In response to my request from Patrick Johansen, for a review and explanation of how these important committee's were destroyed, he provided the following information.
It is rare when a group of members come together for the improvement of our HOA. They spent countless hours in working on a plan that would bring Surfside up to date with a fair policy, procedure. and covenants. Their efforts quickly caught the attention of a few in control who only had their own personal interests at heart. Those same selfish members remain in control today. Thank you Patrick for the time and effort you spent in response to my request.
I don't know if we will ever again see a group come together who are willing to spend the time and effort to make Surfside a more fair and better place for all the members. This is an example of what could have been and how it was destroyed. A real shame on our HOA.
Click once or twice on each page of the 3 pages for a larger read:
2 comments:
We had just bought our place in Surfside when Patrick was elected. He was full of enthusiasm, and anxious to talk about ideas. I think from the start, a few Trustees were intent on neutralizing him, and preventing him from having any influence. Shortly after he was elected the business about his shed began. It was hidden in some small trees by a canal. His trees were to be no taller than about 12 feet, and he topped them all. But for more than 3 years he was hassled and taken to Court by the HOA - as a seated Trustee.
Obviously, Flood saw some potential in Patrick, but endless complaining began over his choice of recruiting a covenant review committee. He wanted people with innovative spirit from varied parts of the community.
Deb Blagg was another individual who wanted to help the community. I talked with her when she was running for the Board, and she emphasized that she felt the single most transforming thing the community could do, was to enable electronic voting, and to be able to take surveys on general views of members, as well as single issues of concern - like the Tree Policy.
There was great opposition to her idea initially, with the BOT finally giving the green light. In about 3 months they did a trial run of the site, asking a few insignificant questions. They were ridiculed harshly for the lameness of the survey, just a trial run, and Deb endured a constant battery of cruel opposition on the Blog by the same people who had belittled Patrick from the get-go.
When the Asbestos issue and the failed permitting came about, the president and others claimed to know nothing about it, and she was understandably angry about it as a Trustee. At the very end of her appointed term, she resigned and sought to recall Williams, maybe others, I can't recall. The HOA attorney wanted to prevent it happening at the Annual Meeting, great hubbub ensued, and Williams dissolved the Tech Comm. in spite.
So, it still remains, that the most transformative thing we could do in the community is to set-up just such a site for the electronic voting option to add at election time. No one on the BOT knows much about the views of the members, and doubtful they know how many full time members live in Surfside. Surveys have not been taken in Surfside, nor have any member initiated measures been voted on, implemented, or even discussed seriously.
In trying to understand what was going on in this community after we received our lighting complaint last July. I delved into learning the background pertaining to the atmosphere of the BOT, the Bylaws and covenants. I met Patrick and Debbie and was so shocked when I learned of this committee being dissolved.
This needs to be addressed ASAP. The issues those members were trying to address should be on the front burner for this upcoming annual membership meeting. Our covenants need to be gone over, changed, deleted and brought up to our current needs not just to for a special few!
There needs to be an open dialogue between members and the BOT. The “official”. Website does not meet any such needs.
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