SHIBA WANTS YOUR VOTE. SHE IS THE BEST CAT IN THE COMMUNITY

WHAT CONTRACT?
An Opinion By Jan Bergemann
President, Cyber Citizens For Justice, Inc.
Published November 18, 2009

Homeowners are always told that they signed a contract: They knew what they were getting into!

According to Merriam Webster, a contract is described as follows:
a : a binding agreement between two or more persons or parties; especially : one legally enforceable
b : a business arrangement for the supply of goods or services at a fixed price

While the homeowner is stuck with whatever the "contract" says, the other person/party can change the written agreement at a whim, creating financial hardship and/or injustice for the homeowner who relied on the contents of the initial "contract."

This so-called "contract" is actually nothing but a binding agreement that obligates the homeowner to stay at attention when being told, to shut up, even if the owner is right, and to pay whatever he/she is being told to pay -- without an argument. But the other party to the contract can make changes as they please. The other party: Developers and/or association boards.

Especially developers, who lure families into these communities with lots of promises spelled out in colorful brochures, are changing these contracts whenever they like, causing the homeowners to suffer heavy financial losses, being forced to live in a community that is turning into a nightmare.

And still homeowners are being told: You signed a contract!

But in the meanwhile this contract was changed without a mutual agreement of both sides and the community that was advertised as “a place in the sunshine with carefree living” quickly turns into a hell-hole. Dues are increasing, special assessments are levied, services no longer exist -- and the community starts looking like a war zone.

Now people say, “You don't like it -- MOVE!”Easier said than done. These homes, often purchased for hundreds of thousands of dollars with the life-savings of retirees who hoped to buy their dream home in the sunshine, will not find any buyers, short of giving it away.

You don't believe it? There are many examples all over Florida. Let's just pick one:

THE CASCADES OF GROVELAND HOMEOWNERS' ASSOCIATION, INC.
Buyers were lured into this community in Central Florida with great promises by Levitt & Son, the initial developer. But the dream homes quickly turned into nightmares, when the developer went bankrupt, and 241 homeowners were suddenly forced to pay the bills for a community that was initially planned for 999 homes, when fully built out.

This community quickly turned into an eyesore (See: HOMEOWNERS' ASSOCIATION HEARINGS), creating a financial hardship for the current 241 homeowners. It didn't take long for the few owners to realize that they had been had and that they were quickly losing their life-savings.

Court appointed receiver Andrew Bolnick took over (Owners of homes in the EAGLES' RESERVE HOMEOWNERS' ASSOCIATION, INC. in Pinellas County surely will remember him). Bolnick quickly filed with the court the SUPPLEMENTAL DECLARATION OF RESTRICTIONS AND PROTECTIVE COVENANTS FOR THE CASCADES OF GROVELAND. The only one protected by this Supplemental Declaration is BANK OF AMERICA, the same bank that got truckloads of "STIMULUS MONEY" to pay for the mistakes their executives made. Read here some of the HIGHLIGHTS of this Supplemental Declaration:

Going broke was a lie

Article Courtesy of The Miami New Times
By Natalie O'Neill
Published November 19, 2009

This past May, the New York Times quoted the property manager of Parkview Point Condo in Miami Beach. Rosa M. Rodriguez, age 60, told a sad story about being broke. The units around her were foreclosing, Rosa said, and she had to pay for the damages.

She explained to the Times reporter that she dislikes answering visitors' questions about crumbling ceilings at Parkview. "We're not going to tell them we don't have any money," she said. "That's embarrassing."

Well, the condo board might have been broke, but Rosa sure wasn't. According to Miami Beach police, she embezzled over $50,000 from the elderly owners of units in the building. She was arrested and charged with organized fraud and first degree theft this past June. Miami media never reported it.

Says 55-year-old Parkview resident Tina Koperwas: "She cleaned out my mother's bank account."

Before the arrest Tina called the police on Rosa several times. Now she says Rosa's "left hand man" - the new property manager - is retaliating against her.

The manager has denied her sick mother a handicapped parking spot, she claims. And he's making it impossible to get her mail. "They're discriminating against us," she says.

Parkview Manager Felix Count says she's nuts. "Nobody has done anything to her. Nobody has done anything to her mother...I don't know why she's saying this. She wants attention. There's no correlation between her and the Rosa situation."

"Lawyers wanted" Up Date

If Lake Ashton is such a perfect place why are we always hiring lawyers? Lots of people feel this is such a great place to live. My are they mistaken. A lawyer has been hired for the roads. Another has been hired for the boat dock and another will be hired for MX. No, he has been hired to solve the problems on Bingo. Yes Bingo Paul is in a lot of hot water. When will this all end. Lake Ashton should put an ad in the newspaper, Lawyers wanted. You people waiting for MX to be solved must wait a little longer, all the lawyers are busy.

Danial Perry from Orlando might be investigating the Mx cable that the Developer had us sign for life for a cost of $10,000 says Ronald White, president of the HOA. You can't be invested for life in a utility Mr Perry says. If he is hired he will have a fireside chat with Mr Maxwell, the developer and if that doesn't work, a lawsuit will be filed. The Mx is costing us $78.00 a month which includes a ADT fee of $26.00. Why should you pay if your not using it and also if your a snowbird. Why is Mr Maxwell seizing all the money out of the residents, doesn't he have enough money? I thought he loves the residents, all the Lawyers we are hiring are against the developer. I guess I could be wrong! Maybe we ought to take up a collection for the rich.

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trek tack

SHIBA needs your vote before Friday. She is a honest cat, all the others are own by the developer.

Please vote for my cat SHIBA

MX Communications

Lawyer Danial Perry says that he gets $275/hr if he is on an hourly basis. He also talked about Securely using ADT. He says that it does not work, it will take the police 30 minutes to get here if they ever get here at all. This is true, I had it in my house and it took them an hour.

Does the developer have a contract with the cable company, we don't know. That contract would have to be voided if we won the case. You just don't have a utility company for life. It is true that the developer is reselling the Cable service to us and putting a few dollars in his pocket for life. There is always a fool in every crowd.

HOA needs your vote on MX.

Bingo Paul

Your fee for using the Ballroom is going from $200 to $375. Its about time, your spending too much money on non charable things.