect the Boards and give them undo power, which leads to corruption and unfair practices. So in essence, these laws do not protect the very citizens that they claim to protect. Thank you for your work in the effort to change these unfair laws. Perhaps we could talk Jan? 772-464-2432 158 Steve Rimar There is great information at this web site. I hope it will help our association. 157 Pat Keep up the good work Jan. There are many bad LCAM\'s out there and it makes it worse for the good LCAM\'s. Your website is a very informative one for HOA\'s and Condo residents and managers alike. 156 Richard A. Rainville We live in a HOA that does not enforce the covenants and rules unilaterly through out the community. They have spent money on certain things that should have been voted on by the members of the association. Sometimes it feels like they are dictators and at times it feels like we live in mini Russia. There should be a committee that would put these people in their place. I am a former board member of this community and I did not like the operating procedures of the Board of Directors at that time. I am glad I was not re-elected. They do as they want and that should come to a halt. Great site you have here and I will be joining. I found your link on TBO.com and saw the segment on channel 8 WFLA. 155 Maggie Great site! Thank you for all the hard work and dedication! 154 ANN DAVIS Certainly need this kind of organization. One for the homowners not against. 153 Roberta Hi Jan: We exchanged links, but I thought I would join CCFJ also. Roberta 152 arnold pross excellent site 151 Joseph R Marsar Jr I\'m a member of an HOA, and a at-large Board Mmeber. I\'m very frustrated at our \"do what they want\" Board! I will be joining your org soon. Loved the web site and the \"One way ticket to hell\" song. 150 Linda Sadeek My community consists of single family homes and townhomes. There are seperate dues, single family owners pay once a year annual dues. Townhome owners pay the once a year annual dues as well as monthly dues. We have had the same manager and management company for the eleven years I\'ve lived here. The management company was sued by the townhome owners. They have now railroaded the townhome owners into a 75% a year increase in monthly dues while decreasing the once a year annual dues. It\'s complicated, but we are being used and abused. 149 Gordon Malone l Just looking for information and help in dealing with our Board. 148 Kenneth Hawke Appears your group is largely a South Florida organziation. 147 Robert Duggan Looking for information and help in dealing with our Board. 146 Daniel Collins Our HOA stinks. 145 Evan Gillespie I love the song! AMEN! 144 carmen Great! 143 carmen I am interested in finding out more about your organization. 142 M. S. Thank you for this site!!!!! 141 John Cerqueira Been dealing with problems of a dishonest board, and a Division of Land Sales and Condominiums that seems not at all interested in owner\'s rights, based on this one individual\'s experience 140 Kenneth Forseth Thinking about a condo in NH; I know the laws are different in different states, but reading your articles is educational and in many cases \'eye opening\' 139 Suzanne Reynolds interested in hearing what is going on in florida HOA\'s 138 Iraida Lopez Looking for advice since we are experiencing simlar situation as expressed in your web site. Keep up with all the good work! 137 Alice Brown Your web site is fantastic. I was extremely happy to come across it and see that my condo is the only one with a dishonest board. The things that have gone on here are outrageous! 136 Javier Mazzotti Exelent tool to get info about problems in condos, please let me know if you available in other languages, like creol & spanish, i have a lots of neigbors dont read english , its really very interestin to let this people know they have support and they are not alone. Thank you . Gracias por la ayuda que me puedan prestar para informar al resto de gente. 135 Joan Tibbetts Excellent web site. My condo association learned of this during a recent petition to recall 2 board members for insubordination. Condo owners were successful and peace was restored after a prolonged power struggle by the 2 members\' dictatorial conduct. 134 Anita Very informative. Maybe you can help me. Our hoa is only responsible for the 2 common areas. One being the boat dock area , the other is the clubhouse. We are classified as a county subdivision not a mobile home park. Everyone owns a poertion of the common areas and it is on our deeds. When we moved in it was a voluntary hoa($25.00). In 2003 the board decided to change that. Now the say if you own a home here , you are a member of the hoa, and the voluntary hoa fee is now a manditory maintenance fee. Anyone who doesn\'t pay gets their name put on the front page of our community newsletter for everyone to see. Can they do this. 133 Nancy Black We are struggling with an HOA that has become a dictatorship and continues to impose more and more restrictions on owners 132 Lynne Bizness I found your site quite by accident in looking for information to write in our New HOA Newsletter. You look like you might be the answer to some of our prayers. Our Co-op is suing us in their attempt to dismantle the HOA and we, as of yesterday, are countersuing. Needless to say, it\'s ugly and it\'s going to get uglier. Help! 131 Charlie Provenza Hello, I found you guys through a search on Google and I love the site! I am about to embark on a fight with