Georgia Marine vet loses fight to fly American, Marine Corps flags                              

Article Courtesy of Fox News

Published August 28, 2013

  

A retired Georgia combat veteran has lost his fight to fly his American flag and U.S. Marine Corps colors outside his home in an Atlanta-area retirement community.

MyFoxAtlanta.com reports that the board of directors at Marine Capt. Jim Lowe's community in Griffin voted against changing a rule on outside decorations that threatened his patriotic display. Sun City-Peachtree's codes state that each home in the retirement community can only have one flag, but Lowe fought the rule, arguing that the traditional Marine Corps battle color is not a flag. Lowe told the station in July that he received a code violation notice from management informing him that he and his wife would face fines of up to $25 a day and a possible lien on his home if he did not remove one of the flags.

Marine Captain Jim Lowe has been told to take down either his American or Marine Corps flags that are displayed outside his home in an adult residential community in Griffin, Georgia

  
"When a bunch of arbitrary rules trump the Constitution, it's a sad date because indeed a piece of America is lost," Lowe told MyFoxAtlanta.com after the board made its decision.

The board released a statement to MyFoxAtlanta.com saying in part, "A recent poll of residents asking their opinion about a possible change in the number of flags permitted indicated no overwhelming preference for a change in the governing documents."

Lowe told the station that the board's decision is a game-changer and that he and his wife have no choice but to pack up and move out of the community.

Trish Adams

Ask her how many homes and cars got broken into this past year.  What is going on with Larry Maxwell MX ?  After 3-4 years you would think it would be off the books, gone.  Why did Trish Adams ban me from using the ballroom.  Why did she say NO to a charity show for give kids the world?  Why did she want me to pay $375.00 for a charity show.  This place SUCKS.  Now when you get the LA Times its full of ADS.  Everyone from the outside can use the Ballroom but me, and play Bingo.  Some private community.  This place is a no sidewalk community, come to the Monday morning meetings and listen to the paid advertisers. 

Trish Adams

What Bull Shit she hands out every Monday Morning, I am glad I am not there to hear this crap in this no sidewalk, small driveways and  public community.  She can do anything she wants and you people sit back and enjoy it.  What a bunch of sissy.  She is watching every move you make in the club house.  Watch your step.  She must be from N. Korea. 

WW11

For those who enjoy Statistics, read all the way to the bottom.  After the planes there is quite a list of stats to digest. Most will probably be amazed at this statistical story.   Perhaps most attention getting is the lack of actual flight experience of the pilots and navigators.  http://pippaettore.com/Horrific_WWII_Statistics.html

 

MX

Please be aware that if you did not sign up for the MX, you are under NO obligation to pay for this service.  There are many Lake Ashton residents that are NOT paying.  This is a rip off just to get the developer rich.  Only a fool would pay for this service.  And I would not call this a service but a rip off.

Trish Adams and her lies

I just don't understand how Trish Adams can enjoy watching the undercover video that is mounted on most of the ceiling and walls in the clubhouse.   She loves to spy on all the residents of Lake Ashton.  She loves to see what they are doing.  The developer stole all the animal heads out of the pool room and the residents had to pay to remodel and paint the room.  Thousands of dollars gone and no one said anything.  No body said  nothing.  I left my business card in with all the others and I get ban for 3 months from using the clubhouse.  Why don't she ban the developer.  Maybe she is related.  That's it.  She does not want anyone to know what is really going on at this damn control spy community.  She wants to tell her lies to everyone that comes to the meetings on Monday morning and pay one dollar to lesson to the advertisers and her crap.  Why would anyone live in this type of community?  Walk in the road, no sidewalk community and small driveways.

Lake Ashton

Lake Ashton is a dump compare to this place.  We have wide cement landscape sidewalks on both sides of the road, long and wide driveways.  No traffic backing up on main entrance road.  Very large clubhouse, twice the size of Lake Ashton.  The heated pool is twice the size of Lake Ashton.  Sidewalks go through the community and by the water's  edge.  Free pop corn at Bingo.  Only $5.00 to play Bingo with a $250.00 jackpot.  Nobody is putting money in their pocket.  Free use of bobbers.  Free coffee every morning along with a free newspaper.  About 50 new homes are now being build this year and many are on water like ours.    No police riding around the community looking for cooks.  No crime here what so ever.  My back door is open all the time to my heated pool.   

