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DECORUM HAS LONG LEFT OUR
SOCIETY!
By
Jan Bergemann
Published August 16, 2019
Latest with the creation of the “anti-social” media
decorum has been thrown overboard. Even total idiots are now
empowered to post nasty and insulting things anonymously on the
Internet – we see it every day.
Even if insults and false accusations can’t be screamed at board
and membership meetings anonymously, the language many people
have gotten used to from posting on the Internet continues at
these meetings.
And at many meetings these verbal wars have actually turned into
physical altercations, creating a dangerous environment for
owners and board members. I hear from more and more board
members that they are hiring security – like off-duty police
officers – in order to keep “PEACE” at these kinds
of meetings.
On the other hand I hear from many owners that they are not
willing to attend these meetings any longer due to the “violent”
atmosphere of these meetings.
WHAT HAS OUR SOCIETY COME TO?
Where are the good times when folks with totally opposing
political views were able to discuss their differences at a
table drinking a beer – and still departing as friends without
insults and accusations being hurled around?
Homeowners’ and Condo Owners’ Associations were advertised as
places for easy living. What a joke considering the atmosphere
at many of these meetings!
Life isn’t easy – and it surely isn’t easy to attend these kinds
of board and membership meetings when decorum has left the
building and verbal and physical threats are running the show!
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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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