2014 December
Focus on... Safety & Security/expo

Security Disaster Management
2014 December Disaster Management

When it comes to ensuring the safety of each resident in a homeowner’s association before, during, and immediately after natural disasters like tropical storms and hurricanes, South Floridians know that it’s critical to have an updated eme…

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Security Fire Prevention and Evacuation Policy
2014 December Fire Prevention and Evacuation Policy

One only needs to watch the news regularly to get a sense of the devastation wrought by fire on a home or community. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) in 2012 (the most recent year on record) some 97,000 fires br…

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Security Security vs. Privacy
2014 December Security vs. Privacy

When we step through our front doors and turn the lock behind us, we expect to feel content in the knowledge that we are safe and sound in our home, and the community in which we live. The boards and managers who oversee these communities …

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Management Dealing With Vacant Units
2014 December Dealing With Vacant Units

It’s a sight that's more familiar in Florida co-op and condo communities than perhaps any other region nationwide: multiple unoccupied units. Depending upon the neighborhood, this may or may not be a bad thing, since some communities have …

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Board Operations Going Overboard
2014 December Going Overboard

Condos and homeowner associations have made headlines over the years for passing all kinds of overreaching and downright silly rules and regulations—everything from forbidding the flying of the American flag to having prohibitions about ha…

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Management Staff Safety & Security Training
2014 December Staff Safety & Security Training

A fire breaks out in a condo building; A broken water pipe floods several floors; A resident collapses with a heart attack on the tennis court; An intruder roams the premises with criminal intent; A huge alligator settles in for a nap on t…

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Q&A Q&A: Having a Legal Quorum?
2014 December Q&A: Having a Legal Quorum?

Q I live in a 55+ co-op community in Florida, where we have recently run into a problem for which we have gotten nothing but conflicting opinions. 1) Our bylaws state that our board should consist of seven directors, but recently several …

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Q&A Q&A: Flouting the Pet Rules
2014 December Q&A: Flouting the Pet Rules

My condominium does not allow any animals, as spelled out in the condominium rules and regulations. This was one of the reasons I purchased in this building. With no regard to the rules, several owners snuck in cats for pets. Our property i…

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Q&A Q&A: Kicking Out a Board Treasurer
2014 December Q&A: Kicking Out a Board Treasurer

"Does the individual condo association board members and president have the legal right to remove a treasurer from his or her duties without due cause and deny them a chance for rebuttal?" —Concerned Resident “Condominium associati…

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