Q: My condominium association will be having its annual meeting soon, which will include an election for members to the board of directors. Some of our board members have served for numerous years, and I understood that there are now term limits on the number of years a board member could serve. What is the […]
Florida’s Condo Prices Are Falling As Cost of Insurance and HOA Fees Skyrocket
Prices of condos in major Florida metros are dropping year over year, and sales are declining. New condo listings are soaring as sellers try to offload their properties. That differs from the U.S. as a whole, where condo prices are rising, sales are holding steady and new listings are increasing at a much slower rate. Read […]
Homeowners Association Manager Embezzled Nearly $25K: Pinellas Sheriff (FL)
A former homeowners association manager faces charges after embezzling nearly $25,000 from the association, according to a Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office news release. Read the article…………………………….
Why should my HOA pay to clean a private pond that borders only a handful of homes? (FL)
Question: We are a condominium association. We have a common element pond that is maintained with association funds. There is another pond that we do not own but that backs up to three or four homes in our community. For over 25 years, no community funds were used to clear or clean this pond. However, […]
Suspects in Arlington condo graffiti incident have agreed to turn themselves in, pay for damages (FL)
In an act of taking responsibility, three individuals who were videotaped vandalizing condominiums in Arlington have agreed to turn themselves in and pay for the damage they caused. Action News Jax has been following this story since Saturday when surveillance video reportedly captured several people vandalizing homes at Teakwood Villas. Read the article…………………………….
Justice Dept. seeks forfeiture of Russian businessman’s Bal Harbour condos (FL)
Authorities announced Thursday that a civil forfeiture complaint was filed against the condos owned by sanctioned Russian businessman Viktor Perevalov, the co-owner of a Russia-based construction company that was sanctioned for building a highway in Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula that Russia seized in 2014 Read the article…………………………….
Arlington vandalism suspects have until Friday to avoid charges, condo’s HOA said (FL)
Several suspects accused of vandalizing Arlington condos have until Friday to avoid charges. That’s according to the complex’s HOA. Neighbors and the HOA were ready to make some improvements to the property this week. But they found explicit pictures and swear words on walls and stairs that might change those plans. Read the article…………………………….
Magnolia Point residents challenge amenity fees imposed by Community Association (FL)
Magnolia Point Golf and Country Club is quietly nestled behind guarded gates, surrounded by a matrix of moss-draped oaks and magnolia trees. The community is a sanctuary of solitude and affluence, where a semi-private golf course ambles throughout the 1,000-acre development. But hidden in seemingly picture-perfect seclusion is chaos. The stylish, if not privileged, setting […]
Miami Herald Column on Addressing the Presence of Crocodiles in Community (FL)
he article, which is titled “Crocodile in Community Generates Effective Response Chronicled in TV Newscasts,” focuses on a couple of recent news reports on 7 News Miami (www.wsvn.com) that illustrated how potentially dangerous wildlife incursions can impact local communities. It reads: . . . The first report chronicled how residents at the Bay Colony Club […]
House amends estoppel certificate measure in a compromise with HOAs (FL)
The House Judiciary Committee with a unanimous vote amended legislation that would prohibit homeowner or community associations from charging homeowners and buyers for estoppel certificates to alleviate concerns among industry leaders. Read the article…………………………….
Demolition Underway at Deteriorating Condo Building in Coral Springs (FL)
Demolition is underway of a decrepit condominium in Coral Springs, despite a request from a potential investor to save the building. In 2021, the city declared the former Villa Bianca condominium at 3990 Woodside Drive to be unsafe, leading to the relocation of residents in 15 of the 16 units. Read the article…………………………….
Castle Key (Allstate) Defends 53.5% Condo Rate Hike, Blames Reinsurance, Ian, Rapid Growth (FL)
When Allstate’s Florida unit, Castle Key Indemnity Co., entered the surging condominium insurance market in 2020, it looked like it had made a smart bet: Within two years, the carrier had added no fewer than 123,000 policies. Then came reinsurance price increases and $56 million in hurricane losses. Read the article…………………………….