my HOA so I am preparing and doing as much homewas possible. I recently signed on with a local environmental organization to convert my landscaping to a \"Florida friendly\" yard. I recieved about $2K in free plants and trees but had to do all the labor in ripping out the standard issue builder landscapping and plant the new stuff. It was a challenge getting \"approval\" from THE BOARD but we did and my yard looks awesome. HOWEVER, I just recieved a threatening letter from my HOA saying that I agreed to replace the sod near my mailbox and have not done so yet, so this is a FINAL WARNING. They say that if I do not comply they will force me to replace my new landscaping with sod. I am pissed and sent them a very strong response that basically told them to KMA in a \"G\" rated way. Who the hell do they think they are??? I am sick of these power hungry little bastards and plan to put up a fight. Sorry for rambling. Thanks and best regards, Charlie 727-560-7164 130 cristina tamargo I need to get in touch with humberto Sanchez in reference to some research he was doing for me in reference to my appeal case. I need an attorney to help me. Can you refer me. 129 Ernie Johnston Great site. learned a lot. cej 128 Donna Roussell I\'ve just found your site! Very informative. Our unit is our second home. Sorry to say I have to look through these type of sites.We are trying to rennovate our building which will be a big expense and a long time in the works.There is lack of communication from our current board( Who Have All The Control) to the homeowners(Who Have No Rights) to put it mildly. Nice to have this site! Keep up the good work. 127 John Potter Keep up the good work....F.S. 718 and 720 should allow owner votes on all major decisions, with ballots collected and counted by an elected oversight committee. Collecting and counting of votes, by incumbent boards is corrupt. If you can collect several hundred thousand endorsements for these reforms...Tallahassee will finally listen. 126 Jennifer Miller I have just sent a lengthy correspondance regarding my problem to your wedsite help site. I am interested in becoming a memeber of the organization as well. 125 Rayleene Lang My employers find themselves doing battle with an HOA, the inital problem was that the HOA did not want them to own the Clubhouse within their gofling community, they have made doing business hard since they purhcased the clubhouse in 2005. They \"changed\" the holes on the golf course because they said that the new developers were going to build a bigger and better clubhouse so the last holes were moved to the area where the new clubhouse is to be built, note they have not done any kind of work on a new clubhouse to date. They have caped of the leach field to the clubhouse saying it \"trespassed\" onto someon else\'s land however this land is Greenbelt land and has been on that land since 1983 only now it seems to have become a problem. They have received \"fines\" from the HOA totaling over 13,000.00 if not more, they have had members of the HOA \"break\" into the building and take photos of what was \"wrong\" with the building then with this information have called the land use and building deparment to inspect the building, half of which is no longer in use due to the resturant having to be shut down due to having no customers due to the hole change. The new developers have removed road signs for the clubhouse stating they are the only owners of the clubhouse and not my employers. They continue to be fined by the HOA for a trailer that has not been on the property near the clubhouse in over 7 months. My employers have filed suit against the HOA in District Court and won their suit. However the HOA is now in contempt for NOT paying the back dues owed to the owners since 2005 when they purchased the clubhouse from the second developer. The HOA has now filed an appeal with the courts saying they do not agree with the decision that they should have won and the clubhouse that exists now should not be called the clubhouse. I have never been involved with an HOA and after this incident I can tell you that I will never be involved with one, they are nothing more than power hungary individulas who think that everyone and everything needs to be the same and look the same. Do as we tell you and its going to be fine, don\'t leave your garage door open, don\'t make a mess in your own home, pay your dues and go on. When did anything in the US become a police state? HOA\'s are pretty much that nothing more than a police type state once given some power they run with it and end up having more power than given however trying to get rid of an HOA is harder than one thinks, rules seem to be set in stone and hell harder to follow than those our government hands down to us. My question is this, does anyone out there know of a similar situation in case law that we might use against them? They want the clubhouse to provide all the stuff it used to however that is impossible when the HOA runs rough shod over the ARC and you can\'t do ANYTHING within a planned community without the ARC approval. They have to sign off on everything how do you do this when the HOA has done everything they can to run you out of business? At this point this has become nothing more than pure harassment of the clubhouse owners, they are willing to provide a resturant and other amenities however they know that the facilities will not be used by many causing them to fail. Since this is a smaller town, it is obvious that they are