Florida Association News Blog

Golf Carts – Central Viera Community Association – CVCA

Golf carts are increasingly being used for short-distance trips in communities as an alternative to the family car. They share common element roads with other motor vehicles, pedestrians, bicycles and animals, creating the potential for liability for an Association. You may be facing questions about whether to allow golf carts on your roads and how to govern their use and create policies that may not have been in place previously.

Florida law allows golf carts to be operated on private roads, subject to the Association’s restrictions and other applicable governing documents. If you allow them in your community, you should have the following in place, and if you don’t currently allow them in your community but are discussing the possibility, ensure you have the proper Rules and Regulations regarding their use:

1. Have a registration form, just as you would for any other vehicles;

2. Require proof of insurance which names the Association as an additional insured;

3. Signed liability waivers for the Association.

In addition, be sure you follow the Florida Law regarding operation of golf carts and consult with your insurance agent so that you can be properly protected with appropriate insurance coverage.

by Diana Quigley, Education and Change Management Manager, Campbell Property Management

Tags Condo, golf carts, HOA, rules and regulations, vehicle No Comments »

Do you have questions about painting at your community association?

We recently held a webinar with Rudy Forjan from Benjamin Moore.

The webinar covered:

Classification of paints
Factors affecting curing
Surface preparation and priming techniques
Causes and solutions for common paint problems

Click here to watch the webinar now. You can also check out our 10 Steps to a Successful Painting Project blog post for more information.

by Ashley Dietz Gray, Marketing Director, Campbell Property Management

Tags painting at your community, painting at your florida condo, painting at your florida hoa No Comments »

Hurricane season began on June 1. Has your community association taken some time to prepare?

If not, here are some tips that will help you prepare your community association for this year’s hurricane season:

Keep your Residents in the know – Regularly send your residents updates on the hurricane status. Make sure you post evacuation routes and other information to make sure residents are aware of what to do in case of an emergency. Post this information in common areas and as visible as possible.
Distribute important Information – Send packets to the residents with important information including contact information for the property manager and company, local food stores, shelters, and local state emergency departments.
Create or Restock your Emergency Kit – If you do not have one, create an emergency kit including first aid supplies, flashlights, batteries, water and other emergency goods. Make sure you have enough quantity levels.
Record for Insurance – It is helpful to take pictures and videos of the property before a storm to facilitate damage assessment afterwards. Also make sure all the insurance policies are current and you have all the contact details on hand in case it is needed.
Data Backup – Make sure to backup all important computer files that are crucial to the association. You may also want to print out a list of association vendors and owner contact information.
Secure your Facilities – minimize damage to your association’s facilities by covering all windows, shut down pool and other water pumps, and bring in any loose objects that may be picked up by strong winds.

We also highly recommend you download the hurricane preparedness guide for your County. This will help you understand the specific resources and services available in your local area.

More Helpful Links

Check your home/ condo for power – FPL
Hurricane preparedness – National Weather Service
NOAA – National Hurricane Center
Supply Kit – FloridaDisaster Division of Emergency Management

by Ashley Dietz Gray, Marketing Director, Campbell Property Management

Tags hurricane prep for florida condo, hurricane prep for florida hoa, Hurricane season 2021 No Comments »

Do you have questions about amending your community association’s Governing Documents? Are you wondering about amendment protocols, electronic voting or special amendments?

If so, click here to watch the recording from our recent webinar “Amending Governing Documents.”

by Ashley Dietz Gray, Marketing Director, Campbell Property Management

Tags amending community association governing docs, amending governing docs florida condos, amending governing docs florida HOAs No Comments »

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The increase in popularity of social media and sites such as Facebook and Nextdoor have given rise to Cyber Bullying. It is a problem that impacts many community associations.

We recently conducted a webinar on cyber bullying and social media for community associations. You can watch the webinar now by clicking here.

by Ashley Dietz Gray, Marketing Director, Campbell Property Management

Tags cyber bullying in community, cyber bullying in condos, cyber bullying in hoas No Comments »

Governor DeSantis issued Executive Order 21-102 suspending all local COVID mandates.

You can find the detailed Executive Order 21-102 here.

We recently held a webinar on the order and what this means for community associations. Click here to watch the Re-Opening Webinar now.

by Ashley Dietz Gray, Marketing Director, Campbell Property Management

Tags Covid-19, Governor Ron DeSantis, reopening florida communities, Reopening Florida condos, reopening florida HOAs No Comments »

Being on the Board of a Condominium or Homeowners Association is not an easy task, and oftentimes is a thankless job. Whether you are a new member of your board, or an existing member, it is always a great idea to revisit some best practices.

