3 Comments

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  Sandy Creighton - 13 years ago

  i just recently moved into a condo I purchased as an investment 7 yrs ago. I have been here several months and as a resident i have seen gross negligence, and suspect fraud in the workings of the current Board.
  Our income is close to 1 mill annually and yet there is never a board meeting other than to vote to waive reserves. There is no financial report published and the only yearly budget estimate is totally full of bogus expenditures and no explanations. There has not been an election in years even though the condo doc's state a yearly election. When I requested a list of owners I was told I couldn't have it because it had the owners "home" addresses and required a certified letter! We have a big problem with crime as the majority of units are owned by investors who purchased in short sales & foreclosures and have rented to all kinds of unsavory individuals. Although some of the landlords are very ethical and put very good people in here, they are the minority. Then there are the unit owners who are mostly professional people and have to deal with a corrupt Board who themselves are in Real Estate and hold licenses for doing all kinds of unethical activity that for all intents and purposes is a conflict of interest. This Board refuses to acknowledge or address the maintenance issues, the crime issues, and scheduling of meetings more than once a year. The president conducts his own Real Estate business from our clubhouse using our manager as his personal secretary as she is paid by the condo association not by his corporations of which he has at least (4) using different ones to purchase foreclosed property and avoid showing a personal stake in the properties. His name is not on any of the many properties of which he is party to. This Board President has been under investigation at another other Condo Board in the same area where he holds a position of Treasurer. He has been accused of co-mingling with other condo associations funds he is also accused of fraud involving estoppel amounts being padded when properties have been foreclosed. Contractual fraud is also on the list of charges against him. This is a really sinister and dishonest individual and since he refuses to hold meetings other than 1 pr year to waive Reserves we cannot get rid of him through an election because he never holds one. He has never complied with any requests for information which I have requested from him and sends me emails telling me I too negative.
  I am currently keeping a paper trail of all my requests and all his excuses. I happen to know someone in the District Attorney's office and when I get all my ducks in a row I will be paying my friend a visit with my ammunition.
  What I will tell anyone who is dealing with corruption like this is keep a paper trail of all correspondence, get a copy of the Florida Statutes 718 Condo Law and study them carefully. Then lay your plans according to what your issues are and go to your District Attorney with your ammo. These Condo Commandos get away with this because they know it is almost impossible for the layman to nab them. However, things have changed since the age of technology and everything anyone needs to fight these bastards is a "computer" Good luck to all of you!

• 
  Don Leo - 14 years ago

  In the words of a very experienced Condominium Attorney in Washington State:
  "Friends do not let friends buy a condominium".

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  Jason Sidera - 15 years ago

  Our association is hitting us with assessments every year for the past seven years... And only certain individuals are benefiting from them... I caught two contractors taking short cuts on repairs ... I asked them ... why the short cuts? The ir response was ... The president of the board said so.... When the time came for his repairs on his building .... the contractors creamed it... I 'm wondering what repairs he did on the inside at our expense???