DBPR ACTIONS COSTLY FOR CONDO OWNERS

An Opinion By Jan Bergemann
President, Cyber Citizens For Justice, Inc.

Published August 10, 2009

For many years owners of the HERITAGE CIRCLE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION, INC. in Pompano Beach have complained about mismanagement, financial irregularities and similar shenanigans in their association. The target of their complaints: Roberto Guillermo Brondo, a unit owner who has functioned in the last few years as the CAM (licensed and unlicensed) and the board president.

The history of the corporation is a little sketchy, since it was administratively dissolved between 2003 and 2005, but the Annual Business Report dated 03/08/2005 identified Roberto Brondo as the new board president. And he is still listed as the board president in the Annual Business Report dated 04/29/2009.

Brondo's history as a community association manager is even more colorful. According to DBPR documents, Brondo was assessed a penalty in the amount of $2,500 on May 4, 2006 for the unlicensed practice of the profession of community association manager. (See: NOTICE AND ORDER TO CEASE AND DESIST)

Guess what? Not even a month after the Cease and Desist order was issued, the Department issued Brondo a CAM License (06/01/2006) -- as a reward for violating Florida laws, committing even a criminal offense according to the DBPR?

But latest since the Telephone Conference of the Regulatory Council of Community Association Managers, we know that this is the way the DBPR works. Questioned by a member of the RCCAM in regards to dealing with unlicensed individuals, RCCAM chairman CHRIS BROWN said (quote): "They actually research it, they make the manager become licensed, they can take a lot of action against them."

In the case of Roberto Brondo, the result of this policy is pretty obvious. As a licensed manager and board president he accumulated quite a list of complaints against his license and a CONSENT ORDER against the association in the amount of $15,000 -- $5,000 to be suspended if the missing audits for the years 2006 - 2008 are generated and submitted to the Division. All this happened under the strong leadership of licensed CAM and board president Roberto Brondo.

Guess who will pay the cost and penalty for all these violations? The same unit owners who have complained since 2005 to the DBPR that laws are violated, that rules are broken and that the finances of the association are in disarray!

In my opinion, the penalty should actually be paid by the people who allowed all this to happen: The executives in charge of the DBPR, who gave Brondo a license after he had officially shown that he is willing to disregard the laws of Florida and was penalized for breaking these laws! This allowed Brondo to violate even more laws, but now under the protection of a professional CAM license!

This is just another case that proves that the actions of the DBPR are actually causing serious financial harm to Florida's condo owners!

Don't forget: The condo owners are actually paying this agency's salaries!

AND THE STORY CONTINUES:

ASSOCIATION MISSED RESPONSE DUE DATE!