Tag: Florida

Florida SB 596 creates a bona fide state HOA agency as necessary state oversight

As an alternate to making HOA governments a state entity, the creation and establishment of a bona fide, legitimate state agency established by an effective and meaningful enabling act will accomplish HOA reforms.  Couple the clear and precise intent to provide for checks and balances – meaning state oversight – with a dedicated head of the agency to carry out the agency’s mission, the independent HOA principalities will now be accountable to the state as they should be. 

Florida’s SB 596, sponsored by Senator Hays, proposes such a state agency over HOAs.  It proposes the following addition, among other things, to FS 720.302(2):

Having provided certain powers and authority to homeowners’ associations and in deed restrictions created by developers of mandated properties in residential communities, the Legislature recognizes that it is necessary to provide regulatory oversight of such associations in order to ensure compliance with federal and state laws and local ordinances. It is the intent of the Legislature to protect the rights of parcel owners by ensuring that the powers and authority granted to homeowners’ associations and in deed restrictions created by developers of mandated properties in residential communities conform to a system of checks and balances in order to prevent abuses by these governing authorities. (emphasis added).

From first glance, this bill creates a typical regulatory agency to make laws, set rules, investigate, handle complaints and enforce the law in courts. Among the provisions in this lengthy 124 page bill are penalties, fines, HOA cease and desist orders, and restitution enforceable in the courts by the agency, FBPR, and not having to be brought by the individual homeowner.  The proposed agency is not a “let’s study the problem” typical political tactic to do nothing by creating just an investigatory agency, which insults homeowners with its “we don’t believe you” attitude.    SB 596 is a very good step short of making HOAs state agencies.

It should be obvious to all that what will be argued as government involvement has been brought about precisely because of the abuse within the industry.  It is the failure of those “stakeholder,” specil interest moneyed vendors to police the industry.  It is the failure of the homeowners themselves to police their boards. And consequently, it falls to state governments to promote the general welfare and protect its citizens against abuse by a stronger faction within the community.

Furthermore, making this bill law will help keep the legislature from hearing HOA reform bills year after year.

In order to establish justice and fair play for all homeowners, it remains to insure that the laws are themselves fair and just. The pro-HOA laws must be amended or revoked.  The misguided doctrine that permits CC&Rs and servitude law to supersede constitutional law and contract law must stop. 

HOA Enlightenment Movement is forcing legislatures to protect property values

More and more homeowner rights advocates are realizing that bad media coverage is hurting property values.  They are demanding their legislature to stop the abusive, rogue boards that are giving HOAs a bad image.  The HOA Enlightenment Movement, the surging awareness that HOA regimes have serious legal problems, is the long delayed confrontation with reality that is a “wakeup call” for the legislatures. 

This “no negatives about HOAs” unspoken alliance that has served the industry’s special interests by keeping things under wrap, and not letting the sunlight expose these legal issues that include violations of constitutional law, is collapsing.  The legislatures can no longer stand by with impunity and support the HOA industry through their cooperation, coercion, close nexus in HOA operations, and denials of the equal applications of the laws of the land.  Only just and fair laws will stop the negative exposure of HOA regime un-American conduct.

In Florida, Cyber Citizens for Justice, Jan Bergemann, President, calls the legislature’s attention the following issues:

1. Florida’s economy hinges on a healthy real estate market. Many new retirees, snowbirds and investors are needed to create a healthy real estate market.

2. The nightmare of living in an HOA is hurting our state’s image of retirees moving to Florida to live a hassle free life style.

3. Reforms should create more consumer protection, making Florida again attractive for potential buyers of homes and condos.

In North Carolina, the National Coalition for Homeowner Association Reform group, Jim Lane, Founder, wrote to the legislature,

“Our homes and neighborhoods are at stake — as of now 50% of Homeowners who don’t want an HOA begin to ‘bail out’ of their HOA homes and Buyers go elsewhere, while Property Values go down.”

And in Nevada, newly appointed member of the HOA Ombudsman commission, Bob Frank, is asking the legislature for constitutional protections:

Attached is a BDR intended to help improve HOA property values in Nevada by solving HOA management problems. . . . It is proposed to be labeled the ‘HOA Property Values Enhancement Bill.’ . . . The future speed and depth of recovery of our HOA property markets may depend on this initiative. I believe that most people in this state will be very grateful if you can get HOA contracts bound to our US and NV Constitutions.

Investigative reporter Ward Lucas also echoes this concern for subjecting HOAs to the constitution as is required of all government entities.  In his new book, Neighbors At War!, which is not a book to laugh at but a serious expose of HOA life and what can happen to naive homeowners, he writes,

Your constitutional rights are being secretly shredded . . . A tiny but growing band . . . is at last beginning to say, ‘Enough!.  They can no longer stomach the kind of meaness that can destroy the reputation of an entire neighborhood.  The World Wide Web is giving them a forum they didn’t have before.

It’s only through the challenging, confrontation, and exposure by The Enlightenment Movement followed with the demand for just and fair laws can change be achieved.  Advocates must continue to enlighten state legislators and demand change.

Additional reading on why homeowners are apathetic, aside from the fear of affecting property values, and allow the oppression and injustice to control their lives, see Hign Noon in HOA-Land: members who permit lawless boards to function.

Police ignore HOA complaints with tragic consequences

This news report addresses the repeated erratic behavior of homeowner in HOA that went ignored and a neighbor is forced to defend himself. Many times I’ve been told that the police would reject complaints of assault, harassment, charges of embezzlement and theft among other complaints. They have adopted this “hands-off” HOAs policy that denies citizens the equal protection of the law.  And, county/district attorneys often tell homeowners seeking to file a complaint to first file the complaint with the police.

