Month: February 2019

The process to run for a Board Director has been and is flawed, e.g. 1) last year I was permitted to vote twice, once with a hand delivered vote to the Onsite Property Manager at the Admin Building, and then was given a ballot and told to vote at the Annual Meeting, and 2) this year two different dates were mailed to the Residents to turn in Intent to Run Forms for Director.

Keep in mind that the Board controls the voting process, e.g. the Board filters the Intent to Run Forms from receipt, to mailing these Forms to the Residents. We know that this Board has an agenda that it wants to continue, which will require at least four of seven Board Members in its court. Three Director positions will be voted upon.

However, maybe the Residents can speak with their vote and by-pass the Board’s infiltration process.  This Blog (anaquarinavoice.com) offers a stage for the Residents to speak.  Rather than an Intent to Run Form, a Resident is welcome to place their Candidacy and Background on the Blog, which has direct communication to the Aquarina community.

Any voting process in a democracy offers a Write-in choice, other than the candidates printed on the ballot.  If a Write-in choice is not offered on the Aquarina Board ballot, then the voting process continues to be flawed in favor of the sitting Board.

Fellow Residents who see that a change is needed for Aquarina, can place their point of view, personal background, and Candidacy on the Blog, as exemplified below.

Candidate “anaquarinavoice.com”

355 Hammock Shore Dr.

I have been a Resident of Aquarina since 1995.  I have owned and lived in several homes here, i.e. Les Villas, River Oaks, Crane’s Point, Egret Trace, Blue Heron, Egret Trace again, Spoonbill Villas, and now River Oaks again.  I suppose I’m a restless soul. LOL. Regardless, I love the Aquarina community, and I currently believe that the community is not being serviced in a balanced manner by the current Board.  I created a Blog Site named anaquarinavoice.com, where you can read my convictions on what direction I see the community should take.

My background includes the following.

• Bachelor’s Degree in English and a minor in Accounting
• Master’s Degree in Education
• GRI – Graduate of the Realtor Institute.
• CRB – Council of Realtor Brokers
• CRS – Certified Residential Specialist
• MSA – Master Senior Appraiser
• Completed all classwork towards a designation for a CCIM (Certified Commercial Investor Member) and a MAI (Member Appraisal Institute).
• 1969-1979 – Public School Teacher in Ft. Lauderdale, where I ran a Federal Title 1 Reading Program for under privileged children.
• 1979 to present – Realtor Broker in Melbourne Beach and Brevard County.
• 1981 to 1983 – President of the Floridana Beach Civic Association (FBCA)
• 1987 to present – Realtor Broker on Maui.
• 1993 to present – established and own Premier Properties
• 1996-1997 – President of the Les Villas HOA.
• 2005 to present – established and own Premier Properties Maui.

As a Board Director, my goals would include:

• Though minor paver repairs have been done at the Roadway Entrance, a complete repair overhaul of the pavers needs addressing. In addition, a black coating and white striping of the roads, and a power washing of the curbing are also overdue.  A waterfall attraction is underway, which is nice; however, the tuning of the Roadway Entrance should be a priority at this time.  The Roadway Entrance sets the tone for the community, and helps our property values, which should always be of primary importance. 

• The beach crossovers need a suitable commercial shower commensurate with our Beach Clubhouse, and conveniently located at the deck crossover areas.

• An Internet Camera (Cam) should be placed at the Beach Clubhouse for folks to see the daily conditions at our beach.  Many communities have this device for the beach to be monitored for recreational use.

• A Janitorial Service with a daily agenda to service the entire common areas, e.g. all bathrooms and both Clubhouses, etc.

• A golf cart (if it’s not already available) for our onsite Property Manager to do at least one daily tour of the community and its facilities.  This daily tour is to engage Residents and to monitor our common elements.

• Have our golf and tennis operation subject to an outside audit to determine an efficient cost effective program. They are constantly losing money at our expense.

• Work out a program for The Brassie Grille to the point where it just pays us rent for space.  This would eliminate AGI risk and losses with the restaurant, and the possible temptation of collusion of the Board with its operation.

• More transparency is needed with the funding of the AGI businesses. The Residents fund 100’s of thousands of dollars that is poured into these mostly losing entities.

• A more measured spending among all the Aquarina common elements should be practiced.  It appears that the Golf business draws most of the Residents’ funds for its sustainability.  BTW – I like golf.  I was on my school’s golf team. LOL.

