Rob Samouce writes articles which are of interest to community associations, condominium associations and homeowners associations, and are published in the Naples Daily News (www.naplesnews.com) on the first Sunday of each month. Those articles are listed below, and can be searched by key words in the articles or by date the article appeared in the Naples Daily News.
How associations can approve and pay for improvement projects
/in Condominium Associations /by Robert C. SamouceWith many of the local condominium and homeowners’ associations clubhouse buildings now reaching 30 to 40 years of age, many associations are looking at doing major remodeling projects to the inside or outside of the buildings to keep their look competitive with new products reaching the market. Because such improvements are considered material alterations, it […]
Extra fees limited in condos; not in HOAs
/in Condos and HOA's /by Robert C. SamouceWe often get asked by board members, officers and managers of community associations whether their association can charge a capital contribution fee to new owners or charge a fee for processing unit sales and lease applications. The laws pertaining to such fees are quite restrictive for condominium associations while the laws for such fees in […]
How to get the proxy votes needed for approval
/in Condos and HOA's /by Robert C. SamouceThis is the time of year when most condominium and homeowner associations have their annual meeting. When there is something to vote on, such as amending the governing documents, approving a property enhancement project, or waiving the annual audit, proxies are sent to the owners so that the requisite vote can be obtained to approve […]
How to get the proxy votes needed for approval
/in Condominium Associations /by Robert C. SamouceThis is the time of year when most condominium and homeowner associations have their annual meeting. When there is something to vote on, such as amending the governing documents, approving a property enhancement project, or waiving the annual audit, proxies are sent to the owners so that the requisite vote can be obtained to approve […]
Nuisance laws do not protect supersensitive people
/in Condominium Associations /by Robert C. SamouceWith the return of snowbirds in season, we start getting phone calls from associations telling us some condominium unit owners are complaining about the conduct of their neighbors and they want the association to do something about it. The complaints are usually about either noise or smoke emanating from a neighboring unit or unit lanai. […]
Appropriate vehicle and parking rules for your community
/in Condos and HOA's /by Robert C. SamouceA condominium or residential neighborhood can suffer detrimental effects to property values and the well-being of its residents if it does not have in place rules concerning residents’ and guests’ vehicles that the majority of the members in a community want. Condominiums have a limited number of parking spaces, and many newer gated communities have […]
Use of security cameras in communities
/in Condominium Associations /by Robert C. SamouceWe are seeing more and more homeowners and condominium unit owners wanting to protect their property by installing security cameras. This can be a good idea but must be weighed against the privacy concerns of their neighbors. Many homeowner and condominium associations also want to protect the common areas from vandalism and rule violations; such […]
Older high-rise condos, co-ops must vote to opt out or install fire sprinklers
/in Condominium Associations /by Robert C. SamouceTypically this time of year I report on all the new laws the Florida Legislature adopted in this year’s session that affect condominium, co-ops and homeowners associations. However, any bills that would have had major direct effects on the operation of community associations died in committees, so there is not much new to report. One […]
Snuffing out the smokers in condominium
/in Condominium Associations /by Robert C. SamouceEven as of a few years ago, it was almost unheard of for a condominium building to go nonsmoking. Apparently there was fear that in doing so, property values would suffer as potential smoker purchasers would look elsewhere. This is no longer the case. We are seeing more and more condominiums going to nonsmoking. To […]
County tax assessor and collector can’t take away homestead exemption
/in Condos and HOA's /by Robert C. SamouceThe decision reached in a recent appellate court opinion out of Martin County holds that a homestead tax exemption survives the death of a spouse. In the case of Kelly and Pietruszewski (Martin County Property Appraiser and Tax Collector) v. Spain, rendered by the 4th District Court of Appeals on Feb. 25, 2015, the Appellate […]