wanting the clubhouse to go out of business so that the new developers can purchase the land and building for less than it is worth effectively running the current owners out of business. My background is criminal law and I can tell you one thing I have never in my 8 years in law enforcement have I ever seen people be more vendictive and hateful than those involved with an HOA. Any help anyone could give us on this it would be appreciated, at some point the harassment needs to stop, the HOA enforces the rules for one entity however they \"overlook\" certain things for others. The HOA has gone so far to tell them they have to place locks on the gates to the Tennis Courts as they don\'t want anyone being able to gain entry into the courts or the rest of the building when an attendant is not on duty in case someone were to get hurt. Residents of the community have complained about having to seek out an attendant to open these gates as well as not having access on Sunday\'s and Monday\'s when there is no attendant on duty. What purpose does an HOA really serve? From what I can see they are more hassel then they are helpful I would never live anywhere where a select group of people could tell me what I could and could not do inside of my own home this is America and well quite frankly things need to change. There was an episode of the X-Files that dealt with this kind of thing and I do belive that bad things began to happen when residents went against the HOA and did something they did not like. Its about time those that have ever been harassed or wronged by an HOA took a stand and did everything in their power to right the wrongs these people have done, the more that stand up to them the better things need to change we already have a government that is quasi corrupt we don\'t need to have smaller governments that are worse. Sorry about the ranting but this is ridiculous and overboard for anyone to do this kind of thing to anyone. If there is anyone that has information or case law or anything that might help I would appreciate it. I have been researching this for months now and its about time for something to give. Thanks so much Rayleene 124 mary durham Is there a state in the Union without HOA problems? How could lawmakers create laws but neglect to put them under any jurisdiction? As a co-owner my ONLY help is through the courts, and that can be a toss-up. 123 Neil Leavitt we have a terrible siuation at our association here in hollywood. we believe that hundreds of thousands of dollars have been stolen by several members of the board when they were in power. they are still on the board. these are intelligent people some of whom are accountants and they have political ties to the city of hollywood. they try to stop us from using proper vendors because we believe they are getting kickbacks from the property manager and other vendors. our accountant is involved also we believe and we can\'t get proper records. we desperately need hands-on help from a local attorney or state agency person. 122 Al Richardson I would appreciate any information you could send that might be useful fighting the good fight in Nevada. I was surfing the net to see what there might be out there and ran accross your page. Keep up the good work. Al Richardson Las Vegas by the way I\'m being held acountable for telling the HOA VP she was psychotic. They can\'t figure out what CCr I violated yet. 121 kim ferris yes i would like to join . 120 Debi Green I am a board member and have a question or two 119 Janet Thompson Thanks! 118 GIL GARCIA WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF JOINING THIS ORG... ?? I WOULD LIKE TO RECALL OUR PRESIDENT DUE TO SHE HAVING A VIOLATION,, AND IS NOT TO BE ON THE BOARD TRUE ? 117 Monica Bradlee I am so happy to have found a group that fights for homeowners! I would like to help. What can I do??? 116 Judy Potts I have been very pleased with this website for a couple of years. My email address has changed and I don\'t want to miss receiving CCFJ information. 115 Eli Soffer I need to join right away :) Congratulations to all of you for the great job. Specially to Eddy. I am going to post the letters sent by Continental managers and BOD to homeowners, a total abuse of power The threats from this people will not slow me down. 114 VAIOS KOUTSOYANNIS AS A CONDO DWELER,YOUR WEBSIDE KEEPS AS INFORMED WITH ALL GOOD A BAD EVENTS IN OUR PLACE WE CALL HOME. HOPE YOUR EFFORTS ONE DAY BRING PEACE AND HARMONY IN OUR ASSOCIATIONS, IN THE MEANTIME GOOD HELPS US. 113 w david collins I am interested in havinf the fEDERAL gOV. control homeowners, no state seems to be the least interested in homeowners rights vs boards and realtors. If you think Fl is bad try NC. 112 E. J. Piesco Hoa rules, Bo you answer questions on hoa problemes. With membership in cyber c. for j. 110 HAMMER HEAD COUNT ME IN !!!!!!! FOR YEARS NOW WE HAVE BEEN LQQKING FOR JUSTICE AND HELP AND ( ANSWERS ABOUT OUR MONEY). IN JANUARY WE WERE THE ONLY LITTLE FISH IN A ROOM OF SHARKS. NOW, OUR LITTLE GROUP OF FISH ARE GROWING AND WE ARE TURNING INTO THE SHARKS! THANK YOU LYNDA WATCH OUT FOR SHARKS IN YOUR ROOM! 109 Kari Bahour-Daoud Please include me in your membership. Thank you. 108 Russell Reinke Very informative website. Information is very useful 107 Ron Favali When I arrived at the ccjf site I was \"AMAZED\" at the wealth of information it contains. It will most definitely cause me to visit the site frequently and spend a great deal of time there in order to consume all the