Article Courtesy of The Sum
Sentinel
By Tessa
Metayer
Published
July 29, 2010
Pet
owners across
South Florida
often face difficulty when moving. Many apartment complexes and condo
associations either charge residents a fee to have a pet or prohibit
pets altogether.
Maida Genser faced just such a predicament in 2004 when
she purchased a home in
Tamarac
only to later discover that her two cats were not allowed on the property.
While
she was fighting with her condo association, Genser decided to “go
beyond my own situation [and] actually do something" on behalf of
other pet owners. She created Citizens for Pets in Condos, a nonprofit
organization that fights for residents who want the right to have pets.
The group also offers legal information and links to research into the
health benefits of having pets.
"How
un-American is it to not be
allowed to have a pet? Almost 65% percent of all
U.S.
households have at least one companion animal," Genser said.
In
addition to creating a website -- www.petsincondos.org -- Genser has attended condo
association and town hall gatherings and "pushed myself to talk at
these meetings about this," she said. In 2006, she and local
supporter David Shapiro began gathering signatures for a petition aimed at
influencing legislation. The following year she joined forces with
Cyber Citizens
for Justice, an advocacy organization
that works on behalf of condo owners.
"She is doing an excellent job. She is trying to
convince people about what's right and wrong with education," said
Jan Bergemann, president of Cyber Citizens for Justice. "What we have
in common is owners’ rights.
Many people move to these associations with no clue what
they're dealing with.".
As more
condo owners join the cause,
Genser and her board members say they will be even more diligent in their
fight."
Our signature count now stands around 30,000. We are
well-positioned to take the next step to expand our efforts,” she said.
Our challenge is to find ways to reach more people and quadruple our
[petition] signature count, not just in
South Florida
, but across the whole state.”
Genser continues to network and has joined forces with
other organizations, such as Pet Friendly Agent, the Pet Chamber of
Commerce and Village Pet Pals. Citizens for Pets in Condos is pushing to
get a bill passed that would allow pets in an association if approved by a
simple majority vote of owners.
To learn more about Citizens for Pets in Condos, visit www.petsincondos.org
or call 954-366-4555.
To
learn more about Cyber Citizens for Justice, visit www.ccfj.net.
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