Month: March 2019

When this Blog emerged several months ago, it was meant to offer an alternative opinion on the ongoing status of Aquarina, and it offered a platform for folks to voice their point of view.  It was meant to create a community dialogue; it was not designed to be one sided. The current Visitor Count to the Blog since its inception has surpassed 18,000 Visits.  Its existence has only been publicized to Aquarina Residents, and not to the general public.

Informational Posts have been offered in the Blog for the Residents to be apprised of community and general HOA matters.  Among the Posts had been daily announcements of The Brassie Grille’s Lunch and Dinner Specials.  These Posts were appreciated, which offered the Residents an easy and convenient way to check on the Brassie Grille’s daily menu items for which to come over and enjoy.  These daily Posts generated anywhere from 50 to 200 Resident visits a day on the Blog.  It was great for The Brassie Grille, and it was great for the Residents.

However, several weeks ago, the Board decided that The Brassie Grille was to no longer provide the Daily Lunch and Dinner Specials to the Blog.  Why?

It is very apparent that the pushing of an agenda with Bullying behavior, and no tolerance for a contrary opinion to the Board’s ways takes precedence over any positive assistance The Brassie Grille may have been offered to make it more successful.  The irony is that here is an AGI business that could be thriving on its own, which the Board obviously rejects.  Why?

The Brassie Grille is used by the Board as a perk for its disciples and acolytes.  The Brassie Grille’s potential to be self-sufficient as a business is not a Board concern or a goal. After all, the Residents will be funding and subsidizing The Brassie Grille and all of the other AGI businesses with $100’s of thousands of dollars each year.

And, oh yes, the specific financials of these AGI companies are not available to the Residents as they should be per Florida Statute, i.e. 720.303(4)(j)and1.  Hmm.

The Board Newsletter, more or less a propaganda outreach, does have a positive splash in that it highlights the Residents having fun at the planned parties and enjoying their camaraderie with the volunteer run events. The photos do show a happy bunch.  Certainly positive for the community.

Though the ongoing financial irresponsibility the Board has thrust on the community continues to fester beneath the smiling faces we see in these newsletters.  It is apparent that a segment of the Residents are having a wonderful time here at Aquarina. There always appears to be a plethora of activities in which to participate making for a social vibrancy.  However, the appearance is that much of the vibrancy is centered with the golf crowd, to which the Board cuddles.  It would seem as a Board, the focus should be with all the Residents, e.g. notice that when a particular affair or event is announced in which ostensibly the whole community can participate, the affair is typically closed within two days of the announcement because there is no more room to accommodate maybe other interested folks, other than the continued same segment of the Residents.  This has happened more than once.  I’m sure the affair or event is mostly filled before it’s announced by those “in the know”.  Regardless, people are enjoying themselves – a good thing. However, let’s be sure a community event can accommodate all.

Now let’s proceed through the “Projects” in the Newsletter that are completed and underway.  Ah, there is the unsubstantiated irrigation well project.  I have not seen any clear numbers that demonstrate any savings by spending $100’s of thousands of our funds on a well.  The wild card, which would mitigate any savings, is Aquarina Utilities, a family run water treatment business that is allegedly for sale.  Believe me, they will make up, with higher potable water rates, of any lost revenue from losing the irrigation account. Wouldn’t it have been more cost effective to plant grass with a high tolerance to minimal irrigation in the fairways?  Hmm.

With reference to the Irrigation Well, we were offered some financial gibberish about “self-liquidating debt”. The essence of this phrase is that the debt will be paid off from the assets that were obtained through the debt. Really? The ruse is that what we were paying in irrigation fees will now be paying for the 1) well, 2) its ongoing maintenance, and 3) the unknown increased cost for our potable water (Residents’ water rates are not controllable). There is no control over any of these costs. Remember, with the present irrigation cost, it can be controlled with usage and the planting of grass that is tolerant to minimal irrigation. The costs associated with the Irrigation Well will be far more toxic to the community. Oh yes – this is an expense for golf.

It’s interesting that this Blog has brought to light over the past months many of the areas that are now being addressed as ongoing “Projects”, e.g. re-coating the asphalt roads, which should include pressure washing and striping, and paver resetting and cleaning; installing new HVAC systems in all the buildings, which should include service contracts; and placing video cams at the Beach Club House, etc.

All these “Projects” should have had a priority over the moving of the gym, the renovation of the Admin Building to accommodate the gym, and the rebuilding of the Golf Maintenance Yard.  These “Projects” were discretionary and self-serving, and cost the Residents unnecessary funds.  The Admin Building and the Golf Maintenance Yard were subject to new and expensive construction requirements because of their renovation, where, instead, these facilities could have been repaired to their previous functional condition at a far smaller cost.

Though this Blog may be the sole active voice in its opinion on how Aquarina should be better served, we do have a democracy in this community where we are provided with a process to vote if we believe that Aquarina should be on a different path.  Time will tell if Aquarina stays on its current path or diverts itself to the roots of its past where the whole community participated in decisions for the betterment of all, and not be subject to a forced agenda by a few.

Not only the Board bungled, but our Onsite Property Manager was also a part of still another misstep.  BTW – isn’t the Onsite Property Manager a certified and credentialed individual, whose purpose is to counsel and direct an HOA Board of Directors in the proper procedures with the housekeeping of running a community?

Florida Statutes lay out the mechanics for the Board of Directors and their actions, which include called Community Meetings, like our Annual Meeting.  We were told in e-mails and correspondence that there would be no election for Directors, since only two candidates had submitted “timely” applications.  Remember that the Board provided confusing dates and days for what “timely” would be. Further, we were provided a Meeting Agenda with no announced matter(s) for which to vote.  Hmm.  No Director elections and no matter(s) for which to vote.

