HOPEFUL THAT THINGS WILL CHANGE?

By Jan Bergemann

Published May 6, 2016

 

I have to agree with Eric that educating board members and owners about their rights and obligations could make us hopeful that the situation in Florida's community associations may change. It sure was a great step forward when we passed the bill that created these education requirements. But we have seen one thing in the past years: Most of the "dictators" -- I'm not talking about the good guys -- don't go to these seminars because they know they can still do whatever they want.

Do you know how frustrating it can be if you spend your time -- and gas -- to attend such seminar and learn how things should be done only to be laughed out of the room at a board meeting where board members openly tell you that they don't care about the laws and you don't have the resources to enforce these laws. Many people who attended these seminars find out pretty fast that all the good things they learned at the seminar are doing no good because there is nobody to enforce the laws and rules you learned about at the seminar?

Enforcing existing laws in community associations can get very costly. Even a simple record request lawsuit can quickly add up to $20,000 in legal fees. How would you feel if the association attorney defends the unwillingness of the association to fulfill your record request claiming that you are "a member of the Gambino crime family"? You know that this record request lawsuit will not be solved amicably.

As long as we don't have in Florida a functioning regulatory agency -- like a much improved Division -- we can learn all day long how things should be done according to rules and laws, the lack of enforcement will always prevent the "good guys" from doing things right as long as the board consists of dictators willing to ignore these rules and laws.

Let's make it very clear: A regulatory agency governing community associations can be very helpful -- if they do what they are supposed to do and if our "esteemed" legislators give them jurisdiction with real enforcement power. As we can see by reading the article series published in the Miami Herald the Division and the Condo Ombudsman clearly fail to take the necessary action to enforce the laws. A regulatory agency busy to find excuses not to take any action when receiving complaints isn't really what owners are looking for. But it's a start to add serious improvement.

I still hope that things can be turned around and we can -- with the help of owner-friendly laws -- turn these communities into friendly neighborhoods where money is spent wisely and rules and laws are being followed.

Let's continue to "HOPE". I think Chester W. Nimitz worded it perfectly: "God grant me the courage not to give up what I think is right even though I think it is hopeless."


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Jan Bergemann Jan Bergemann is president of Cyber Citizens For Justice, Florida 's largest state-wide property owners' advocacy group. CCFJ works on legislation to help owners living in community  

associations. He moved to Florida in 1995 - hoping to retire. He moved into a HOA, where the developer cheated the homeowners and used the association dues for his own purposes. End of retirement!

 

CCFJ was born in the year 2000, when some owners met in Tallahassee - finding out that power is only in numbers. Bergemann was a member of Governor Jeb Bush's HOA Task force in 2003/2004.

 

The organization has two websites to inform interested Florida homeowners and condo owners:

News Website: http://www.ccfj.net/.

Educational Website: http://www.ccfjfoundation.net/.

   
We think that only owners can really represent owners, since all service providers surely have a different interest! We are trying to create owner-friendly laws, but the best laws are useless without enforcement. And enforcement is totally lacking in Florida !


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