They're Just Big Bullies

Check out this video coming from Houston. Sound familiar?

EGADS!!

Venetia seems to attract all kinds of venomous snakes.

"IT" Continues

Comment from a Venetian Resident:

“It” will never be enough. There is no one among us, collectively or individually capable of making “it” stop nor does anyone in a leadership position have the common sense or intelligence to know either what “it” is, or any of the reasons not to deliberately do “it.”

Thanks to “them” and “it,” which for all intents and purposes are the same word, I’ve lost more than you can possibly image or scarcely believe. But don’t let my plight trouble you in the least because “it” couldn’t possibly happen to you. After all, we’ve been promised time and again that “it” was only a little thing, entirely focused and even dead and buried at this point.

However I know for certain “it” continues and is spreading. For instance I know of a couple gleefully hopeful to rent a unit in the condos. I guess they found the only agent in the south county area not familiar with Venetia’s well deserved infamous reputation. Anyway to summarize their plight: they’ve been jerked around by the boards and even the management company so much that they’ve finally decided it isn’t worth “it”. “It’s” come full circle. Getting in, is almost as hard as getting out.

I let go of dreams and reality a long time ago and that I’ve discovered is the secret to living with, and even loving “it.” Quality of life is unimportant to me now. So are safety, any kind of value, profit and peace of mind. Who needs to be encumbered by such fantasies? This place is so wonderful in my mind now that I can’t figure out why anyone would want to leave “it” or even not put up with “it” for the once in a lifetime chance to be royally screwed by “it.”

Who wouldn’t want a piece of “it” is the only thing I can’t figure out. We should definitely be proud of “them” for so recklessly practicing “it” so that everyone; owner, tenant or prospect will get a chance to experience it!”

WHEN ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

Or . . . . Venetia is where I live, but not what I live for.

I have noticed that the neighborhood is showing signs of maturing. That’s what neighborhoods do; the trees grow wider and taller, the sidewalks crack and lift in places, tufts of grass show up between concrete slabs, and paint on homes fade as do the pavers and tiled roofs. Birds have begun their yearly return to our backyards and the sound of delivery trucks, dogs barking and lawnmowers have replaced the silence of a brand new neighborhood. This aging process builds character in a community, just as it does in its people, and for some, it feels more like coming home.

Even the HOA has begun the process of change. Now that Ronnie Hotz has replaced George Sperry as President of the Board, there is no doubt in my mind that the Board will become more reasonable. Ms. Hotz keeps her cool and garners more control over the meetings. She listens to the residents and is generally more inclusive, whereas Mr. Sperry followed only his own agenda. I am hopeful that she will be more successful at making this a friendlier neighborhood and giving it a better image than it previously had.

Certain things have to change though. The Board can’t continue to make contracts like the one with Sammy Mizzle, although they probably know that now. They can’t abuse their positions by using general funds to sue people over events that have nothing to do with the community as a whole, such as the “cage debacle”. That should never have happened. Had it been a more reasonable Board, they could have grandfathered the cage in and saved the homeowners $50,000. Now we are spending more suing the resident to get the $50,000 back.

It’s time to stop wasting money, to clean up the common areas and commend the residents for taking good care of their own properties, instead of punishing the few that don’t.

Yes, Venetia is where I live, but not what I live for. There is family and friends and a whole world outside these gates. The Boards in Venetia are welcome to live for Venetia, but me? I’m taking a long leave of absence to enjoy those things I really am living for.

ROTTEN NEIGHBOR AWARD

If you happen to be walking down Via del Villetti with your dog, and a skinny old man comes screaming out of his house, flailing his arms at you, hatred spewing from his nasty old mouth, then you've met him. I don't want to mention this man's name, it just wouldn't be fair, but you know who he is. Thank goodness there are more dog lovers than haters.

“The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men” . . . . Plato

STOP THE THIEVES!!!

IS THIS BOARD FOR REAL?  ONE OF THE FEW ASSETS THAT BELONG TO ALL OF US ARE COMING DOWN.  THREE DIFFERENT KINDS OF BEAUTIFUL PALM TREES.  THEY ARE ROBBING YOU!!!  DID YOU VOTE FOR THEM TO DO THIS??   THEN DO SOMETHING!!!! do something . . . . do something


Quotes from the February minutes:

Offer to buy Canary Date Palms at Jacaranda entrance. MRT Landscaping has offered to buy the Canary Date Palms at the Jacaranda entrance for $10,000.00. The Board will seek additional offers.