Per the Statutes, a Quorum is needed for a Meeting, and in Aquarina that means a majority of the voting members, if there will be voting.  Gee, we were told that there would be no voting for Directors and that the Meeting was informational, i.e. no matters for which to vote.  No voting means no Quorum is necessary.

Yet, our Onsite Property Manager told us that the Proxies, which were mailed to all the Aquarina Voting Members (Property Owners), were necessary to be completed and mailed back to be sure that a Quorum could be established for a Meeting to be held. What?  A Quorum is not required at a non-voting Meeting.

But wait.  The Proxies were assembled to read that to whomever the Proxy was assigned, typically the Board Secretary or other Board Member, would have absolute voting rights for the Property Owner who assigned away his or her Proxy. Wow. A proxy can be assembled for a particular vote and not open voting, the mailed Proxies were assembled for open voting. The mailed Proxies are open for any voting that could occur if a voting situation was disclosed before the Meeting Agenda.  At this time no voting has been announced, as of yet.

However, this Proxy request seems pointless if no voting is to occur – right?  The Residents, being told that no voting would take place at the Meeting, might decide to not attend, and instead just complete and mail back the Proxy, and maybe read about the information nature of the meeting rather than attending it.

This would mean that if the Board decides to amend the Meeting Agenda, after the Proxies were mailed out and were returned, that the Board (with the probable majority of assigned Proxies in hand) could now vote to pass any matter that the Board added to the Agenda.  Would you be surprised if this course of events evolved?

Information Alert.  The Board Meeting for today was cancelled. Hmm. The purpose of the Meeting was for the Directors to vote to reduce the funding of the Reserves to create more cash flow, or vote to not reduce.  The Board needs available funds to pursue its Agenda.  Guess what the Vote would have been. Reducing the funding of our Reserves adds to the deteriorating conditions that are ongoing in our Community, since sufficient funds would not be available to address needed common element repairs or replacement.

Okay.  First they mail us, and tell us only two folks submitted an Intent to Run and a Personal Profile within the flawed deadline date, then they mail us again to tell us to complete a voting form, which included a Proxy Form for voting. But wait, they also tell us there will not be an election since only two folks submitted as Candidates for three vacant positions.  The two folks are default Candidate winners, and the Board will select someone for the third vacancy.

Why mail us Proxies to complete if there will not be an election?  Further, no item for which to vote was on the Agenda for the Annual Meeting.  Why a Proxy?  Is our responsible Onsite Property Manager, who is responsible for the Resident mailings, on the same page as our Board?  Who’s on First?  LOL.

The Board spends our Resident funds irresponsibly, and now they cannot organize an important election for the residents.  Apparent confusion with our voting rights and carelessness with our funds continue to run rampant.

BTW – among the process with Proxies, a Proxy can be open ended, where when it is signed, it states that a Board Member, if appointed, has your vote on any voting matter that may arise. Or, the Proxy can be for a specific item for which to vote.

May there be a further Board Notice, after Proxies have been received, revising the Meeting Agenda by adding matter(s) for which to vote. Hmm.

Here are some interesting events that have recently emerged.

• Residents were mailed an Invitation to be a candidate for a Board Director.  Three slots were available.

• The deadline date to submit the required and expected paperwork was wrong and ambiguous in the Invitation, i.e. the day and date did not match.

• Last year there were as many as ten candidates; this year there were allegedly two candidates.  We were told only two candidate submissions were received in a “timely manner”. The “timely manner’ was the erroneous day and date in the Invitation. Were other candidate submittals received in an ‘untimely manner” because of the erroneous day and date?  There was never a correction made and then communicated to the Residents on the incorrect date and day; I never received a correction.

• A second Notice of the Annual Meeting was sent out to the Residents with redone Information Sheets for the only two candidates.  These two candidates’ Information Sheets appeared as a part of and incorporated into this Board Notice, formulated with the same typed format and font as the Board Notice.

• The Information Sheets were two to three one-sided pages for each candidate. Note that the initial Invitation to the Residents required, and was limited to, two sides of one 11.5” by 8” piece of paper for the candidates’ Information Sheet, and not two to three one sided pages.

• Further, the candidates’ Information Sheets did not appear as “candidate prepared”, but Board prepared from, hopefully, the candidates’ own words. Normally Information Sheets would have been solely candidate prepared, included with the returned and signed Invitation.

• In the past, these Information Sheets would then be sent separately along with the Board Notice to the Residents, as it was done last year. The Residents received, by mail, a candidate separately prepared Information Sheet from each of the candidates themselves. 

• Why would the Board need to filter a candidates’ completed Information Sheet, dress up its appearance, and present it to the Residents with a Board controlled format?  The Residents should have the opportunity to review a candidate’s presentation of himself or herself without the Board’s intrusion and tampering.  The Board has never “polished” candidates’ Information Sheets in the past. Hmm.

• We were told only two folks offered their candidacy for three open positions, we were further told that no election was necessary, and that the Board would select a person for the other open position.

• If all this seems contrived, then it certainly appears that way.  The Residents had no say as to these unusual circumstances that evolved with this year’s flawed process of determining Board Director Candidates.

• Just think, from 10 Board Director Candidates last year, to two this year. Does this reflect on the mindset of the residents or on the direction the current Board is taking with its actions towards our community?

• Because of a flawed timeframe for returning Information Sheets and a signed Intention to Run Form, it would be expected that the Board announce its error to the community and extend the time period to encourage more willing and able Residents to volunteer their service as a Director Candidate.

Instead, it could be said that the Board may have created a situation to select and groom its own candidates. Hmm.