By Tracie Cyganiak, Melissa Diaz and Lee Gouny To create a true sense of community within a condominium or homeowners association, it is important to first build a community among staff. From top management, all the way down to and including third-party vendors, everyone must work together with a shared vision to achieve the same goals. Implementing certain techniques and initiatives can go a long way towards boosting morale and building camaraderie. A team must be taught, motivated and molded in a structure where each member feels valuable and helps establish a family bond. This can be accomplished by taking the following steps: Cross-Training Staff members must be involved to help advance projects. Cross-train the team. Help individuals understand the responsibilities of other team members. This provides an idea of how each individual fits within the larger puzzle of the community. Cross-training also demonstrates the potential for professional growth by

Are you a property manager or an active member of a Florida Association? Like most Florida communities, you may experience that participation and turn-out during elections is likely low, as owners are either disengaged, live abroad or feel alienated by the current cumbersome analog voting process. Passing a motion and getting projects approved, even when a low quorum of 20% is needed, seems like an impossible task for many associations, let alone implementing changes for large projects that require a higher turn-out. And when motions do pass, often, it is because a few active group of owners participated, deciding for everyone else – a silent disgruntled majority – who as a result, in many cases, end up feeling even more alienated. Here are 5 important decision areas where increased owner participation methods, like online voting, could help get more owners involved: Directors The whole body of members should decide the

10 Things I Hope All Board Members Do: Acknowledge their fiduciary responsibility to all owners.After all, Board members are entrusted with properly managing other peoples’ money, primarily for the care and preservation of commonly owned properties. They are expected to honor the Association’s governing documents and corporate by-laws, Board rules, as well as the Florida Statutes and Administrative Code. Receive education in understanding and interpreting the monthly and annual financial statements.This is not just the responsibility of the Association Treasurer. I frequently hear comments from Board members such as, “I have to spend so much time going through our monthly financial package. Is there a simpler way to do it?” The answer is “YES.” With guidance from the Association’s CPA, a checklist can be developed to check for accuracy, completeness, explanations of variances, and essentially, answer these questions: How are we doing? What action steps should we consider? Implement Internal

By: Rosa M. de la Camara, Esq., Becker & Poliakoff The Florida Legislature is commencing another busy legislative session. We are aware of possible legislation to criminalize fraudulent Emotional Support Animal requests and to help communities and local governments regulate short term rental activity. While we monitor this session’s progress, it is a good time to review last year’s most important community association laws to ensure your association is in compliance. The outline below highlights some of the 2018 laws you need to know if you are serving on a community association board. Condominium and Cooperative Official Records The minutes of all meetings of the association, the board of administration, and the units owners must be permanently maintained from the inception of the association (as opposed to 7 years). The amount of time that condominium and cooperative associations must respond to a written records request is extended from 5 business

Tim O’Keefe assumes role of Executive Director of Strategic Growth and Client Relations, and Frank Simone joins leading property management company as General Counsel Miami, Fla. – Jan. 8, 2019 – Following the completion of a record-breaking year of company and portfolio growth, KW Property Management & Consulting’s (KWPMC) has kicked off 2019 with the addition of two new partners. Tim O’Keefe, who joined KWPMC as Director in 2016, was promoted to Executive Director of Strategic Growth and Client Relations. Frank Simone, a Miami-based attorney who has served as the company’s outside counsel, is now the in-house General Counsel at KWPMC. Both are now partners with the company. The moves went into effect on Jan. 1. KWPMC closed 2018 with 24 percent year-over-year growth in revenue and added 341 employees, a 30 percent increase. “We enjoyed a historic year of expansion in 2018 largely because of our incredible team and