Under the heading of Reports of Sub Associations, Villa Paradiso, the Christmas Palms are being removed behind some of the Villas, to keep raccoons from climbing on the roof and getting into the homes.

VOTED 03-09: To accept the quote from Key Landscape Management to remove the 125 Washingtonian Palms on the berm near Hourglass and Circlewood at a cost of $75.00 per tree.

A Confederacy of Dunces

When will our illustrious board and its judicious Madame President shift their collective attention from its petty war on our pet dogs to the disastrous state of our landscaping – which, by the way, they created.

They ought to concern themselves with fixing the mess they have made of our community landscaping. Rather than worrying about 6 foot leashes; perhaps the community ought to question the board’s giving away our specimen palms to replant trash trees at their uneducated whim. Have they exceeded their authority to offer our collective assets without asking our permission by vote?

These self-appointed horticulturalists have decimated the mature plantings at both entrances and denuded once delightful areas, like the Butterfly Park, where a butterfly will never alight again.

If we all continue to turn a blind eye to their haphazard management and bumbling decisions, the costs to repair the damage they have and will continue to reap upon our once lovely community will soar to budget busting proportions.

Open your eyes, walk around the community … even if you don’t care that much about the landscaping itself; realize the negative impact the board and its President has on your investment. The better the community looks upon first impression when prospective buyers drive in, the easier it will be to sell your house and the higher price it will fetch. Enough is enough.

PS: If another board member (you know who you are lady) harasses my wife one more time when she walks our dog - on a leash - in the Butterfly Park - I will not let it pass idly by.

Carlos Piad

INCREASE DUES OR CUT COSTS?

Maybe it is time that the new HOA President looks at the broader economic picture.

The economy is suffering.  People are hurting.  It's time to look at Venetia's spending practices.  Instead of raising dues to include larger legal fees and larger management fees, perhaps it is time to cut costs.   We have used lawyers to put liens on our members, to investigate our residents, to support the politics that the association board practices.  It would be more prudent to have them look over our contracts so that we don't make more mistakes like the Sammy Mizzel catastrophe, or for violating FASB rules, such as the way in which the street lamps were purchased.  For that matter, isn't that something that the management company should be doing?  Our Board members don't appear to have the knowledge or experience to be making these decisions.  Isn't that why we hired professionals?

  With the increase in home foreclosures in Venetia, resulting in decreased revenue, why are we paying the management company to take notes at meetings?  The management company is not providing what this neighborhood needs.    Either let's use them to manage Venetia, or let them go and cut our costs so we can repair the damages.

WHO WROTE THE RULES?

Venetia 

Recreational and Social Complex 

Rules and Regulations

"Exterior doors of the clubhouse are to be kept locked and closed.

Be sure the clubhouse doors close firmly behind you as you enter or exit the building.  The building must be secure at all times to maintain a clean and safe environment for residents and their guests."

Personally, I think the rules are unnecessary and unfriendly.  But, the Board wrote the rules, and as an added reminder not to open the doors, installed alarms and video cameras.  Exactly who were the rules written for?

YOU LOOK MAHVELOUS!

Do you remember when Billy Crystal played the Fernando Lamas character on Saturday Night Live? Those famous words "Dahling, it's not how you feel, it's how you look, and you look mahvelous!!" stuck in everyone's head and were repeated over and over.

Those words now come back to haunt me. I look around Venetia and think "it's all about appearances". Really, is that all there is my friends?

150 LAWSUITS FOR APATHY

I just came upon a really interesting lawsuit in California. A homeowner is suing 150 homeowners in his neighborhood. The problem started with the HOA wanting him to remove a gate from his property.

When asked why he would sue his neighbors instead of the HOA, he said "If you think this is all about a gate, you are living in a dream world. You need to start looking into the files at the Club House to really learn what is going on in this community and how your money is being wasted. . . . If this is all about a gate then why is the Board spending over $100,000 of your money and raising assessments each year? Maybe I know something you don't know, due to your apathy. I discovered things during the malicious lawsuit filed by the Board you elected."