information available. Ron Favali 106 Randy Stanard I\'m trying to buy a condo. But the HOA there is flatly denying our application. The reason they say is because of their 55+ age restriction. My wife will be 55 in 51 days. I will be 55 in slightly over 3 years. They are rejecting our residency without discussion. One of the board members made a comment to our real estate agent that they did not like the fact that we bought the condo so cheaply thereby affecting THEIR property values. Also, all the board members seem to Jewish, however we have a GENTILE surname, but (unknown to them) my wife IS Jewish, though I am Christian. We believe there could be ethnic/religious discrimination occuring because they believe us not to be Jewish. Maybe they are trying to maintain a Jewish community. We know for a fact that there are other under 55 aged people living there, but yet they are trying to bar us from purchasing for that (phony) reason. Could you point us to any resources that might help us in this struggle? This is my first battle with an HOA and I\'m not sure what our best strategy might be to battle this evil organization. Thanks!! 105 Josef-Peter Leiher I believe that your website provides a valuable service in educationg condo owners. 104 Dixie Taylor Interested in selective enforcement in community. (playsets). Have mailed in payment for membership as of today. 103 susan a williams hi i have been in a subdivion for 2001 . didn,t know what a hoa was . there is a clubhouse in the subdvision. that has been here for 20 yrs. now the man wants to sell the clubhouse to hoa for 120,000.00. it was builded in 1982. there is 105 homes in here. some wants it some don,t. board says if it is voted in they will put a lien on our homes. if we can,t pay for this. we know once they get there foot in the door. it will be something every year. their,s nothing fair about our board or there way of voteing. the building needs work it holds only 74 people. it has to be updated for the codes. it is a mess and we have been to 4 lawylers still know help. thank you sue williams 102 harvey finkel have a condo board who refuses to communicate.. 101 Michael Fortier Our board has decided to hire a Property Mgt. Company w/o any owner input, meetings, or approvals!!! Then used the new Prop. MGT. Co. to implement a $10,000.00 special assessment - NO meeting, no notices, no email, just a threatening letter in the mail to pay in full or half now and half in 30 days. Supposedly for Hurricane damages relating to Jean and Frances. What kind of criminal orginazation can do this to it\'s owners?? 100 Patrick Durso Jan, It\'s been awhile and still being terrorized by the Summer Brook Preserve HOA here in Melbourne. I put up a website summerbrookpreservehoa.com and would like to link to your site.I never got renewel stuff,so could you please check out the site and let me know what you think, and forward me the renewel info. Thanks, Patrick Durso 99 Herb Potish I am happy to have found your website. I would like to thank Joe Kollin, staff reporter for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He answered my request for your website. 98 Deanna Denmead What recourse does the owner have when the board spends money on things and in ways they wouldn\'t if they had control? 97 Diana Zambernardi I was really excited to see some justice being done with the arrests at the Hallandale fiasco. Keep up the good work....... 96 Julio Andino Great Information, keep up the good work 95 Jerry J. Bentley I am a condo unit owner and based on condo documents I have been able to acquire, there appears to be numerous instances of the board\'s missappropriation of condo funds. I have been unable to acquire other key documents which I suspect will show additional malfeasance by the board. I got your email address from Joe Kollin\'s Sun-Seninel column dated May 30, 2007. 94 Hope We are having problems with our HOA Board and I am looking for answers. The board cannot be sued by the homeowners but can a sitting board member sue the rest of the sitting board? 93 Stephanie After reading all the comments, I have come to the conclusion that the condos of Florida have Boards that are totally out of control with residents kept as lambs to the slaughter. Thank goodness CCFJ has come along to provide an avenue of assistance. There seems to be a great need. My condo Board is a group of 5 with decisions made by 1 with residents from all over the world not always in residence. Does Florida law have a way of keeping this \"Hitler\" in check? 92 Rudy Sullivan Your site has been very helpful on numerous occasions as I have dealt with my rogue board. 91 Emery FEKETE I am mobile home owner at Holly Lake Pembroke Pines Broward Co. Are you doing anything for groups like ours? Sincerely: Emery Fekete. 90 ds lamb What is your proposal to fix property taxes? 89 Steve Badly need reference point to begin addressing multiple Condo Board self- serving and arbitrary actions. Looking for owner oriented competent counsel. 88 Michelle I live in the Hamptons @ Palmer Ranch, in Sarasota. We\'re having a problem with our association allowing us to convert over 250 street/house lamps to solar and wondered if anyone could be of any assistance. There have been 2 gas leaks/fires within the past 3 months. 87 George Mollin I am willing to participate in getting Florida Seniors back their rights to enjoy their domiciles. I am in an oceanfront HOA that has shown what happens when a handful of the worst kinds of people take over a Board, Your song is right on the money. George 86 Todd Morgan I want to Join! Best Regards, Todd Morgan 85 CJ Vanacore CCFJ has been informative and a great aide to all my questions. Thanks the most to Jan Bergemann. 