North Miami Beach condo residents still not allowed in their homes, association won’t answer questions about delay (FL)
It’s been nearly three years since residents of a North Miami Beach condo building were forced out of their homes because it was deemed unsafe. Those residents are still not allowed to go back home. Read the article…………………………….
Bill that would provide $175,000 to stormproof condos nears finish line (FL)
Condominium associations near Florida’ coast will get access to $175,000 per association in state funds for storm-proofing projects under a House bill that’s nearing the finish line. The Senate version of the bill does not have a cap. Read the article…………………………….
Association ‘Sunshine Laws’ Questioned (FL)
Q: I was recently elected to the board of my condominium association. I thought we had to follow Florida’s sunshine laws, but our long-time president said this is not true. She claims we can meet whenever we want as long as no votes are taken, or assessments are not going to be made. Is this […]
‘Heartbeat of this HOA:’ Ocoee woman helps make neighborhood a community (FL)
Here at News 6, we get a lot of emails about neighborhood homeowners associations. Most are complaints that go to our investigative or consumer units. But residents of one Ocoee neighborhood felt so strongly about someone on their board, they nominated her for the News 6 Getting Results award. Read the article…………………………….
Bolton Says He Won’t Accept Benefits From Tamarac’s Shaker Village Deal (FL)
Tamarac city commissioners on Wednesday voted to keep the controversial deal to buy Shaker Village’s clubhouse alive through at least December 31 while a lawsuit challenging the land sale plays out. Read the article…………………………….
Condo owner wonders about enforcement regarding flags, posters of support hanging in windows (FL)
Question: I live in a community governed by an HOA, and I have a question regarding flags and posters in windows. As a result of the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, many of our residents put American and Israeli flags on their homes as a show of support. Many of them also put […]
Woman stole over $200K from Clearwater condominium complex, police say (FL)
A St. Petersburg woman was arrested Friday after police say she stole over $216,000 from a Clearwater condominium complex while she worked there as a property manager. Read the article…………………………….
Mother-daughter-boyfriend trio accused of defrauding West Kendall HOA; 2 arrested (FL)
Thirty-eight-year-old Yasnely Pedroso had once been fired from the Westwind Lakes Garden Homes Condominium Association, Inc. for destroying records, among other things, according to police. Enter her mother, Idoris Pedroso. According to Miami-Dade police, when the 63-year-old became board president, she rehired her daughter as an assistant. Read the article…………………………….
Army veteran whose condo insurance jumped 563% last year takes crusade to Tallahassee (FL)
Thomas Baker, the Daytona Beach Shores condo owner who complained about his building’s property insurance rate rocketing up 563% last year, took his concerns to Tallahassee this week.\ Unlike the lobbyists in their business suits, the 80-year-old Vietnam veteran and U.S. Army retiree wore his uniform to stand out in the Florida Capitol halls. Read […]
Erosion causes concern for beachfront condominiums in Palm Beach (FL)
Concerned residents of Palm Beach oceanfront condominiums told the Town Council this week that erosion is a growing concern — and Palm Beach staff say help is on the way, though not before hurricane season. Representatives from two condominiums spoke to the council during Tuesday’s meeting, saying properties on the town’s South End were hit […]
Real estate Q&A: What if someone can’t pay ‘rather large’ special assessment? (FL)
Q: Our condominium association recently passed a rather large special assessment to get some work done that we do not have enough money in reserve to cover. Times are tight, and some of our neighbors will have trouble paying. What happens if someone is unable to pay a large special assessment? Read the Q&A………………………………..
Inside the battle for the Hammocks HOA’s future leadership (FL)
Over a year after five people were charged with running a massive fraud at the Hammocks, the homeowners association is again embroiled in contention. Court-appointed receiver David Gersten has been overseeing the HOA since the November 2022 arrests of four ex-board members and a fifth person. Read the article…………………………….