• More Resident involvement should be offered before funding decisions are made with our common elements, e.g. town hall meetings

• The current $900+ quarterly assessment needs to be re-evaluated, and a reduction of this fee should be addressed.

• The Golf irrigation Well needs further review for its cost effectiveness. The current reasoning does not add up. An unbiased and Professional Evaluation should be sought out, and then presented to the whole community for discussion.

• Keep, praise, and encourage the great body of Volunteers and their accomplishments that have served Aquarina, and continue with the wonderful social activities that bond our Residents as a vibrant community.

The focus of the Board of Directors is to service the Community and its Common Elements, and not rule and run the Community and its Common Elements, as a developer of a Community would do.  There has been too much emphasis on “Directing” rather than “Servicing”.  Aquarina is ready for a change!

If you agree with this assessment of where we are at this time, and you are ready for a voice of change on Aquarina’s Board of Directors, then on the ballot for a director, Write-in the candidate “anaquarinavoice.com” as your anonymous choice.  It’s not the person’s name that is important, but the new movement that the Blog represents and has heralded for the community.

Our ACSA mailed out to Residents the instructions for those Residents who may want to apply to be a candidate for a Board of Director position. Three positions are available. The instructions stated that the completed Form and Information Sheet was to be received by 5 PM on Friday, February 19, 2019 (Bold and Underlined in the instructions).

Dah . . . isn’t February 19, 2019 today, a Tuesday. Creating confusion with the application process may be a mistake or . . . The Board wants and needs to maintain its grip on the community to further its agenda of Board directed projects, which continue to eat up the Residents’ funds. It’s not surprising to see this application glitch.

There need to be three candidates who appose the direction of the current Board who would then fill the three available positions to neutralize the current Board’s majority, since one of the current members also sees a different direction for the community than what the present Board has foisted on the Residents.

It should be interesting to see how the onsite Property Manager and the Board will handle this (clerical?)mistake.

It seems like weeks have passed since Old Glory was swaying in the wind.  If it is being replaced, then Amazon can provide one in a few days with free delivery.  But still an empty and naked pole with its rope and cleats bang like a gallows.  Is this a political statement, maybe, e.g. an anti-national theme? We hope not.  Let’s get our flag back.  Our neglected and orphaned entrance needs to be uplifted in every way it can.

Well, Well, Well . . . so many questions about the Irrigation Well

• We are told that the savings from the irrigation expense is about $103,000 per year; the net cost of the yearly golf course irrigation. Actually, all sorts of numbers were thrown out to decipher. The most favorable ones for the well were used, to be fair and unbiased.
• We are told that the AUI rate increase for potable water to the Residents for the lost irrigation revenue is estimated to be $40,000 per year.  How was that determined?  A direct quote from AUI?  AUI loses $103,000 and makes it up with $40,000?  Hmm.
• We are told that the total savings for Aquarina in 20 years is $875,000.  Let’s see – that is $43,750 per year.  The potable water increase, we are told should be $40,000 per year.  Remember that rate is from whom?  It certainly is subject to increases over the next 20 years. It’s like a wash at the very best.  So we have a well and all its infrastructure to maintain as a common element, an added common element by the way, attained without a community vote.
• We played Spessard Holland, up the road, which is the same cost per round as Aquarina Golf.  The difference in the two courses is obvious, one is amply watered and maintained.  Guess which one appears not to be?
• The Residents subsidize Aquarina by 100’s of thousands of dollars annually.  Among other expenses, Golf cannot afford the irrigation expense with the subsidy (look at the course) and now the Residents will pay for an irrigation well too. As we all know, Golf Rules while the rest of the community suffers.
• What engineering firm did a cost benefit analysis for the acquisition of an irrigation well?  Where is analysis for it to be reviewed? Were bids put out to obtain a competitive price? Was AUI consulted with the decision for a well to maybe work out a compromise with the irrigation cost?
• As usual, and Board presents a spin with no convincing or any corroboration. This irrigation well presentation leaks of spin.
• Consider the placement of this well and its pumping action.  Did you see any nearby residential housing that could be impacted from the photos in the email attachment?
• The irony of all this, is that Golf Rules, yet it continues to fail as a business and its standing, compared to other nearby courses, can be considered substandard.  So sad.

Another fiasco from the Board as we idly watch and wait.