84 Marjorie A. Wheeler Love the Owners Bill of Rights! 83 Roy Gibson Not clear if yours is the right forum for my complaint with the City. Any citizen\'s rights group, is OK by me, though. 82 Bob Julian What a blessing to have this site! Thanks Jan! Bob Julian 81 Maryon Goodell Live in a small home owners association run by old fossils who have trouble reading the law. 80 kathryn bowns I live in a 54 unit condominium and am a former board member and am seeking information and education on how to best work with the present board when possible violations may have occurred such as using reserve money (over 100,000 $) to cover operational expenses. 78 j d lesende Later on 77 GASTON ARELLANO Your web page is great, I\'m glad I found it, I didn\'t know that CCFJ, inc existed. I would like for the people in my community to know about you also. I have a web page about my condo in Miami Beach, which is http://www.thecarriagehousenews.com and I would like to place a Link to your web page with your authorization. I would also like to know if I can put a link of this web page in my bussines real estate web page which is http://www.arellanorealty.com, also in my wife\'s web page http://www.ginaoarellano.dpishowcase.com. 75 Maurice Wick We\'re continuing a 2+ year struggle with the HOA. For the last 5 months I\'ve been working with a new Board President. The last 3 months I\'ve gotten the impression he has no intention of exercising due diligence. \"Oh, the Board has not decided what it would do (if anything)\" regarding a sweetheart deal with another member. I asked him what he thought the options were, and what time frame we could expect a decision....this is part of his last email. \"With respect to options which, in my opinion, are being considered, a statement of my opinions in this regard on my part would not be appropriate. They would simply represent my own thoughts and are not necessarily reflective the Board\'s thinking. \" ...ya\' can\'t make this stuff up. 74 Bob White I am very interested in HOA rules and regulations.Thanks 72 Ronald S Ward Would like to be on your email list. Thanks for the hard work you and your friends are doing Ronald 71 Mr. & Mrs. Tulk Living in an association, being under the control of a board that disregards the individual members to do what they please, has given me the experience of what it must be like to live under communist rule. I pray that The Community Association Bill goes through! Thank you! 70 sid lipson your stuff is easy reading please keep it that way 69 Gerald McKelvey Just found you. Looking to get some answers. thanks 68 ed kellert join 67 Carlos Gutierrez Would like to be on your e-mail list 66 kimberly This site is very informative and empowering! I wish we had such a knowledgeable resource in Ohio. We have endured abuse by a tyrannical board for 3 years now. 65 Tom Johnson Just found your website, what a breath of fresh air! We have a HOA BOD that is out of control. When we\'ve gone (paid) for advise (attorney\'s) we\'ve been told there\'s nothing we can do but to change it from within. Understand that, but what do we do until that can happen? So many snowbirds & apathy. We\'re having problems when a resident has a disagreement with an employee, the Gen. Mgr. is the judge & jury and finds the resident guility and he determines the fine/penalty. If the resident feels he is falsely accused (the GM was present when the employee yelled to the resident as the resident was leaving the clubhouse, \"If you don\'t like it, move!\"), he may write for an \"appeal\" hearing (there never was a hearing so I don\'t know how you can have an appeal hearing). Only the employee submits a statement of the incident & any witnesses they have, the resident isn\'t able to read the alleged charges until AFTER his appeal hearing. It\'s like the fox guarding the hen house. There\'s no \"due process.\" Later, the GM went so far as to phone the police to get this resident removed from the Clubhouse, but was told by the police that this was private property and the resident paid for the clubhouse so the police left. Has anything like this happened to anyone? What other ways can we challange the BOD? 64 Don Hoblit Just found your site looking for answers regarding admendment changes by HOA. Please contact me via email as I may join. Thank you Don Hoblit 63 Bill Dell There is a tremendous need for the aid that a website of this type can provide. 62 Eve Gregory Congratulations and thanks to the founders and all those who made this site and undertaking possible. We have our similar project but and it is only now that I discovered your site. The problems are similar - no need to re-invent the wheel. Let us now if you are open to membership across the borders. 61 Sandra L. Palmer I have been referred to your organization by Joe Kollin at the Sun-Sentinel. 60 michael leone I am a condo owner who feels the entire legal system has completely let the majority of individual condo owners down, and I would like to see legislative changes to the Fla Condo Act especially concerning placing a limitation on an associations ability to enact overly restrictive rental policies greatly affecting our ability to be competitive in the marketplace robbing us of years of hard earned appreciation. 