Click here to read the article. It's thought provoking.

Mother Goose

Could this be Venetia - Are we this unfriendly?

JUST SAY NO!!

A Comment by Carl Block:

Why should we, the residents of the single family homes, have to live under the rules which were set up by the developer and his lawyers? They don't live here, they never intended to live here, they just wrote the rules and left.

Now that the covenants need to be rewritten, why not rewrite them with rules we want to live under? The original rewrite committee spent a summer at work and presented a document with most of the unreasonable things taken out. Norman Hotz spent a winter putting the unreasonable rules and more back into the document.

Now he wants us to approve them. DON'T! Read it and demand the changes you want.

Did you know you have, by law, signed away some of your constitutional rights guaranteed by the United States government, such as Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Expression, Freedom of Unreasonable Search. Did you know that the board wants to keep the right to enter your property or home anytime it wants?

Be aware, read it, demand the changes you want. In other words, Make It Reasonable.

WE HAD AN AUDIT???

The 2007 audit was on the Venetia website one day, but gone the next. I was curious why, so I asked for a copy. We are , after all, paying for it with our dues. Perhaps it was because of this following statement:

As more fully described in note 6 to the financial statements, the Association capitalized street lighting lamp posts purchased during 2007 and is depreciating the lamp posts over a four year period not over the estimated useful life of the lamp posts as required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Or how about this:

NOTE 3 - COMMONLY OWNED ASSETS

The Association has the responsibility to preserve and maintain the commonly owned assets. These assets include, but are not limited to, paved areas, clubhouse and recreational amenities, drainage and surface water management facilities, landscape and retention areas and all drainage, utility, signage and landscape easements. The Association's policy is not to capitalize and depreciate the commonly owned assets as ownership is invested directly or indirectly in the unit owners and these assets are not deemed to be severable. In addition, the Association directly expenses any personal property such as recreational equipment and furnishings. The Association has capitalized the street lighting lamp posts - see Note 6.

Funny, but when we questioned Mr. Clark about his accounting methods when he presented this to the board, his response was "Don't you know your Accounting 101?". Well, Mr. Clark, it seems we did know after all.

You can read the audit in it's entirety here:
2007 Audit

PALM TREE UPDATE

I was really concerned about how the progress of our palm tree removal was going.   The once regal entryways are looking pretty slipshod, as are the median strips on Corso Venetia, so I requested a copy of the tree contract from Lighthouse Management.   If we paid a lawyer to approve this contract, I think we should get a refund.  And why are we paying Lighthouse Management over $100,000 per year to protect our interests? Take a look for yourselves.  Be sure to read page two as well.

Tree Contract, Page One

Tree Contract, Page Two

We Love Our Dog

We love our dog. He is small, yet whenever we come home he greets us with wagging tail, leaps of excitement, and all is right with his world, and ours too. Since our children live quite a distance away, all of our affection is lavished on him. Call us "over the edge", but he is now very much a part of our family. He has his own place to sleep, his own dishes, a sweater or two, and of course, lots of toys. We worry about his health, as well. For instance, he has vet appointments for all his shots, medication to keep parasites away, and Benedryl for allergies. His vet bills are probably more than our doctor bills.

Dogs are especially a good thing to have if you want to get some exercise, or meet some neighbors, or if you need a little company, there's Fido, right by your side. I sure wish the author(s) of the VNA One covenant rewrite felt the same way.

Welcome to our new board of directors

AN EXTRAORDINARY DAY

Today is an extraordinary day as we celebrate an historical event in this great nation. It is questionable why the board chose Inauguration Day to have their annual meeting. There are, after all, 30 other days in January.

Nevertheless, let's hope that the board will take on the mantra of the new administration and be better neighbors, more united and transparent in their politics.

FAMILY AFFAIR

We received our opportunity to vote today. I'm not even sure why LHM bothers to send out forms and envelopes. A simple postcard with ditto marks would have been sufficient and money saving too! Well, to be fair, there have been a couple of minor changes. Sperry decided to quit before someone asked, "hey, what's with the trees around here?" and "by the way, George, where are the tops of the decapitated fountains?".