Florida storm-proofing grant program may expand to condos
There is bipartisan support in the Florida House for a proposal giving condo associations money to harden their buildings against hurricanes. The proposal (House Bill 1029) is a pilot program designed to expand the My Safe Florida Home Program. It would allow condo associations, like residential homeowners, to pursue matching grant dollars Read the […]
‘Condo 3.0’ bill boosting safety, board accountability heads to final House panel (FL)
A bill designed to give teeth to Florida’s condo laws and ensure that condo board members are honest and accountable is now one House committee OK shy of a floor vote. Members of the House State Administration and Technology Appropriations Subcommittee voted unanimously to advance the measure (HB 1021) after approving a pair of amendments […]
Florida Lawmakers Advance Bill Cracking Down on Condo Boards
Since the tragic Surfside condo collapse in 2021 that killed 98 people, Florida lawmakers have passed several laws to improve safety. Today, the Senate appropriations committee advanced a bill that will help control rogue condo boards and provide residents more oversight. Read the article…………………………….
LOCAL NEWS Residents at Ramblewood East condo community hope for changes after board association election (FL)
For the first time in many years, change may be coming to the sprawling Ramblewood East condo community in Coral Springs. On Monday, residents in the gigantic community of more than 1,000 units were voting on who would serve on the condo association board. Read the article…………………………….
Castle Key’s 54% Condo Rate Hike Gets Hearing, Showing New Pressures in Florida
The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation next week will hold hearings on two property insurers’ requests for 54% average rate increases, one of which has already affected more than 105,000 condominium unit owners. Read the article…………………………….
Repairs have started for Tower III at Calypso Condominium Association (FL)
Panama City Beach officials are working to get people back in their condo units as quickly as possible after people at Tower III at Calypso Resort Condominiums had to vacate the building by Sunday morning due to structural issues. Read the article…………………………….
Jacksonville condo owners shocked after being told they need to pay $13,000 by summer to make repairs to complex (FL)
Owners at a Jacksonville condo complex are stressed because they were recently told they need to pay up to $13,000 for improvements by this summer. The Board of Directors recently approved a special assessment for almost half a million dollars which means some units will have to pay almost $13,000 by June 30. Read the […]
Tower III at Calypso Resort Condominium Association, Inc. releases statement on Tower III vacate orders (FL)
Legal representatives for the Tower III at Calypso Resort Condominium Association, Inc. have sent out a release regarding the recent Order to Vacate Property for the resort’s Tower III, issued by the City of Panama City Beach Building Department. Read the article…………………………….
Condo owner asks: But aren’t pools ‘private’ areas too, with regard to use of security cameras (FL)
Q: I read with interest your answer to a question regarding security cameras pointed at a pool. While I do agree on the basic premise of public spaces and expectation of privacy, what if we assume that the condo pool is a public place as well as a private place? Read the Q&A………………………………..
City orders evacuation at Panama City Beach condo (FL)
“On Thursday night, February 8, 2024, the city received a concerning report from Slider Engineering Group, Inc., following a structural inspection of all guardrails in Calypso Tower III,” city officials wrote in a letter to the condo owners. “The findings reveal significant structural integrity issues, particularly with the guardrails on the east side of the […]
New condo requirements bringing financial burdens to Volusia County owners, renters
“That was this was a wake-up call because what’s been going on, was there are millions of dollars of repairs at certain buildings, and the condo associations are hamstrung because you have to either have the reserves or you don’t,” said John Cadden, Condominium Advisory Group managing principal. Read the article…………………………….
Threats against Loxahatchee HOA members lead to discovery of explosive devices: Sheriff (FL)
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) Bomb Squad discovered multiple types of suspected explosive devices in the home of a man accused of making threats against members of a homeowners association, a probable cause affidavit stated. Read the article…………………………….
Spanish Main Yacht Club installs $1M of potable water pipes (FL)
Chairman of the Water Committee Tom Freiwald said Spanish Main Yacht Club was a 55-plus community in both the age of its residents and potable water lines. Due to repeated system failures, the Spanish Main Yacht Club had to replace its potable waterRead the article……………………………. lines, which were original to the condominium’s construction in 1966.
