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SCHOOLING BOARD MEMBERS IS A NECESSITY!
By
Jan Bergemann
Published
August 29, 2014
Board
members take on a huge responsibility when taking office – no
doubt about it. Their decisions can make or break the financial
welfare of the whole community. But before being in charge of
their neighbors’ money, they should minimum know the statutes
and rules governing the association they will be in charge of.
Believe
me, I’m dealing nearly daily with board members who claim they
know it all – they learned about the statutes and rules, only
to make later on statements that make your hair stand on end.
Many of these board members think they know it all – and are
experts in the field of community associations. “I’m doing
it since many years!”
I
have talked to folks bragging that they are being president of
the board for many years, but when I mentioned FS 718 or FS 720
they looked at me like deer in the head light.
And
then there are the board members who really know a lot about
statutes and rules, only to ignore them – and do whatever they
want! The sad part: They often have attorneys and community
association managers who support their obvious violations by
telling them that they can violate the laws without having to
fear any repercussions since Florida doesn’t enforce community
association laws. And even if fines are levied against
associations for violating these laws, it’s the membership
that will pay the fine – not just the board members who
knowingly violated the laws.
But
even the best education will not stop these folks from violating
the laws, only holding them personally liable for their
transgressions will put an end to these methods that cost
Florida homeowners and condo owners millions of dollars each
year.
Everybody
else should visit the educational seminars that are offered all
over the state for FREE!
Board members should know the basics, because not always can
they trust the “advice” of attorneys and community
association managers. Make no mistake: If board members follow
the verbal advice from these “professionals” they are the
ones that will be blamed later if the “advice” turns out to
be wrong.
You
want to be in charge of the fate of your community association?
Make sure you know what you are doing – and learn how to do it
right!
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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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