|
Article
Courtesy of The Ocala Star-Banner
By
RYAN CONLEY
Published September 10, 2005
OCALA - Two board members of the Majestic Oaks Home Owners Association have resigned in protest of the group's attempt to prevent Hurricane Katrina evacuees from being welcomed into the community, producing more fallout from an action that has received scathing national criticism.
Christine Beers and Lou Colaianni resigned their posts after other members of the Majestic Oaks HOA failed to rescind a notice that told residents not to accept Katrina evacuees, an edict that was purportedly based on covenants and by-laws that govern the 500-home community.
Additionally, there is an effort to unseat sitting board members through a "recall" petition process now allowed under a new state law passed last year, and a prominent builder in the community is offering up a model home it has in Majestic Oaks to house an evacuated family.
The resignations of Beers and Colaianni from the original seven-member board were prompted by different motives.
Beers is angry with HOA president Bob Watson over his backing of the notice, which was presented on a flyer delivered to Majestic Oaks residents during the Labor Day weekend, and his refusal to apologize and withdraw the announcement. Despite being a board member, she said the first time she saw the flyer was when one was handed to her while she was working in her yard.
"The board hasn't changed its policy, but I have changed mine, because I quit," said Beers, who has spoken to several national media outlets, including CNN, Fox and ABC. "All I know is that I can walk through this subdivision with my head up."
Colaianni, who asked the board Tuesday to officially apologize for its actions during a volatile open association meeting at the Freedom Library, said Friday he was angry at himself for not initially standing up against the other members.
"I am ashamed of what we did, and I am ashamed of myself . . . I am ashamed that I didn't fight enough to stop it," he said in an interview with the Star-Banner. "This was a big mistake. And I apologize to all of the people in Majestic Oaks, and to the people of Ocala, and to the people of the United States if I need to."
Watson and HOA vice president Audrey Andrews, who have been the most vocal defenders of the edict, could not be reached for comment Friday. Calls to Watson's home throughout the day produced busy signals, while Andrews did not respond to messages left on her answering machine.
An effort to unseat the other board members via a petition process is under way, said Jan Bergemann, president of Cyber Citizens for Justice, a Deland group that lobbies against state laws it feels gives too much power to HOAs. The group's Web site (www.ccfj.net) has posted the names and phone numbers of HOA board members connected with Majestic Oaks, a comfortable community carrying no age restrictions, but where retirees are in the majority.
"I take issue with anyone telling me who I can invite into my home," said Bergemann, a German-born American citizen who grew up near the Berlin Wall. "I think the board president and vice president completely overstepped the boundaries. This is why we are trying to reform laws governing homeowners associations.
"The government has created little kingdoms with no oversight," he said. "And you know what happens sometimes when people get a little bit of power."
At least one home in Majestic Oaks will have an evacuated family in the near future if local builder Triple Crown Homes has anything to do with it. The company, which acquired about 100 lots in Majestic Oaks a few years ago, maintains two model homes in the community. One will be turned into an office, but the other, a four-bedroom/three-bath home, will be offered rent-free for an evacuated family.
"What happened with the homeowners association gives a black eye not only to Majestic Oaks, but to Ocala," said Triple Crown president John Plunkett, who added that his company has had past difficulties with the HOA. "There's not much they can do; it falls under their deed restrictions. It says 'single-family home' and right now, there is no family in it. But with four bedrooms, we ought to be able to fit a pretty good-sized one in there."
Plunkett says he has already contacted local agencies to find a family, and has plans to offer another model home for evacuees in the company's development, Quail Meadows.
"We have had a great response from our employees," he said. "They can't wait to find clothes, and stock the homes with food."
Ocala's city government has also taken steps to distance itself from the Majestic Oaks situation.
"It is extremely unfortunate that a news account about a homeowners association not even located in the city has been misinterpreted by some," Ocala city manager Paul Nugent said in a press release. "We are receiving e-mails from people who believe the entire community has closed its doors to evacuees. This couldn't be further from the truth."
|