While we’re waiting for the next tropical system to form in the Atlantic (and as all Floridians know, hurricane season is just getting started), I thought I’d suggest a few articles for your reading pleasure:
- In today’s Sarasota Herald Tribune, a very interesting story on how several law firms in the state that have been characterized as "foreclosure mills" have drawn the attention of Florida’s current attorney general.
- An article from several weeks ago in the Herald Tribune about the attempts of owners of boats anchored in Sarasota Bay to create a "homeowners association".
- A very interesting column by Tom Lyons in the Herald Tribune about some real problems created by the revisions to the Florida Statutes that allow community associations to collect rent directly from a person renting a home or unit from an association member that is delinquent in his or her assessments, dues, and/or maintenance fees. Mr. Lyons followed this column with an equally thought provoking entry in his blog–and the questions raised in both the column and the blog remain for the most part unanswered.
Finally, the August 2010 issue of the Florida Community Association Journal focuses on budgeting and financial issues and provides a wealth of helpful material for ROC managers and board members. The articles may not be posted online yet but they are all well worth reading.
We’ll be scheduling our first set of seminars for resident-owned communities for the 2010-2011 season in the next few weeks and will post that information on the blog. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy your summer reading assignments!