I want to bring two recent items to the attention of my blog readers.   I’ve touched on one of the items in a past entry and thought the other item was extremely important.

I’ve covered the issues raised by golf carts in resident-owned communities in an earlier post.   As those of you that attended our most recent ROC seminar presentations know, golf cart owners may be unpleasantly surprised to discover that their automobile insurance does not cover injuries or damages caused by or to their golf carts.   My earlier post dealt with safety issues and stressed that ROC boards and managers should remind the residents in their communities that golf carts must not be treated as toys and must be used with great care.

I was saddened, but not surprised, to hear that a six year old child in the Lakeland area died this week as a result of injuries she suffered in a golf cart accident.  It might not be a bad idea to post one of the news reports about this tragic death on the bulletin board in your community to remind all residents that great care must always be used in operating golf carts.

I have to confess that I’ve never watched Oprah Winfrey’s show.  However, she wrote a short piece that appeared in last Sunday’s edition of the New York Times and I highly recommend that this column also be posted on the community bulletin board.   I intend to explore how ROC boards, managers (and their attorneys) are all feeling the stress of having to instantly respond to complaints and concerns of residents in a future entry.   For the time being, however, I suggest that we all consider Ms. Winfrey’s message about the dangers of  "multi-tasking"–especially texting and using our cell phones while driving–a well-intentioned warning to concentrate on the most important task at hand when driving–whether that be a golf cart, sports car, or mini-van. 

That task, of course, is to arrive safely at our destination–whether around the corner or on the other side of the country.

As I post this entry, Senate Bill 1196 has been approved by both houses of the Florida Legislature and has been sent to the Governor for his signature.  I’ll let you know if and when he signs the bill and what that means for ROCs in future blog entries.