58 Stan Smith Great site. Put me on the mail list. 57 marte mcmurry i have downloaded your application and will be mailing it, with my moolah, tomorrow. my condo, del mar,is having serious trouble with a board that is out of control. i want to become involved on a state level to change florida law to be owner friendly! 56 Byron Tucker I am interested in organizing to support the effort to get HR 676 (Medicare for all) which would create a single payer health insurance system in this country. If this organization is active about other issues than HOA/property rights law then let me suggest it consider joining Healthcare-NOW.org in bringing healthcare justice to all Americans. 55 Joan Panrell I just joined and want to subscribe to your mailing list. I am looking for information and guidance. Owning a condominium here in Florida has been a long nightmare. Moving to Florida was the biggest mistake of my life. Joan 54 Marta G. Revilla Hello, I spoke with you today via phone. Sent an e-mail per your request about the Mission Bay HOA totalitarian board of governors. 53 John Lilygren Interesting adjunct for dedicated condominium directors. 52 Janet Talavera No comments just yet!!! 51 Janet Talavera No comments just yet!! 50 Mia Loser You people all signed a legal document to follow the rules of a HOA and now whine like babies because you want to do whatever you want. No one forced you to buy in a deed restricted community, yet you act like you are so surprised. I bet you speed and then blame the cop for giving you a ticket. Move out and do us all a favor!!! 49 Oliver Brown I live in a condo, with a confusing HOA. The Board dropped our current Property Management Group and have no plans of finding another. The Board also took over \"Condo Fee Collection\" and set up a seperate bank account for owners to mail their fees to. The Board also hired another board member to provide accounting. Several owners refuse to pay until a property mgt group is found, and/or more explanation is provided about the new account. The board is now threatening liens against owners. Any quick advice is welcome.. 48 EDDE GARTH MOORE I am in need of information and recommendations regarding condo owner vs Condo Board which refuses to recognize Statue 718.111. 47 Jim Schwentker I once lived in a HOA in Palm Springs, FL., Palm Beach County and had nothing but problems with the b.o.d, condo cammandos, violating the rules, wasting money, terrible attorny, the whole nine yards!!! I\'ll try to come back and explain in detail in a couple weeks. I\'ve been looking for a forum like this to discuss my problems and what we must do to make things better for all members of a HOA. I\'ve studied the Statutes for many years governing HOA and things can get better, if we work for it together!!! (AZ1) I can be reached at : Jimsview@Comcast.net Thank You; Jim 46 Deborah Temple My husband and I have been living in a HOA since 1999 when we inherited our home from his father. We were totally unaware of the power of the Board until just recently, when our new Board, who are power hungry and spend money crazy, started raising the annual assessment 33-1/3, from $90 to $120 a month and are doing things without regard to the community as they feel that they were elected and have the support of the people behind them. Recently submitted a petition for amendment to them asking for a restriction on the annual assessment of an increase of no more than 10% without a 75% vote of approval of all homeowners. This amendment required 101 signatures and carried 103 signatures in total when finished, but they, the Board, somehow managed to convince 4 residents to remove their names. Was given two names of those residents, but told two others did not want their names mentioned, so as far as I am concerned the petition stands at 101, but am stuck with the Board\'s final dicision. Don\'t know what else to do. 45 Marc N. Gibault Currently our property taxes are exempt from federal taxes. If things progress to that point where we lose the properity tax in Florida. How would that sit with all Floridians? Could we then blame Mr. Rubio for this action? The second question that I have is in respect to CDD\'s and how would they be effected by Mr. Rubio\'s proposal? There are other items that are of intrest that I will bring up later. Thank you for this site. Kerep up the good work. Marc N. Gibault 44 Terry Paschal Currently looking for information. Thanks 43 Angelo Maldonado ; 42 Anthony V. Carella, M.D. I am the owner of two (2) shares in a cooperative building in S. Palm Beach, which has functioned as a not-for profit community for forty-seven (47) years. The current Board has removed all shareholder power whereby decisions are made by the \"majority of the Board\".. They have solicited for sale of the property without shareholder input and are in collusion with the management company which provided this Board with an interested developer to purchase the property. We have attempted to obstruct their operations with a complaint to the State of Florida and a Written Recall statement from 51% of the shareholders. As of yet, the state has not stepped in, however the sale process has been temproarily frustrated. The Board is now contracting for building improvements and obligating the shareholders behond their financial ability. The Annual Election of the Board is scheduled this month and all ballots and proxies of shareholders not attending are to be sent to the management comapny. We the shareholders do not feel confident of this arrangement and have never had a third party proctor and evaluate a Board Election. We are in persuit of instituting controls that will make this Election a fair one for the stockholders. 