Outside our community there are hundreds of new stores and a large super  modern Public, Walmart and Target.  Everything is new.  New New New.  We are 15 minutes from the ocean and what a great day to walk the beach.  This is indeed a wonderful place to live.   This place is +5 stars with Lake Ashton a minus -5.  No Trish Adams or Joe Hunter telling you what to do.  No Van Sickle calling the police on you.   No CDD ash holes telling what the hell is going on.  I am glad all the nuts are staying in the crime community.

Obamacare

 

 

Michelle Obama’s Princeton classmate is executive at the company that built Obamacare website.

First Lady Michelle Obama’s Princeton classmate is a top executive at the company that earned the no-bid contract to build the failed Obamacare website.

 

Toni Townes-Whitley, Princeton class of ’85, is senior vice president at CGI Federal, which earned the no-bid contract to build the $678 million Obamacare enrollment website at Healthcare.gov. CGI Federal is the U.S. arm of a Canadian company.

 

Townes-Whitley and her Princeton classmate Michelle Obama are both members of the Association of Black Princeton Alumni.

 

Toni Townes ’85 is a onetime policy analyst with the General Accounting Office and previously served in the Peace Corps in Gabon, West Africa. Her decision to return to work, as an African-American woman, after six years of raising kids was applauded by a Princeton alumni publication in 1998

 

George Schindler, the president for U.S. and Canada of the Canadian-based CGI Group, CGI Federal’s parent company, became an Obama 2012 campaign donor after his company gained the Obamacare website contract.

 

On the government end, construction of the disastrous Healthcare.gov website was overseen by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), a division of longtime failed website-builder Kathleen Sebelius’ Department of Health and Human Services.

 

 

GI Federal did not immediately return a request for comment.

 

Soooooo...........

Let’s see if we can connect the dots here ...

 

1.) ***No American companies considered
2.) A Canadian company hired
3.) ***A "No Bid contract" for 93 million dollars ...
4.) Top executive at Website building firm went to school with Michelle Obama.
5.) Previous experience building gun registry for Canadian government
6.) ***Company was Fired by Canadian Government for overruns that cost Canada 100 million dollars.
4.)***!!! Overruns for Obamacare enrollment website now costing U.S. $678,000,000.00 = $678 Million dollars

Are you getting tired of it YET???

 

And this is just one of their corrupt enterprises. The Obama's are worse than "Bernie" Madoff and far more dangerous to the country.

 

These thieves should go straight from the White House to jail for the rest of their lives

 

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This is beyond priceless-IT'S GENIUS....

 

 

 

 

 

 

When golf courses close, development wipes out homeowners' fairway views

Article Courtesy of  The Orlando Sentinel

By Martin E. Comas

Published October 31, 2013

  

When Bob Bruno bought his house in the Sabal Point neighborhood more than two decades ago, he felt he'd found the perfect home.

Bruno loved to play golf, and he had a great view of the ninth fairway from his backyard.

"I thought that, for the rest of my life, I would look outside and have a view of the golf
course," Bruno said. "We actually picked it out because we would have no other homes in our backyard, and I thought it was going to be like that forever."

 

Not exactly. The Sabal Point Country Club closed in 2006, the clubhouse has been demolished and the fairways are overgrown with weeds and brush. Then last month, the owner of the property submitted plans with Seminole County to build homes and town houses on most of the 161 acres of the old golf course. And that has some of the more than 1,600 Sabal Point home and condo owners — including 200 along the 18-hole golf course — worried that they'll soon lose their cherished open space. "It has turned into the most important issue for our community," said Wayne Hunicke, president of the Sabal Point Community Services Association.

A no trespassing sign marks what used to be the entrance at the former Sabal Palm Country Club clubhouse, in Longwood, Friday, October 25, 2013. The course closed in 2006 and is now under consideration for new development.

