Are you getting ready for your association's budget season? Are you skeptical of past practices and willing to be involved in this year's process? The budget preparation process should be transparent and involve those that want to understand how the final budget came about. Do you want to be part of the Finance Committee or simply attend meetings? Does your association have a Finance Committee? Every association can differ greatly and owners would be wise to participate in so

Most residents living in an association, with a barrier such as a gate, or a buffer such as a front desk staff, expect an increased level of security. While living in an association comes with many rules to follow and standards to be maintained, the level of service when it comes to security is expected to be more than the usual neighborhood. Those living in condominiums particularly, expect to be phoned or notified of a guest or vendor arriving to meet with them. In gated co

Transparency and immediate disclosure of information is one of the best ways to avoid doubts about transactions in associations. Management and Boards can easily provide most of the information on the association’s website. In Florida, effective in 2019, the following items must be posted on the association’s website (for condos with 150 or more units; but why not post it on smaller ones?): a. The recorded declaration and each amendment to each declaration. b. The recorded by

Having the right employee join your association’s team is critical. Experience will tell you that the correct fit for your team is someone that will encourage teamwork and have a generally good attitude. While the staff is mostly selected by the agreed upon subcontractor or the management company, when it comes to hiring the manager, the Board usually gets involved in the selection process. The Board’s participation in interviewing potential employees should proceed only afte

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law in 1990. The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public. The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. The ADA gives civil rights protections to individuals

As directed by Congress in Section 207 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the Federal Communications Commission adopted the Over-the-Air Reception Devices (“OTARD”) rule concerning governmental and nongovernmental restrictions on viewers' ability to receive video programming signals from direct broadcast satellites ("DBS"), broadband radio service providers (formerly multichannel multipoint distribution service or MMDS), and television broadcast stations ("TVBS"). The rul

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law in 1990. The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the general public. The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. The ADA is divided into five titles (or sections) tha

By Donny Morelock f CPR Painting and Restoration donny@cprpainting.net IMPORTANCE OF IDENTIFYING & FIXING A WATERPROOFING ISSUE EARLY What everyone needs to realize is that while Waterproofing is a preventative method of protecting your building, it is an ongoing process that must include both a proactive and a reactive building maintenance plan. With the harsh weather conditions Florida has; extremely high humidity for long periods of time; extreme sunlight which extracts mo

Donna DiMaggio Berger | 01.11.2021 ArticlePublication Some boards only engage legal counsel when a situation has become dire. Others are overly cautious and all the attorney at the drop of a hat, but unusually high legal bills often lead to membership scrutiny. More often than not, however, boards don’t consult legal counsel enough. It’s a dangerous way to do business since every board action is viewed through a prism of reasonableness. Failing to obtain legal advice on subje