41 Don Pressman It\'s my first time to this site. Appears to be very worthwhile don 40 Lester F. Hamrick Jr. Thanks for this web site, this is my first home with HOA\'s and by most accounts my last. I\'m not sure what rights I have yet, but I refuse to be bullied by my HOA. When I bought my home there were roughly five homes in the subdivision, in three short years there are now 196 homes I was aware when I bought there was a HOA, but had no idea really what that meant other than dues to take care of the common areas and that\'s what it did for up until our HOA elected officials decided to hire a management company; then life changed. Now, three years and 190 more personalities later I hate where I live. I have more retired people walking in my neighborhood with nothing to do but find issues on MINE and everyone elses property. If they feel it necessary to get out of the house and work, Walmart is always hiring greeters, but keep you nose out of my life. After a 22 year Air Force career, the last thing I ever expected was to retire, buy my retirment home, then get harrassed for one thing or another. I got told what to do everyday for 22 years, I don\'t need any more guidance in that department. So, I\'m putting my house up for sale and will buy in a non-deed restricted area. I appreciate this web-site, I may need some of the info off of it to battle these idiots in my neighborhood then I\'m gone. I just wanted to enjoy the rest of my time on this earth and not be harassed. After all, I did fight for these rights and will enjoy them. Good Luck to the rest of these folks who put up with this harassment. Now, if state laws are passed that give us back or rights then I will reconsider living near people again. It must be clear, that I believe things should be nice, clean, mowed, and well taken care of, but for christ sakes people do have lives other than their yards and homes. 39 Robert Robertson Looking for information 38 debora cremring Thanks 37 Cheryl Lilley I saw the report on Fox news and was relieved to see it. I feel like condo owner\'s have no power!!! Is there a statutory limit to the number of years a board member can serve? I didn\'t see anything. I need to determine whether the new, hurricane code 4, doors I put in are common elements, but the association will not send me a current copy of the documents and bylaws per my statutory letter of over a year ago. This is soooo frustrating. Keep up the good work!!! I\'ll be watching the web site on my favorites. Cheryl Lilley owner Sandy Cove Condominiums Altamonte Springs 36 patricia kinley As a condo owner for 6 1/2 yrs, I hope I have found some sanity in this little world of ours with giant problems. Looking forward to someone, or several people to tell me I\'m wrong (or right ) about our boards actions based on thier versions of the rules and regulations. Having a members metting on 3-20-07 will be another feasco, but I\'ll go anyway. How do I get a medatior to come and watch this side show? Our president slandered (big surprise) my husband at last board metting, as a matter of fact in every meeting she goes off on us (we are only owner/residents of 16 units) in some form or another. Any advice? talk to all soon. 35 Linda P Cramer I , too live in an HOA governed by school yard bullies who have no regard for the laws of the state of florida.........I applaud your effort ...Linda 34 John Norman Hello, I have been in a year long struggle to have some code violations and construction defects repaired in my new home. The builder is Harmony / Drees Homes. I filed a complaint with the DBPR that was dismissed. I saw my senator about this and the case was reopened and is currently under investigation. Can you e-mail you some documents related to this case? If so please advise on where to send them. Regards, John Norman 33 Dick Lamontagne To CCFJ and especially Jan Bergeman we (I) sincerely appreciate your efforts , you have been a great source of information to our Association 32 Fran Schoolcraft What a helpful and informative site! I look to it for many condo association answers. 31 Lawrence Anderson Enjoyed the site. I am a member of a HOA with a BOD that refuses to follow the DCR\'s and bylaws. Their arrogrance of deciding to \"interpret\" DCR intent led to an approval of an for a pool and enclosure construction that blocks an ocean view of another homeowner. The construction clearly violates the DCR. As a result the injured homeowner has filed a lawsuit against the board and association. In addition, the BOD condtinually violates the HOA bylaws. The continued disregard for DCR\'s and bylaws puts the organization at financial risk. It is amazing that most homeowners just don\'t want to get involved. So, I am not sure we can get a recall at this time. It sound like the only recourse is for a number of concerned homeowners to hire an attorney. Any comments are welcome. 