Hunicke and his neighbors likely won't be the last to lose their fairway views to development. In the past decade, fewer players and a glut of courses have made it harder to turn a profit. Owners have turned to closing courses and building homes, disappointing current residents who moved into golf-course communities for the fairway views.

"Unfortunately, we don't have anything that says that if people bought into a community, that they will always have that open space," said Nicole Guillet, deputy county manager in Seminole County.

In Volusia County, a developer recently submitted plans to build homes at what was DeLand Country Club, which closed last year. The owners of the Casselberry Golf Club are considering selling their land to a developer. And the Winter Springs Golf Club closed in 2007.

But there are precautions that consumers can take before signing a contract on that new home — all of them falling under the "buyer beware" umbrella.

•Read all documents before signing a contract on a new house. Or hire a real-estate lawyer to do so. A common assumption going into any transaction, experts say, should be that nothing is permanent — whether it's a golf course, a park or a vacant piece of land adjoining the home of your dreams.

If the house you're purchasing is in a community with a homeowners association, use its officers as a resource. They can tell you about any restrictions of development in open areas, said Guillet. Those restrictions might be a homeowner's strongest protections.

•Find out, through your county or city offices, what kind of development, if any, adjacent land is designated for. That information is public record. So request the documents to see what the land might become. Or call your city or county commissioner and ask them.

"A home is the biggest purchase you are going to make," said Duke Woodson, a land-use
attorney in Orlando. "And you're going to be presented with a pile of papers [before closing on the sale]. And in that pile of papers, it's going to specify any deed restrictions.

"Try to get a comfort level, so ou know what you will be protected against."

Even then, there are no guarantees.

Last year, for example, the owners of the Casselberry Golf Club told city officials that their business was no longer profitable and were considering selling it to a developer.

But a 1973 deed restriction on the property states that if the golf course ever becomes "economically unfeasible," then the owner "shall convey the property, free of charge" to Casselberry, and the city shall maintain it as a conservation area.

However, the owners of the Casselberry Golf Club have since filed a lawsuit against the city seeking to overturn that deed restriction.

In turn, Casselberry city commissioners this month agreed to look into purchasing the golf course property and turning it into a park with nature trails.

Joyce Potts, a longtime property appraiser and owner of Southern Appraisal Group, said it's hard to tell if home values in a golf course community will go up or down if new homes are built on the old fairways and greens. It might depend on whether the new homes are compatible with the existing ones.

Preliminary plans for the Sabal Point golf course do not show how many homes and town
houses will be built. Officials with the land-planning firm CPH, which is representing the property owner, Golf Brooke LLC, said it will likely be more than a year before new homes are approved.

Still, Hunicke said that most Sabal Point homeowners will accept some development, as long as it's compatible — including in size and price range — with the existing homes. And any new development should include plenty of open space.

"People moved to Sabal Point because of that open space that the golf course offered," Hunicke said. "But even people that don't live on the course are very concerned because of an increase in traffic and congestion and the loss of open space that new homes would bring."

Free Coffee every day plus a free newspaper

Lake Ashton is a big rip-off.  Paid advertisers come and you pay to hear them talk.  What a riff-off and you fall for it.  Where does all this money go?  All I have to say is walk in the road to come to their meetings, pay $1.00 to hear them talk. 

Florida led the nation in foreclosures completed in August

Article Courtesy of The Miami Herald

By Martha Brannigan

Published October 10, 2013

  

Even as Florida’s housing market is showing solid recovery with impressive gains in prices and sales volume, the state led the nation in foreclosures completed in the year ended in August; no other state was even close, according to CoreLogic.

