|
Home Rules The Fight For Association Reform Bills |
|
LETTER TO EDITOR SUN SENTINEL : HOME RULES
Editorial ignores reality of condos William C. Gelberg
The writer of the May 29 editorial,
"Home rules," obviously has never lived in a community
"directed" by a homeowners' association board of directors. Or
if he/she has, then that person must have kept their head in the sand so
as not to know what was going on.
Why did the Florida Legislature pass statutes concerning the condos? Because the condo commandos/boards of directors kept riding roughshod over the residents without regard to the residents' rights. Well, I've been living for the past 25 years in a complex with homeowner association/boards of directors, and let me tell you that a lot of these boards continually violate the association documents with seeming impunity. Many of these directors don't even read the documents, let alone know what's in them. To complain is useless because the directors overrule you, or better still, don't even bother to reply to your complaint. Our directors have spent many thousands of dollars on projects in direct violation of the documents. Go to court? Forget it because win or lose, the residents end up paying the legal fees. The directors keep violating the documents even while a lawsuit is in progress, so it's a lose-lose situation for the residents. Yes, we definitely need statutes to protect the residents from abuses by boards of directors because the residents have nowhere to turn for help. Certainly, the editorial's writer must live on the moon or in a dream world when he/she writes: "Lawmakers should stay away from this fray until both sides work together to find effective reforms." And, as long as boards of directors reign supreme with no restraints, it'll never happen. I know whereof I speak for I have been on both sides of the fence.
|