Strike-all Amendment to HB 1021 (FL)
Representative Lopez’s HB 1021 just passed the Regulatory Reform & Economic Development Subcommittee with a strike-all amendment without objection and will be heard next in the State Administration & Technology Appropriations Subcommittee. The Senate counterpart to this bill, Senator Bradley’s SB 1178, does not currently match up. Read the article…………………………….
Tenant says mold grew for 3 years in Downtown condo while condo board stalled repairs (FL)
It’s one of the premier luxury condos in downtown Jacksonville, however a resident at Berkman Plaza says his experience has been anything but luxurious. Nearly 3 years ago a pipe burst on the 10th floor of Berkman Plaza and created massive damage in Nick Rosado’s 8th floor condo. Rosado is still trying to get his […]
Former condo manager files whistleblower suit, saying he was scapegoat for $105,000 scam (FL)
Former property manager Tony Rodriguez claims in a lawsuit he was unfairly fired from his position of 25 years at the Botanica Condominium by an abusive board for a $105,000 email fraud that was not his fault. Read the article…………………………….
Oldsmar woman accused of using $25K in HOA funds to pay her own bills (FL)
An Oldsmar woman is accused of using nearly $25,000 in funds from the HOA where she was a manager to pay her own bills, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. Read the article…………………………….
MDFR evacuate tenants following fire at Sunny Isles Beach condominium (FL)
On Monday around 8 a.m., 7Skyforce was overhead as MDFR was on the scene at Parque Towers, located on the 300 block of Sunny Isles Boulevard, where they had all their equipment out to battle the flames inside. Read the article…………………………….
Florida condo policies could exit Citizens Property Insurance Corp.
Florida regulators last week approved a plan that could lead to condominium-association policies leaving the state’s Citizens Property Insurance Corp. Read the article…………………………….
What happens to owners on fixed incomes when homeowner or condo association fees double? (FL)
Question: Recently our association fees went from $1,400.00 quarterly to $2,600.00. My question is, what is the worst that can happen to me if I am unable to pay? I will have difficulties coming up with that fee being a disabled Vietnam veteran. Read the Q&A………………………………..
Florida’s “Sunshine Law” applies to Condo and HOA board meetings, too
Florida’s Sunshine Law was first passed by the State Legislature in 1967 and requires that meetings conducting the official business of State, County, and municipal boards, commissions, and agencies are open to the public. Read the article…………………………….
Deteriorating Condo Set for Demolition As New Investor Hopes to Save Building and Refurbish It (FL)
According to a statement from the city, the homeowners of Villa Bianca owe more than $12.5 million in fines associated with inadequate care and maintenance of the building. Read the article…………………………….
HOA Q&A: How can an outdated declaration of condominium be updated? (FL)
Q: I am a new member on the board of directors of my condo association. I ran for the board because there are a few issues that I felt the past board was not addressing. One of which is that the declaration needs to be updated as it is from the 1970s and we are […]
An Orange County neighborhood ripped out its septic tanks to protect Wekiwa Springs. Now it’s sorry. (FL)
The gated community of more than 180 homes was the first of 17 neighborhoods in Orange County near the springs to buy into a septic-to-sewer conversion, a multiphase project originally estimated to cost $123 million. Read the article…………………………….
‘Heartbeat of this HOA:’ Ocoee woman helps make neighborhood a community (FL)
Here at News 6, we get a lot of emails about neighborhood homeowners associations. Most are complaints that go to our investigative or consumer units. But residents of one Ocoee neighborhood felt so strongly about someone on their board, they nominated her for the News 6 Getting Results award. Read the article…………………………….
Commentary: New frontiers in mediation with passage of ‘HOA Bill of Rights’ (FL)
In 2023, the Florida Legislature passed the “Homeowners’ Association Bill of Rights.” The bill enacted new laws addressing aspects of homeowners’ association management, including meetings of the board of directors and notice requirements, conflicts of interest of officers and directors, voting irregularities and the destruction of, or refusal to allow, inspection of official HOA records. […]