Then there is Ms. Apicello, wanting to move over from VNAone and join her brother-in-law Mr. Apicello; her husband is already on one of the villa boards. Let's not forget Ms. Hotz is on the Master Board, and as we all know her spouse is Mr. VNAone. It's a regular family affair.

I found Ms. Hotz's resume to be interesting in that she was a Town Justice at her last residence, while her husband was the Code Enforcer there. Venetia really needs that now that we are beefing up our security force. What with all the cameras, the security force, the gates and our code enforcers right here, we should be safe from all our neighbors. I was really getting nervous about the judge, the lawyer, the fireman and the pharmacist on my street. I mean they really get rowdy sometimes.

Well folks, interesting that the board chose Inauguration Day for the election. No matter, it's time for you to put democracy first. Time to vote. You were given eight names for seven seats, but no need to sweat the paperwork. It will only take ONE person to vote to decide which one of the EIGHT won't be on the board. So there you have it. After that one person votes, the new (old) board will go behind the curtain and choose who gets the crown this time.

The best friend on earth of man is the tree. Frank Lloyd Wright

The Venetia Community Association Board of Directors takes full responsibility for removing the mighty Washingtonian trees at the 41 entrance to Venetia.

Ronnie Hotz and George Sperry have taken charge of the grounds, the treasury, the street lights, and the general running of the community. They have let us all down by not including the membership a vote approving the dissolution of an asset - approximately 100 mature trees. The board did not as much as display a site map or proposal of what trees would be removed, what trees would replace them, nor the location of the trees.

It appears at present, we are in an unfavorable position with the contractor. Not all trees have been replaced, and those that have been are small and do not have any of the grandeur that lured us to Venetia in the first place.

As owners, as dues paying residents of Venetia, and as members of VCA, a Florida Corporation, we were entitled to have a part in this very large undertaking. The Board did not listen when concern was expressed. A community vote would have been the best approach.

Look below at the before and after pictures.



And where are we now? Well, not in a very good place. It is quite understandable that with the economy coming to practically a halt, so will the replacement of the trees. To date, you will notice that only the "choice" trees have been removed, leaving the very tall, and the very short trees. It is doubtful that this can be corrected in the near future, surely not in the time the board will still be seated, leaving the mess to the next board.

The contract that was written with Sammy Mizzel is not definitive, and it has a termination date of March 28, only three months away. Perhaps it would have been a good idea to have had our attorney look over the contract before Sperry and Hotz had signed it.

AND THE WINNER IS . . . .

NORM HOTZ!!! Kind of.

Florida State Representative Doug Holder attended the most recent VNAone board meeting. Before you feel good about that, know that it was not to congratulate us on a well run community, but to defend one of our residents for being proud enough to have a TV commercial taped at his home in Venetia.

In response to the hysterical rantings and in receipt of a three page letter listing violation after violation, a six page statement prepared by a Republican committee lawyer was presented to the Board Meeting in defense of the MacLellans.

It was determined that the Board itself was not in compliance with the Covenants in serving the violations and fines. A motion was made by Sperry to forgive the fines if Mr. MacLellan said he "was sorry".

The Republican Party was an invited guest to the MacLellan's home. They did not have any idea that this 3-hour visit would end up by having to defend themselves at a Board meeting by a congressman and a lawyer. What they did innocently turned into something very ugly.


Does this mean that every one of us has to ask permission from the Board or check with a lawyer before we invite certain guests? Do we need a lawyer to live our lives in our own homes?

DID YOU KNOW?

Although the following list was written to encourage homeowners to understand their rights before they buy, it also applies after the purchase of your home.

