Posted 6 - 2 - 2004

By Jan Bergemann

The Second Annual Meeting of CCFJ took place on Wednesday, May 26, 2004 in Lake Worth, Florida (Palm Beach County). More than 40 members and friends participated in this meeting. 

The patio of our friend and area-chairman Phil Castronova was turned into a comfortable meeting place. A big “THANK YOU!” goes to our gracious host, who as well supplied some great food and drinks.

CCFJ President Jan Bergemann reported about the progress with legislative reforms regarding associations. Two important bills, SB 1184 and SB 2984, passed the legislature and are waiting for the signature of Governor Jeb Bush in order to become law. Even if we didn’t get all we wanted during the past session, we definitely made some  good steps in the right  direction.

Patio turned into a comfortable meeting room

And the phone bank organized by FOX 29-News was definitely proof enough that reforms are desperately needed.

Monica Sadler awards "HUGS"

Special recognition was given to all of our friends from down South who helped to advance our goals in Tallahassee by testifying in front of the Task Force and legislative committees. Our friend Monica Sadler awarded little figurines representing the acronym H.U.G.S. -- Homeowners Urging Government Supervision. Task Force members Barbara Katz and Karen Gottlieb each received a big “HUGS.”

Others receiving “HUGS” were Florita + Ray Obregon, Barbara Gugliotti, Tony Dupree, Phil Castronova, Val + Doris Lucier, Victor + Shirley Bergman and Irwin Katz. Our friend Suzanne Eovaldi, who made the trip to Tallahassee twice and helped with a great presentation, was unable to attend the meeting but will get her “HUGS” in the mail.

This session is over – we won some, we lost some. But with a concentrated effort we will be preparing for next year, ready with more and improved bill proposals meant to help owners all over Florida.

It is imperative that we convince certain association boards that their real friends are their neighbors – not the attorneys interested in their association funds. It defeats the purpose if boards are using association funds to fight homeowner-friendly bills in Tallahassee by funding lobbyists for the Community Association Institute, the trade organization of the service providers, such as attorneys and managers. 

The attitude of these attorneys was again made obvious in a statement by Gary Poliakoff in an article published in the Sun Sentinel (quote): “ ‘In so far as being geared up for Robaina, Bergemann and any others, I've been visiting Tallahassee for 32 years while the Bergemanns and Robainas come and go,’ said Poliakoff, who pointed out that some of the defeated proposals would have wreaked havoc on associations by discouraging owners from serving on boards.”

In my opinion, the bills that were so heavily contested by the attorneys would have wreaked havoc on the attorneys’ wallets, but would have definitely created more peace and harmony in our communities.

 
I absolutely agree that the “Bergemanns and Robainas come and go.” But we are not making a living of pitting homeowner against homeowner, trying to create more legal fees. We are just citizens trying to achieve our goals – goals that would help homeowners in Florida. 

And Robaina and I are definitely not found in federal courts defending ourselves against accusations of violating federal laws – like the FDCPA – which were created for consumer protection. 

Personally, I would actually be embarrassed to state the fact of being in Tallahassee for the past 32 years! Consider the bad results these laws, promoted by these specialized attorneys, are having for owners living in associations. The many fights and lawsuits pending show clearly that these laws are not protecting consumer rights. Many of these bills were written by attorneys and for attorneys, absolutely disregarding the rights and welfare of the homeowners.

When you can find annual accounting of many associations where more than 50% of the budget was spent on legal fees, it’s obvious that something is seriously wrong.
We have to work on more changes in the upcoming year. More and more legislators realize that the complaints of many homeowners are well founded and that serious changes are long overdue. Other states are already going ahead to create enforcement agencies and to disallow foreclosures. Why not Florida?

We are in the process of putting together our ideas for the bills for Legislative Session 2005. Our goal: To Protect The Welfare Of Homeowners And Condo-Owners In Florida.

We want associations to be "...of, by and for the owners”!

This meeting was definitely a great success and another step in the right direction. More and more owners realize that “not getting involved” is definitely the wrong approach. We need to help each other in order to get the help we so rightfully deserve from our legislators! Our membership is growing. We are adding more and more strong organizations to our list of allies. 

During our meeting members and friends of CCFJ added another $2,606 to our fundraiser with the goal to hire a lobbyist for the next session. We sure are on the right track!

But it is important that homeowners and condo-owners realize that they personally need to help to achieve these goals. The industry partisans are definitely not interested in working for the welfare of the owners. 

The meeting definitely helped to improve the understanding among all these dedicated homeowner activists. It was a great step forward in the right direction.
Thank you all who participated!

It is really fun to be the President of such a dedicated group!