NECESSARY REFORMS?
By
Jan Bergemann
Published
February 10, 2017
Let’s face it: HOA owners are the
stepchildren of Florida’s Legislature – and are being treated as
such!
More than 2.5 million homes are located in Florida alone in
homeowners’ associations, and so far the Florida Legislature is
allowing these associations to be abused by certain individuals
as dictatorships.
Elections of the Board: Just a joke!
No Russian interference needed in order to rig
the election and make sure that the sitting board members – or
their buddies – are re-elected – over and over again.
And the Florida statutes make it absolutely legal for these
folks to rig the elections.
How about it: The board members create a
Nomination Committee and appoint their spouses – or friends – to
this committee, This committee than decides that only the
sitting board members – or the ones they want elected – are
qualified to serve on the board. All other possible candidates
will not be nominated. Period!
The written ballot sent out to all owners with the announcement
of the annual meeting with the election of the board will only
contain the names of the sitting board – or other convenient
candidates.
Rejected candidates, who might complain about
this “pre-election system” will be told that they will have –
according to FS 720.306 – the opportunity to nominate themselves
from the floor at the annual meeting.
What a joke! Because at that time many of the
owners, who will not be at the meeting in person, have already
mailed in their ballots – ballots listing only the names of the
candidates the sitting board wants to get elected.
Who needs Russian interference in the
election process if the Florida Legislature legalizes such
election fraud?
And allowing fines turning into liens? What a
great way to “blackmail” owners who are not following the
“party-line of the sitting board or the management company? No
proof need, just do! This “obnoxious” owner will quickly learn
that he/she will lose their home if they don’t shut up!
These really are reforms desperately needed
in order to keep some sanity in the system called:
Mandatory Homeowners’ Association!
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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
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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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