Of the 658,463 foreclosures completed nationwide during the 12-month period, 111,000 of them, or nearly 17 percent, were in Florida, according to the Irvine, Calif.-based data firm.    Michigan ranked No. 2, with the completion of 60,000 foreclosures, and No. 3 California wrapped up 58,000 proceedings during the period.    The top five foreclosure states — which included No. 4 Texas, with 43,000 foreclosures finalized, and No. 5 Georgia, where 40,000 were finished — accounted for almost half of all foreclosures completed nationwide.    And although Florida cleaned out more foreclosures than any other state, it still has the highest inventory of foreclosures, Corelogic said. The firm said 7.9 percent of mortgaged homes in Florida were in some stage of foreclosure in August. New Jersey ranked second among the states, with 6.2 percent of all its mortgaged residences in foreclosure. New York had 4.9 percent; Maine, 4.0 percent; and Connecticut, 3.9 percent.    Florida also had the highest rate of seriously delinquent mortgages in August with 12.4 percent of its mortgages past due for 90 days or more. That was more than twice the national

Even as Florida’s housing market is showing solid recovery with impressive gains in prices and sales volume, the state led the nation in foreclosures completed in the year ended in August; no other state was even close, according to CoreLogic.

delinquency rate of 5.3 percent of loans, Corelogic said.

Road cost

They did over a million dollars in road repairs.  Who do you think is going to pay for all the repairs?  Not the city.  YOU   Be prepare to shove out thousands of dollars out of your pocket.  This community was build on swamp land.  Wake up community.  Get your wallets out and start saving for these repairs for this NO sidewalks community and high crime.  

Trish Adams

Lake Ashton is not a friendly community, a no sidewalk community.  They will BAN you from the community club house says Trish Adams, a relative to the developer.  Say anything bad about the community and she will be on your ass. She is not very friendly, just something from Halloween, a  witch.

June Young, Controller of the Lake Ashton Blog.

There is construction at the Young's house has I been told.  THEY HAVE  REMOVED HER FRONT DOOR AND INSTALL A GARAGE DOOR.

A GORILLA IN THE ROOM?

 

Scary stuff!  Read it and weep!!

A GORILLA IN THE ROOM?

 

by Wayne Allyn Root (Las Vegas Review-Journal, April, 3 2013)   Barack Hussein Obama is no fool. He is not incompetent. On the contrary, he is brilliant. He knows exactly what he's doing. He is purposely overwhelming the U.S. economy to create systemic failure, economic crisis and social chaos thereby destroying capitalism and our country from within. Barack Hussein Obama was my college classmate (Columbia University, class of '83).   He is a devout Muslim; do not be fooled. Look at his czars... Anti-business anti-American. As Glenn Beck correctly predicted from day one, Barack Hussein Obama is following the plan of Cloward & Piven, two professors at Columbia University. They outlined a plan to socialize America by overwhelming the system with government spending and entitlement demands.   Add up the clues below. Taken individually, they're alarming. Taken as a whole, it is a brilliant, Machiavellian game plan to turn the United States into a Socialist/Marxist state with a permanent majority that desperately needs government for survival. And can be counted on to always vote for even bigger government. Why not? They have no responsibility to pay for it.     Universal Health Care: The Health Care bill has very little to do with healthcare. It has everything to do with unionizing millions of hospital and healthcare workers as well as adding 15,000 to 20,000 new IRS agents (who will join government employee unions). Obama doesn't care that giving free healthcare to 30 million Americans will add trillions to the national debt. What he does care about is that it cements the dependence of those 30 million voters to Democrats and big government. Who but a socialist revolutionary would pass this reckless spending bill in the middle of a depression?   Cap and Trade: Like healthcare legislation having nothing to do with healthcare, Cap and Trade has nothing to do with global warming. It has everything to do with redistribution of income, government control of the economy, and a criminal payoff to Obama's biggest contributors. Those powerful and wealthy unions and contributors (like GE which owned NBC, MSNBC and CNBC) can then be counted on to support everything Obama wants. They will kick-back hundreds of millions of dollars in contributions to Obama and the Democratic Party to keep them in power. The bonus is that all the new taxes on Americans with bigger cars, bigger homes and businesses helps Obama spread the wealth around.   Making Puerto Rico a state: Who's asking for a 51st state? Who's asking for millions of new welfare recipients and government entitlement addicts in the middle of a depression? Certainly not American taxpayers! But this has been Barack Hussein Obama's plan all along. His goal is to add two new Democrat senators, five Democrat congressmen and a million loyal Democratic voters who are dependent on big government. (This will tip the balance of those living off the government to more than those who must pay for it; and we're done for.)   Legalize 12 million illegal Mexican immigrants: Just giving these 12 million potential new citizens free healthcare alone could overwhelm the system and bankrupt America. But it adds 12 million reliable new Democrat voters who can be counted on to support big government. Add another few trillion dollars in welfare, aid to dependent children, food stamps, free medical, education, tax credits for the poor, and eventually Social Security. (see note above re: Puerto Rico)   Stimulus and bailouts Where did all that money go? It went to Democrat contributors, organizations (ACORN), and unions -- including billions of dollars to save or create jobs of government employees across the country. It went to save GM and Chrysler so that their employees could keep paying union dues. It went to AIG so that Goldman Sachs could be bailed out (after giving Obama almost $1 million in contributions). A staggering $125 billion went to teachers (thereby protecting their union dues).     All those public employees will vote loyally Democrat to protect their bloated salaries and pensions that are bankrupting America. The country goes broke, future generations face a bleak future, but Obama, the Democrat Party, government, and the unions grow more powerful.   The ends justify the means. Raise taxes on small business owners, high-income earners, and job creators. Put the entire burden on only the top 20 percent of taxpayers, redistribute the income, punish success, and reward those who did nothing to deserve it (except vote for Obama).   Reagan wanted to dramatically cut taxes in order to starve the government. Barack Obama wants to dramatically raise taxes to starve his political opposition. With the acts outlined above, Barack Hussein Obama and his regime have created a vast and rapidly expanding constituency of voters dependent on big government; a vast privileged class of public employees who work for big government; and a government dedicated to destroying capitalism and installing themselves as socialist rulers by overwhelming the system.   Add it up and you've got the perfect Marxist scheme all devised by my Columbia University college classmate Barack Hussein Obama using the Cloward-Piven Strategy.   Last point: think about what this designed rule of the rabble will do to anyone successful and everyone receiving this is. What will your lives be like under Communism? The time to fight this abomination is now.   I hope each of you will think about it, share this with your friends and act accordingly.   Wake up America......we've been stupid long enough !!!

