DIRECTORS’ FEUD?

By Jan Bergemann

Published May 26, 2017

A common problem in many community associations: Feud among the board members! It’s a lot more common than the people who are supporting the existence of community associations want us to believe.

I have seen outrageous cases where presidents – in cahoots with management companies – refused board members access to official association documents. Or where asked to pay for the financial documents needed to prepare for the upcoming board meeting. I have seen even cases where board members were not even informed that a board meeting was called. It’s outright ridiculous that these kinds of abuses are left unpunished.

According to the law every board member has one vote on the board – meaning equal rights. Being an officer – like the president – doesn’t give this person the right to make dictatorial decisions. A president is not the CEO of a for-profit-corporation, he/she is just the president of the board with very limited decision-making power – mostly described in the association’s Bylaws.

The main problem I see is the fact that CAMs often support the power-trip of a president who is signing their pay-check. These CAMs should be held responsible for their actions, since these kind of abuses often cost the association members lots of money – even leading to costly litigation. Even association attorneys support these “power-plays” – since “nice” litigation creates lots of billing-hours for them.

Here goes again the old saying: “Power Corrupts – And more Power Corrupts Even More!


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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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