Given the widespread reporting of oppressive, authoritarian HOAs acting irrationally, arbitrarily, and violating the laws, the failure of the government to provide practical protections for homeowners in HOAs is tantamount to playing Russian Roulette with the lives of people living in HOAs.

 

Clashes precede man’s killing

“Days before the incident, the homeowners association filed an injunction against Gallik, who had moved in the home in May 2007.

“According to the injunction: ‘He makes verbal threats to the association’s agents and members; walks around the community with a whiteboard chained around his neck stating ‘Death to Southshore Falls,’ has strung clothing lines along the front of the property; bathes in the front driveway and in the dwelling’s gutters to compensate for lack of running water, runs a generator from the front driveway to compensate for lack of working electricity, wanders in the common area allowing his dog to defecate in the middle of the road.’”

The injunction filed by the HOA against the problem homeowner included this statement, “The police insist such assaults and threats of violence are an association matter.”

 

 

HOA liability: respondeat superior and agents as in Trayvon case

Orlando attorney W. Jeff Earnshaw, Esq. of Taylor & Carls, P.A. wrote in its Blog about, What the Trayvon Martin Case Can Teach Associations.  Some excerpts from this very informative article.

The case of Trayvon Martin demonstrates how something as seemingly innocuous as labeling a member of an association as the “Captain” of the neighborhood watch can open an association to possible liability.

Understanding how this designation in the association’s newsletter could ultimately lead to liability for the association can help HOA’s and Condominium Association’s limit their own potential liability for actions of others. . . . A well-established legal concept is respondeat superior, which literally means “let the master answer”. Respondeat superior provides the basis for a principal to be held responsible for the wrongful acts of their agent when those acts are performed within the scope of the agent’s duties.

While an employer-employee is the most common principal-agent relationship, with the employer being the principal and the employee their agent, an agency relationship can exist whenever someone acts on behalf of another. . . . The third element; the principal’s control over the actions of the agent, should not be overlooked. The general concept behind respondeat superior liability is that a principal generally controls their agent’s behavior, and therefore the principal should be responsible to the public for the agent’s actions while the agent is under the employer’s control.

See also What is an HOA’s duty of care liability to its members and to all others?

Insurer denies HOA coverage in Trayvon death

This position by the insurer points out that the HOA board is NOT 100% protected for wrongful acts.  Especially for those that are grossly negligent or intentional acts.

Homeowners should step outside the HOA attorney greated box that implies that the HOA can do no wrong, and remember that laws other than those HOA or Condo Acts  also apply to HOAs:  Restatement of Servitudes, tort law, and corporation law.

From the COURTHOUSE NEWS SERVICE Aug. 6, 2012

 

ORLANDO (CN) – Traveler’s Insurance sued Trayvon Martin’s mother and The Retreat at Twin Lakes Homeowners’ Association, where her son was killed, claiming it has no responsibility to defend the HOA or cover the teenager’s death.

Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America sued The Retreat at Twin Lakes Homeowners’ Association and Sybrina Fulton, as representative of her son’s estate, in Federal Court.

The Retreat at Twin Lakes’ Neighborhood Watch captain George Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin to death on Feb. 26. The shooting set off a national furor, as police initially let Martin’s killer, George Zimmerman, go free after questioning him. Martin was black; Zimmerman is not.

Travelers claims that on March 30, it issued the HOA a “claims-made, nonprofit management and organization liability insurance policy.

Fulton then sought monetary damages against the HOA’s policy with Travelers for her son’s death.

Travelers claims it is not liable because of the policy’s “wrongful act” exclusion.

Travelers claims the exclusion states:

“‘The insurer shall not liable to make any payment for loss in connection with any claim made against any of its insureds: 1) based upon, arising out of, directly or indirectly resulting from, in consequence of, or in any way involving bodily injury, sickness, mental anguish, emotional distress, disease or death of a person, provided that this exclusion shall not apply to allegations of mental anguish or emotional distress if an only to the extent that such allegations are made as part of a claim for wrongful employment practices.’

“Travelers is in doubt of its rights under the policy and, by this petition, seeks a declaration of its rights and obligations with respect to the claim and demand made by Fulton upon Travelers and The Retreat at Twin Lakes as a result of the fatal shooting or Martin, and a finding by the court that under the above-referenced policy of insurance Travelers has no duty to indemnify or defend The Retreat at Twin Lakes in connection with the Fulton claim because coverage is precluded by the above exclusion.”

Zimmerman was rereleased on $1 million bond in August his first bond of $150,000 was revoked.

State Judge Kenneth Lester ordered Zimmerman back to jail after finding that Zimmerman and his wife Shellie misled the court about how much money they had.

Shellie Zimmerman was arrested and charged with perjury days later, and released on a $1,000 bond. She was to be arraigned July 31 but her attorney Kelly Sims filed a written not guilty plea.

George Zimmerman has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and claimed self-defense under Florida’s so-called “stand your ground law.”

Judge Lester last week refused to recuse himself after Zimmerman’s attorney Mark O’Mara asked him to. O’Mara accused Lest of making “gratuitous, disparaging remarks” when he set Zimmerman’s second bond, according to wire reports. Lester denied the motion as “legally insufficient.”

Insurer Says It Should Not Have to Pay for Trayvon Martin’s Death