According to Richard Thompson of "Realty Times", members of HOAs have the right to inspect the following records:

Correspondence
Mailing Lists
Management Notices
Newsletters
Resident Manuals/Handbooks
Annual Budget
Assessment Information
Auditor Reports
Balance Sheets
Bank Statements & Reconciliations
Bank Deposit Slips
Cancelled Checks
Financial Statements
Income Tax Returns
Inventory Lists
Investment Account Statements
Invoices-Assets
Invoices-Supply/Services
Petty Cash Vouchers
Purchase Orders/Journal
Reserve Study
State & Federal ID Numbers
Supply/Service Invoices
Articles of Incorporation
Bylaws
Declaration
Resolutions
Rules & Regulations
Insurance Accident Reports
Insurance Claims-Open/Settled
Fire Inspection Reports
Insurance Policies
Safety Records
Correspondence
Legal/Litigation Files
Blueprints & Specifications
Contracts
Plat Maps
Warranties-Expired/Unexpired
Work Orders
Election Ballots
Meeting Notices
Meeting Proxies
Meeting Minutes
Committee Reports ADA Complaints (Disability)
OSHA Records
Procedure Manuals

See Realty Times

THE USUAL SUSPECTS

Does anyone know who's running for election this year? It's coming up pretty soon, and it sure would be nice to know about the candidates, unless of course, it's all the usual suspects.

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS

Every once in a while, opportunity knocks. Sometimes though, you have to listen very carefully. It may be a tap, tap, tap. It may be a whisper. This morning, I heard . . . . . . psssst, this is it.


Harold Bubil wrote in his column from the Herald Tribune the following:

The Florida Community Association Journal has announced a call for entries for its 2008 "Florida Communications of Excellence Awards," which will recognize 10 communities in the state. The purpose of the competition is to "identify and promote innovative solutions and best practices in maintaining and improving the quality of life for residents of community associations," according to the FCA Journal.

Imagine how real estate brokers, association lawyers, management companies will be offering their services and buyers will clamoring at our gates to buy, buy, buy if Venetia wins. This is your chance to SELL, so I implore you to run, go to the Florida Journal site, and report how well run this neighborhood is, how welcoming the board is, how beautifully maintained our common areas are. Whatever you do, don't let them know how the Venetia Community website displays their vindictive behavior, their poorly written contracts, the shouting matches at the meetings, the budget practices our auditors disagree with. Whatever you do, don't let them know how many houses are up for sale and can't be sold, or how we have lost the Venetian theme of our once beautiful, now plain and unappealing clubhouse.

This may be your chance, so RUN, do not walk. The deadline is January 15, 2009. Let your fingers fly. Their website is http://www.flcaj.com/coe.

Look for Higher Fees Next Year

King George and Prince Norman have conquered and taken down the walls of the Scolaro's fortress. With the help of the sheriff's department, and without warning, the association entered their property and ripped down the cage from their beautiful home, devaluing their property and putting yet another smear on Venetia. How destructive, how appalling, what abusive use of power. What is even more despicable, is that the association is not going to replace the cage, leaving their house exposed to all the elements.

Note the "before" and "after" pictures above, and below, George Sperry sitting in a lawn chair enjoying the destruction of a resident's home, and Norman Hotz by his side. AND FOR WHAT PURPOSE??

Make What Reasonable?

We live in a gated and deed restricted neighborhood in Florida. When we first moved here, the developer still had control of the Covenants and Deed Restrictions. The people in the neighborhood were friendly and we were always happy to come home. After the first year we were here, the developer turned over the HOA to a few volunteer homeowners. Since that horrendous evening of the first meeting, when the newly named president stepped up to the mike and demanded people to "shut up and sit down" for asking about things such as "where is the budget", this is a different neighborhood. The BOD hired a lawyer and a management company and soon we were getting letters for having flowers hanging from our lamp posts or wreaths on our doors. As a matter of fact, over 500 letters were sent the first year, and there were approximately 300 single family homeowners at the time.

It is apparent that the local governments welcome these Planned Urban Developments (PUDs) because the developers construct the infrastructure, build and sell the homes, then gate the people in and the police, highway and other services out. If the homeowner wants a new home, and especially one with the current hurricane codes, then they must sign a 150 page, or more, legal document of covenants, codes and restrictions. If you don't sign, you can't buy. This nonsense about having a choice is getting narrower and narrower as the majority of homes are now in PUDs.

Because of these issues, it is almost impossible to have a HOA that conducts business for the sake of the community, instead of for the benefit of the Board of Directors. It is a miserable situation that I think will be given more attention sometime in the future. But for now, for the sake of people's constitutional rights, these BODs need to relax, realize it is only a volunteer position, and MAKE IT REASONABLE to reside inside these gates!