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FIXES? THE WHOLE SYSTEM NEEDS FIXING!
By
Jan Bergemann
Published
March 31, 2017
Let’s face it, the
whole system is broken – and needs some serious fixing. In my
opinion the community association system – as it is set up now –
only serves the service-providers, definitely not the owners.
The system has
turned into cesspool of scams, fraud, embezzlement and total
waste of owners’ money – instead of the nice peaceful
communities owners were lured into when buying.
Over the years I
have heard serious complaints on a daily basis, some worse than
others. And so far nobody has come up with a solution to fix the
broken system.
But according to one
of the folks commenting on the blog it just takes a “hero” to
right the ship, a one-man wrecking machine who straightens out
the dictators and scam-artists.
I haven’t run into
one of the “magic” communities, but I’m still learning I guess?
Maybe we have to “Go to Mexico” to find such a community?
As a kid I loved the
fairy tales of the brothers Grimm, but over the years I have
learned in real life that fairy tales don’t exist – just in the
imagination of some folks who like to paint themselves as
super-heroes.
Anyway – back to
reality: No matter how good the legislation supposedly helping
condo-owners fight dictatorships and fraud will be, it will just
be a small step in the right direction.
We already hear the
attorneys clamoring about lack of volunteers if the bill running
in Tallahassee contains criminal charges for folks who
“knowingly and willfully” violate the statutes.
Bah Humbug!
These same law firms
are making big bucks helping scam artists and embezzlers hide
the records, helping them to continue their scams and creating
more financial damage to the owners! Don’t forget: In Nevada
homeowners’ associations are suing a law firm – a prominent
member of the Community Associations Institute – for
facilitating the fraud that costs them millions!
Only criminals and folks seriously violating the laws have to be
afraid of criminal charges. Do we want such “volunteers in the
first place? I REALLY DON’T THINK SO!
So, let’s get some
serious laws enacted – laws that not only allows our law
enforcement to give the violators a slap on the wrist.
Millions and
millions of dollars are at stake! Make the punishment fitting
the crime.
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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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