DBPR ACTIONS COSTLY FOR CONDO OWNERS! THE CASE OF ROBERTO BRONDO -- COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION MANAGER AND PRESIDENT |
An
Opinion By Jan Bergemann Published August 10, 2009
For many years owners of the HERITAGE CIRCLE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION, INC. in Pompano Beach have complained about mismanagement, financial irregularities and similar shenanigans in their association. The target of their complaints: Roberto Guillermo Brondo, a unit owner who has functioned in the last few years as the CAM (licensed and unlicensed) and the board president.
The history of the corporation is a little sketchy, since it was administratively dissolved between 2003 and 2005, but the Annual Business Report dated 03/08/2005 identified Roberto Brondo as the new board president. And he is still listed as the board president in the Annual Business Report dated 04/29/2009.
Brondo's history as a community association manager is even more colorful. According to DBPR documents, Brondo was assessed a penalty in the amount of $2,500 on May 4, 2006 for the unlicensed practice of the profession of community association manager. (See: NOTICE AND ORDER TO CEASE AND DESIST)
Guess what? Not even a month after the Cease and Desist order was issued, the Department issued Brondo a CAM License (06/01/2006) -- as a reward for violating Florida laws, committing even a criminal offense according to the DBPR?
But latest since the Telephone Conference of the Regulatory Council of Community Association Managers, we know that this is the way the DBPR works. Questioned by a member of the RCCAM in regards to dealing with unlicensed individuals, RCCAM chairman CHRIS BROWN said (quote): "They actually research it, they make the manager become licensed, they can take a lot of action against them."
In
the case of Roberto Brondo, the result of this policy is pretty obvious. As
a licensed manager and board president he accumulated quite a list
of complaints against his license and a CONSENT
ORDER against the association in the amount of $15,000 --
$5,000 to be suspended if the missing audits for the years 2006 - 2008 are
generated and submitted to the Division. All
this happened under the strong leadership of licensed
Guess who will pay the cost and penalty for all these violations? The same unit owners who have complained since 2005 to the DBPR that laws are violated, that rules are broken and that the finances of the association are in disarray!
In
my opinion, the penalty should actually be paid by the people who allowed
all this to happen: The executives in charge of the DBPR, who gave Brondo
a license after he had officially shown that he is willing to disregard
the laws of
This
is just another case that proves that the actions of the DBPR are actually
causing serious financial harm to Don't
forget: The condo owners are actually paying this agency's salaries! AND THE STORY CONTINUES: ASSOCIATION MISSED RESPONSE DUE DATE! |