By
Mark R. Benson, Vice-Chairman
Advisory Council on Condominiums
Published
January 12, 2005
During
the 2004 Florida Legislative Session Senate Bill 1184 created the Advisory Council on Condominiums
-- see below!
The
first meeting took place on December
9, 2004 in Tallahassee. See:
State
panel to begin hearing condo complaints
As a practitioner of community association
management and administration, you are in a unique position to take advantage
of the Advisory Council to foster and support changes that you feel are
needed.
As a member of this Council I personally hope
it will be an iconoclastic effort to improve the quality of life for members
in community associations. The emphasis must be on diverting the litigious
aspects of dispute resolution, creating well defined and disclosed
expectations of the life style being offered, and educating acceptance of the
reality of community association responsibilities.
We
will make this Council as responsive as we can to the concerns of you and your
constituents. Please let us know if we can be of assistance by holding
hearings in your area. Attached below is a tentative
list of possible agenda items. If you have other items you think
should be included, let us know. If you or a constituent has a comment on any
of the items, let us know.
Administration must be structured by reasonableness within professional
parameters based on accountability and responsibility. Documents must be
drafted in "plain" language.
When the will of the majority is held hostage by apathy and intimidation of
and by a minority, the result will always be anarchy, dispute, and an
intolerable level of stress that will destroy the fabric of a community. Owners in the community can only make informed decisions about the
day-to-day financial operation of their community association if they are
given information they can comprehend. Every owner must
be able to expect accountability and information to verify it at any time.
There is a ground swell of demand for protection of more of the community
association models evidenced by homeowners' associations and last year was a
start to provide access to the safety valve of mediation and arbitration in
the Division. It is not outside the charge of the Council to recommend
inclusion in F.S. 718 other forms of community associations. This has been
recommended since the 1991 Task Force report.
The Council will not limit input to scheduled meetings and will keep constant
communication with the Division as to the issues brought to each Council
member personally and professionally. Education of Council members on the
issues will not wait for meetings. The Division will keep in constant
communication, preferably by email, with the members of the Council as to the
issues so all points of view are on the table and positions aren't lost or
ignored by lack of communication that is always so limited at meetings.
We need the input of practitioners, legislators, the administration and the Division
as to issues. We need liaison with other agencies and representative
organizations. We must be open to consider all aspects of change without
personal interest or prejudice.
CONTACT
THE COUNCIL MEMBERS:
Joe
Adams 239-433-7707 Chairman
[email protected]
www.becker-poliakoff.com
Mark Benson 239-277-0718 Vice-Chairman
[email protected]
www.bensonsinc.com
Mike
Andrew 407-206-6439
[email protected]
www.vacationclub.com
Pete Dunbar 850-413-2840
[email protected]
George Geisler 305-852-3018
[email protected]
Karen Gottlieb 954-981-5584
[email protected]
Tom Sparks 850-235-4044
[email protected]
Ex
Officio Nonvoting Member
Michael
Cochran 850-488-1631
[email protected] |