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HOW COMPLICATED IS THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE?
By
Jan Bergemann
Published
November 18, 2016
It seems that quite a few people, that
includes certain board members, attorneys and community
association managers, have serious problems reading and
understanding the English language, especially when it comes to
reading the provisions regulating the election process in the
Condo Act.
The election provisions in Florida Statutes FS 718.112(2)(d)
[The Condo Act] are pretty clear and shouldn't create a problem
to be followed by anybody who is willing to read it. And for
anybody who still has a problem following the rules I suggest to
read Florida Administrative Code (FAC 61B-23.0021).
The election process for condominiums is spelled out step by
step -- and is easy to follow: IF SO DESIRED! As
the many election arbitration filings show, there are still too
many folks in charge of our communities who feel that they can
make up their own rules -- or are trying to stay in power -- or
money -- by bending the rules to their advantage.
For condos the magic numbers are 60 days; 40 days,
35 days and 34 to 14 days. Add the number of
20% -- and you can't go wrong.
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60 days: The FIRST notice of
election is sent to the unit owners.
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40 days: This date is the cut-off
date for submitting your candidacy.
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35 days: That is the cut-off date
for submitting your information sheet to be included with
the ballot.
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34 to 14 days: The SECOND notice
is sent to the unit owners. It can go out anywhere from 34
to 14 days before the election
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20%: You need 20% qualified voter
participation to have an election.
I am really not sure what seems to be so
difficult to understand?
For condo folks it's pretty easy, but the election process for
HOAs is definitely not. Wait for next week to read my opinion
about the election process in HOAs. It's total CHAOS!
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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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