Only a fool would live in a no sidewalk community

Over 151,000 hits, Oct 10, 2013 Thank you for your support.

Back Home Again in Florida

They must have built 50 homes and two new roads  since I left in June.  All homes have increase $50,000  since we left.  We took a walk around the community on 6' wide cement sidewalks and must have seen a dozen rabbits.  It is so great to be home in this great community.  Free coffee every day at the club house.  Free pop corn and free use of their ink pens.  No outsiders allow at Bingo.  No cops riding around, no golf cart riding around looking for crooks, they are all at Lake Ashton.  Its great to be home. 

Send me a message!   lakeashtontalktwo@yahoo.com

florida as too many Golf Courses!

WHY SHOULD OTHERS PAY FOR GOLF PLAYERS’ ENTERTAINMENT?

By Jan Bergemann

Published September 6, 2013

   

For years, we’ve heard or read about the lawsuits that occur when associations buy "bankrupt" golf courses from developers, or when associations make golf club memberships "mandatory." Thus, the golf course curse begins!

  

Let’s make no mistake! It happens all over Florida, and these lawsuits, normally, end up being very expensive, costing vast amounts of time and money. And, sadly, they are also costly to relationships within the community: neighbor turning against neighbor.

  

But, we always hear: "It is contract law! You knew what you were getting into!"

Which is exactly why the status quo should stay as is! It’s all about the contract!

Did the contract state that the community owns the golf course or that membership in the golf club is "mandatory" for all homeowners? Read Carefully!

Just because the golf course/club gets into financial trouble is not a valid reason to saddle non-golfing residents, who never intended to play golf or be a member of the golf club, with expenses. To me, common sense dictates that the folks who want to play golf should pay for their own entertainment, not force their neighbors to finance their fun.