We have looked back at some very successful board members that we have worked with and have identified 7 key attributes or habits that have stood out…

Click here to view this Slideshare and others like it.

Tags 7 Habits, Association, Board, Condo, Florida, HOA, Slideshare, Successful No Comments »

Rembaum’s Association Roundup

Effective May 3, 2021 at 4:06 P.M., Governor DeSantis, by way of Executive Order 21-102, suspended all remaining local government mandates and restrictions based on the COVID-19 State of Emergency.

In short, this Order provides that all local government COVID-19 restrictions and mandates on individuals and businesses are hereby suspended. However, this Order does NOT address private rules enacted by Florida’s community associations.

Remember that in order for a community association to use the statutory emergency powers, there must be a State of Emergency declared by the Governor. Therefore, since the Governor’s declared State of Emergency remains in effect through June 26, 2021, community association boards of directors may still rely on the use of the statutory emergency powers. However, please remember that in order for a community association to use the statutory emergency powers there must be a nexus between the power being utilized and the actual conditions taking place at the association. In other words, a community association cannot just exercise the emergency powers because it is convenient. There should be a nexus.

Executive Order 21-102 can be viewed by clicking HERE.

Remember too, that on Monday, March 29, Governor DeSantis signed SB 72 into law granting liability protection to businesses and entities, such as religious institutions and community associations, from lawsuits related to COVID-19 exposure if they made a good faith effort to follow all federal, state, and local public health guidelines. To establish liability, the defendant must have acted with gross negligence or intentional conduct; clear and convincing evidence is required to establish liability, rather than a mere preponderance of the evidence; and there is a shortened statute of limitations.

Jeffrey Rembaum’s, Esq. of Kaye, Bender, Rembaum attorneys at law, legal practice consists of representation of condominium, homeowner, commercial and mobile home park associations, as well as exclusive country club communities and the developers who build them. Mr. Rembaum is a Certified Specialist in Condominium and Planned Development Law. He is the creator of ‘Rembaum’s Association Roundup’, an e-magazine devoted to the education of community association board members, managers, developers and anyone involved with Florida’s community associations. His column appears monthly in the Florida Community Association Journal. Every year since 2012, Mr. Rembaum has been selected to the Florida Super Lawyers list and was also named Legal Elite by Florida Trends Magazine. He can be reached at 561-241-4462.

Tags Condo, Covid-19, Executive order, government, HOA, mandate, Rembaum Association Roundup No Comments »

Super termites are leaving decades-old trees gutted and vulnerable, as reported by the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

These newly arrived Formosan and Asian subterranean termites are hollowing out decades-old canopies and making them vulnerable to high winds. This puts a greater risk of normally wind resistant trees, such as oaks, compromised and at greater risk of being toppled during high wind storms, tropical storms or hurricanes.

These termites are being called “super termites” as they are making their homes in living trees instead of dead or harvested wood such as timber used in homes and other construction. According to UF/IFAS, Broward County has a big population of Asian subterranean termites. They are attacking the large canopies in some of the most scenic areas of Broward County and in most of South Florida.

These termites are attracted to trees that have wounds from chainsaws, lightening, or other damage such as falling limbs. Healthy trees emit a pheromone that repels insects, but damaged trees do just the opposite. Older trees are particularly vulnerable to the new breed of invasive termites.

To see the entire article, click here.

by Diana Quigley, Education and Change Management Manager, Campbell Property Management

Tags Asian subterranean termite, Condo, Florida, formosan, HOA, Termites No Comments »

Broward County issued Emergency Order 21-01 which was effective on Monday, April 19, 2021 at 4:42PM.

EO 21-01 lifted pool restrictions and reduced sanitization requirements. You can find the detailed EO 21-01 here.

Click here to watch the Broward County EO 21-01 Webinar now. Click here to view the presentation from today’s webinar.

by Ashley Dietz Gray, Marketing Director, Campbell Property Management

Tags No Comments »

Golf Carts and Your Community

Painting 201: Watch the Webinar

Hurricane Season 2021: Is Your Community Association Ready?

Amending Governing Documents: Watch the Webinar

Cyber Bullying & Social Media: Watch the webinar

Re-Opening: What the Governor’s Latest Executive Order Means for Florida Community Associations – Watch the webinar

7 Habits of Highly Successful Board Members

Implications of Governor’s Newest Executive Order on Florida’s Community Associations

Rembaum’s Association Roundup

Be on the Look Out for Super Termites

Broward County Emergency Order 21-01: Watch the Webinar Now

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