29 Joseph Lipsky I am looking for assistance for a better understanding when there is a conflict between 720 and or DCCE and Rs. 28 DANILO GALLARDO Interested in Condo Association problems 27 Guillermina Rivera Need information regarding HOA Thanks 26 Margot Senter-Deckel Are the politicians really going to listen? Do they really care? I am disillusioned and can no longer believe anyone would take our plights seriously. However, the efforts being made by your organization is admirable and I fully will support your actions. Thanks 24 Peter Im looking to this site for help in educating other members of our HOA. As is most often the case with HOA 99.9% of its owners do have any involvement in monthly meetings. While many HOA make out alright in our case our community is in disaray, we face many serious problems and to make matters worse our Association is virtually bankrupt. Im hoping to get owner involvement through our new online community board and educated with the help of CCFJ. 23 Kathy send me your Email news letter 22 Samuel L Kaplan I am Condo President. Any info would be helpful 21 john lent Thank God for your organization. It is a breath of fresh air! John 20 Koreen G.Kruger Please add us to your mailing list. Keep up the good work! 19 charlene acciarito I have found your information in the past to be very useful . Your honest and forthright answers make me come back to your site time and time again. Thanks for being there. Charlene Acciartito 18 Jose Campos I concurred with your assessment and letter. 17 Citezens For Political Reform Keep up the good work Paul Bates CPR chairman 16 p.a.Seery I own a condo in Brevard Co. I bought it over 3 years ago...After we purchased the condo and meet our neighbors they told us how nice our uit turned out, as the privious owner closed in his porch....We were just assessed over $6400 per unit to get new3 windows and slilders....We have 16 units in our condo...Some units have 12 windows others like mine 1 window and 1 slider....I am the Pres. of the condo....Well it seems that the sectretary of the ass. wants me to pay for my own sliders as the other owner changed the condo and she said they were afraid of him so they let him do it....I had no idea....We had a title company and no one said anything to us. I called a lawyer and he said the Association has to pay and we bought the condo as it is....They title company says the same thing, the condo association had a form sent to them and it came back that everything was ok....No liens no problems.... I hope they are all right....This women is just making me crazy....She is trying to take ovser....And by the way I spoke to the Vice Pres. and he agreed with me, we bought the condo just the way we got it...So as a board the two of us agreed....Thank you 15 Jerome A wonderful site. Thanks for your efforts. I am a dedicated sports fan. My association prohibits placing a National Football League Flag on my flagpole. Does this not violate Freedom of Speech when the rules and regulations state that only the American Flag can be attached to the flag pole? 14 Marlynn Marcks Why must HOA\'s contain so many power hungry condo nazis? 13 Bill Cockerham In light of problems within our Assoc., Holley By the Sea, I would like to join. Refered by Melissa Lambert 12 Mike Reardon Jan, I have heard quite a bit about you. You are doing a great job in advocating for homeowners. A group of us from MA testified before the State legislature in support of some fairly benign bills that would protect homeowners from unreasonable fines by HOA\'s. What an eye opener that was! The CAI was there to cry havoc and anarchy! They had also obviously greased the palms of the members of the housing committee. Our bills were sent to \'study\'; read, oblivian. It is wonderful to see that the AARP has come out so strongly in favor of homeowners rights! The tide may soon be turning. I will be in touch. Mike Reardon 11 Isaac Valancy Condo board Is mandate all unit owners to install impact windows. Even if our windows do not leak. 10 Susan Bennett Daly Am living in an 88 unit, over 55 development with a homeowners association. Our problem is a board that does NOT want to raise the quarterly assessment, has still not made a decision on hurricane repairs, waits until things are in disrepair before addressing the situation, tears down and doesn\'t replace, etc. What can we as homeowners do? Seems like we are at the mercy of the boards decision/or indecision. 9 Rocco John I would like to join. 8 Peter Patton Sounds great. Expect to join. Want to read some of your e-mails 1st. 7 ned arnold I am currently a board memeber of my HOA that has a \"power hungry\" president that completely dominates the rest of the board, runs the landscape committee and generally makes most of the decisions in a dictatoral manner. Many of the residents are \"snowbirds \" and have no idea nor care for the daily living as they are here for a few days or weeks to relax and don\'t want hassels. There are two of us on a board of nine that fight her but are outnumbered and persecuted for our efforts. We can try for a recall of this president but it will be close because of the apathy of the snowbirds. Any ideas? 6 Vivienne Parker I live in California but my condo unit is in Miami Beach and there are certain issues that need addressing there. Have been looking at the CCFJ website for the last year. Regards, Vivienne 5 Bill Sparklin I am currently fighting my small homeowners association. We have come a long way but still need help in getting the members to control the assoc. instead of a few Board members. I am so tired board member tells me its the law or we have that right because we are on the board while the majority feel helpless. They of course get this from the managemnet co and thier attorney! We need a democratic system to follow. i know the Fl statues but that still doesn\'t stop a lein because someone has weeds! Or they don\'t like the fendce that was approved prior. etc. etc. etc.