Other reasons for so many golf club community lawsuits reside in the facts:

• Florida has too many golf courses;
• The cost of maintaining an 18-hole golf course has about doubled in the last seven (7) years;
• The number of golfers in Florida is decreasing, according to the PGA; and
• The generation of new retirees, the baby-boomers, is not as eager to play golf as the former generation.

Thus, we can see why so many golf courses are in financial trouble today and are closing their doors.

  

No matter what the proponents of HOA’s purchasing a golf course or making golf club membership mandatory tell you, a golf course is not improving the property values of the homes in the association. A golf course is a serious financial liability; and, in many communities, it is dragging down property values.

  

The former sales incentive that caused buyers to pay extra has turned into a curse! And any board members and golf fanatics who are still "gung-ho," trying to buy a golf course for the community, offered by a near bankrupt developer, have either not learned anything from the past examples, or they just want their neighbors to pay for their entertainment.

  

You’re still not convinced that a golf course is more a curse than a smart investment?

  

Florida’s media reported a myriad of golf course lawsuits: Golf Course Curses. Please read the following articles; you’ll understand the reference to "Curses":

Passport Application Letter

 

This is a hoot.  Hope you enjoy:

Passport Application Letter - Hilarious

        

THIS IS PRICELESS: ACTUAL PASSPORT APPLICATION LETTER SENT BACK TO STATE DEPARTMENT

Dear Mrs. Ms. Or Sir: I'm in the process of renewing my passport and still cannot believe this. How is it that Radio Shack has my address and telephone number and knows that I bought a cable TV from them in 1987 (23 years ago), and yet, the Federal Government is still asking me where I was born and on what date. For Christ's sake, do you guys do this by hand? Ever heard of computers?

My birth date you have in my social security file. It's on EVERY income tax form I've filed for the past 35+ years. It's on my Medicare health insurance card and my driver's license, it's on the last eight damned passports I've had, it's on every stupid customs declaration form I've had to fill out before being allowed off the plane for the last 30+ years. And it's on all those census forms that we have to do at election time. Would somebody please take note, once and for all, that my mother's name is Maryanne, my father's name is Robert and I'm reasonably confident that neither name is likely to change between now and when I die.

Between you and me, I've had enough of this bureaucratic bullshit: You send the application to my house, then ask me for my #*&#%*& address.  What is going on?  You must have a gang of bureaucratic Neanderthal morons working there! Look at my damn picture.  Do I look like Bin Laden?  And "No," I don't want to dig up Yasser Arafat, for shit sakes. I just want to go and park my ass on a sandy beach. And would someone please tell me, why would you give a damn whether I plan on visiting a farm in the next 15 days? If I ever got the urge to do something weird to a chicken or a goat, believe you me, I'd sure as hell not want to tell anyone!

Well, I have to go now because I have to go to the other end of the city and get another #*@&#^@*@ copy of my birth certificate, to the tune of $100. Would it be so difficult to have all the services in the same area so I could get a new passport the same day? Nooooo, that would require planning and organization. And it would be too logical for the @&^*^%@% government. You'd rather have us running all over the place like chickens with our heads cut off. Then, we have to find some asshole to confirm that it's really me in the damn picture - you know, the one where we're not allowed to smile.

Hey, you know why we can't smile? We're totally pissed off!

Signed- An Irate Citizen.

P.S. Remember what I wrote about getting someone to confirm that the picture is me? Well, my family has been in the United States of America since 1776. I have served in the military for something over 35 years and have had security clearances up the ying yang. However, I have to get someone important to verify who I am - you know, someone like my doctor....WHO WAS BORN AND RAISED IN INDIA ! And you assholes want to run our health care system?????

 

Lake Ashton and my new community

The big difference between Lake Ashton and my new community! We live next to a wild bird sanctuary and there are birds all over the place. There are deer running around along with raccoons and many small animals. Lake Ashton is next to a very high crime rate city, Lake Wales. Killings and robbery going on all the time. It is now spreading into Lake Ashton. Trash Adams does not want to come out and say it but they are giving you many hints has to what is going on in this crooked no sidewalks community. This would be the last community in Florida to live in. Make no bones about it. Lock your doors, car and mail box. Carry a gun with you when you walk around and watch your back.

Pinellas condo owners could be forced to sell at a loss

Article and Video Courtesy of NBC Channel 8 Tampa By Shannon Behnken Published September 2, 2013 Watch VIDEO Three years ago, Stephanie Vandenbroeke, a single mother of two, poured her life savings into a condominium at the Madison Oaks in Palm Harbor. She works two jobs and pays her mortgage. But now, a development group from Miami says she and 42 other families have to sell their homes - for tens of thousands less than they paid when they bought at the height of Florida's real estate market. The development group wants to terminate the condominium. "You just can't do this to Americans that have families and work hard," Vandenbroeke said. "It's just not right." This seems impossible, forcing people out of their homes, but this development group claims in documents that the law is on their side. No one representing this group returned phone calls for comment. Madison Oaks was converted from an apartment complex to a condominium during the real estate boom. But when the market tanked, the developer was left with more than 200 unsold units. A new company recently bought those condos and wants to turn the whole place back into an apartment complex. They point to a Florida statute that was supposed to help owners terminate a condo in extreme cases, like a hurricane. But attorney Joseph Gaynor, who represents Madison condo owners, says Florida law should protect these owners. "I don't believe it was ever the intent of the legislature to have somebody come in and by 207 out of 250 units and decide to terminate the rights of the other 40 people," Gaynor said. The statute is supposed to give condo owners a chance to fight back if a developer tries to take over. "If they vote to terminate, then there's a second part of that statute that says if 10 percent of the people object to the termination, the plan of liquidation doesn't go forward," Gaynor said. But Gaynor says the developer took over the condo board and voted to amend the condo documents to get rid of this 10 percent protection clause. What's happening at Madison Oaks should sound alarm bells for anyone who owns a condo that used to be a part of an apartment complex. During Florida's housing boom, more than 30,000 apartment units in Tampa Bay were converted to condos. Many of those conversions, like Madison Oaks, didn't sell out. Instead, developers ended up buying units in bulk at many of these complexes. Meanwhile, residents at Madison Oaks filed a legal objection to halt the process - for now. But Gaynor says he expects this battle will end up in court . Owner Karen Rehs says she'll fight for her home. "I made it to be me, and now they just want to take it back, and I'm not going to let it happen," said Gaynor. The board of directors of the Madison Oaks Condominium Association has sent this response to Newschannel 8. "The Board of Directors of the Madison Oaks Condominium Association is issuing this written statement in response to a request for comment from Channel 8 Tampa regarding the prospective termination of the Madison Oaks Condominium. On August 21, at a special meeting for units owners at Madison Oaks condominium held to consider the potential termination of the Madison Oaks condo, the required 80% + of unit owners voted in favor of the termination of the Madison Oaks condo and as a result the termination has been deemed approved by the owners. In that regard, the Board of Directors would like to make the following points regarding the implementation of that Plan of Termination: Madison Oaks is a failed condominium conversion of what was previously a rental community. The termination will return Madison Oaks to its pre-conversion status as a well appointed garden-style rental community. The Declaration of Condominium, pursuant to which all current unit owners purchased their condominium units, provides that an owner of 80% or more of the common elements can approve a termination of the condominium. The termination is being undertaken pursuant to this express provision of the Declaration of Condominium that all unit owners agreed to be bound by when they purchased their units. The Board of Directors is sensitive to the concerns of the unit owners that the appraisal process for their units be undertaken in an arms-length, transparent process. The Board of Directors understands that concern and for that reason the Termination Trustee under the Plan of Termination will be retaining an independent appraiser that has done no prior business with any of the parties involved in the termination. The appraiser will individually appraise each unit to insure that those unit owners who have made special upgrades to their units will have such work factored into their appraisals – the goal is to make the appraisals as accurate as possible in determining the fair market value of each of the condo units. Owners whose units will be sold at the fair market value as a result of the termination are being offered the opportunity to enter into leases that will allow them to remain residents at the property. The management company has been instructed to negotiate lease terms on an individual basis, taking into account the specific situation of each owner." Thank you for your inquiry. Respectfully yours, Board of Directors of the Madison Oaks Condominium Association

LOCK YOUR DOORS, HOMES, CARS AND MAIL BOXES

Homes are being broken into and I am now receiving many reports that their cars are being broken into ALSO. Mail is being stolen FROM MAIL BOXES. What a hell of a place to live and they don't tell you anything. Now they publish their cost of joining the golf club. $4450.00 for annual Family Membership. Residents are being taken in all directions. Trish Adams sure knows how to screw the residents just like Do Nothing Joe Hunter. What happens if some lady gets rape? What is she going to say? Put on more clothes? No Sidewalks, No bad news coming from their months, great place to live, Simply the Best, work free to deliver their LA Times, police and golf carts ride around the community with no power to do anything. What a hell of a place to live. Where I am, I don't need to lock my doors and I don't see police riding around. Homes are being build 50 at a time.

Condo ends ban on unmarried couples

Condo ends ban on unmarried couples Article Courtesy of The Sarasota Herald-Tribune By Shelby Webb Published August 25, 2013 VENICE - Facing a backlash from gay-rights activists, a local condominium association is reversing a recent policy that barred unmarried couples from the complex. The Casa Di Amici Condominium Association Inc. held a special meeting Thursday to amend a rule allowing only singles and husband-and-wife couples to buy or lease units within the community. The policy, approved in a July 17 meeting as part of 34 pages of amendments, generated anger among some who saw the measure as discriminatory against gay couples, who cannot legally marry in Florida. Outrage over the decision put the quiet condo complex in the public eye, generating not only local attention, but stories in newspapers in Miami and New York, as well. As the controversy frothed, the board at the 160-unit complex, which is near Jacaranda Boulevard and U.S. 41, remained silent, refusing to explain the new policy. But on Thursday board member Bill Moniz said the intent was never to discriminate. Moniz and attorney Dan Lobeck, who represents the condominium association but did not write the controversial amendment, said the purpose of the amendment was to keep corporations from coming in and buying up multiple units in the neighborhood. Attorney Dan Lobeck, left, sits with Bill Moniz, right, during a special meeting of the Casa Di Amici Condominium Association Inc. on Thursday. During the meeting, association board members, including Moniz, voted unanimously to change the wording of a policy that only allowed individuals or married couples to buy or rent in the neighborhood. "We never wanted to prevent anyone from living here," Moniz said. "I intend to make this right." “We never wanted to prevent anyone from living here,” Moniz said. “I intend to make this right.” Lobeck said some attorneys do not realize the repercussions of far-reaching language, especially when they constitute only a few paragraphs in a much larger document. “When I drafted one of my first condominium declarations, it required everyone to go out and buy a dog over 45 pounds,” Lobeck said. “Mistakes are made and this is a notably regrettable one.” The changes approved Thursday replaced all references to individuals and husband-and-wife couples with the phrase “two natural persons,” which is legal language for two human beings. Condominium owners must approve the amendments. They will vote within 45 days, Lobeck said. The original wording was flagged by Julia Nowak, a Realtor who owns a condominium in Casa Di Amici. Although she said there are some other parts of the condominium declaration she would like to see tweaked, Nowak said she was glad the association took out the discriminatory language. “The end result was great,” Nowak said. “We need a law to protect people and keep this from this happening again.” Nowak hopes Sarasota County will pass a human-rights ordinance that would prohibit discrimination in housing on the basis of sexual orientation or marital status. Currently, there is no state or federal law banning discrimination in housing on the basis of sexual orientation or marital status. Although gay-rights advocates hope to propose a human-rights ordinance to the Sarasota County Commission soon, some are celebrating what they see as a small victory. Jennifer Cohen, who heads the Sarasota-Manatee chapter of the National Organization for Women, protested outside of Casa Di Amici last week after she heard of the discriminatory policy. She said she is elated with the new changes. “I'm very happy for the people in (Casa Di Amici) and Venice,” Cohen said. “I hope other complexes will check their policies to make sure they allow all people to purchase a home or condo in Venice or in any other part of our county.”