tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995Sat, 26 Dec 2009 06:04:46 +0000All are welcome to read this blog. Although it is specifically about the events occurring in Venetia Community Association in Venice, Florida, you may find similarities to your own neighborhood or to your own homeowners association.http://makeitreasonable.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Linda)Blogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-7033118204507394049Fri, 17 Jul 2009 22:00:00 +00002009-07-17T18:03:08.305-04:00SUBMITTED BY A NEIGHBOR:Two foreign wars and thousands of American troops killed and wounded. Highest rates of foreclosures since the Great Depression. Florida unemployment rate at 11%. Stockmarket losses in the trillions of dollars. A raging recession that threatens to turn into the Greatest Depression. GM and Chrysler retirees worried their pensions will disappear. Home invasions, http://makeitreasonable.blogspot.com/2009/07/how-ridiculous-and-small-minded-can.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Linda)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-7463014508854397940Sun, 28 Jun 2009 12:21:00 +00002009-06-28T08:30:46.762-04:00Check out this video coming from Houston. Sound familiar? http://makeitreasonable.blogspot.com/2009/06/theyre-just-big-bullies.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Linda)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-8629729212413654010Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:10:00 +00002009-06-24T20:15:25.648-04:00Venetia seems to attract all kinds of venomous snakes.http://makeitreasonable.blogspot.com/2009/06/egads.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Linda)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-4236395156476337979Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:52:00 +00002009-06-19T12:54:48.731-04:00Comment from a Venetian Resident:“It” will never be enough. There is no one among us, collectively or individually capable of making “it” stop nor does anyone in a leadership position have the common sense or intelligence to know either what “it” is, or any of the reasons not to deliberately do “it.”Thanks to “them” and “it,” which for all intents and purposes are the same word, I’ve lost more http://makeitreasonable.blogspot.com/2009/06/it-continues.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Linda)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-8559980197150080114Thu, 30 Apr 2009 05:50:00 +00002009-04-30T01:59:58.880-04:00Or . . . . Venetia is where I live, but not what I live for. I have noticed that the neighborhood is showing signs of maturing. That’s what neighborhoods do; the trees grow wider and taller, the sidewalks crack and lift in places, tufts of grass show up between concrete slabs, and paint on homes fade as do the pavers and tiled roofs. Birds have begun their yearly return to our backyards and thehttp://makeitreasonable.blogspot.com/2009/04/when-enough-is-enough.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Linda)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-6267909110381920817Thu, 02 Apr 2009 11:40:00 +00002009-04-02T08:27:59.864-04:00If you happen to be walking down Via del Villetti with your dog, and a skinny old man comes screaming out of his house, flailing his arms at you, hatred spewing from his nasty old mouth, then you've met him. I don't want to mention this man's name, it just wouldn't be fair, but you know who he is. Thank goodness there are more dog lovers than haters.http://makeitreasonable.blogspot.com/2009/04/rotten-neighbor-award.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Linda)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-508867062654509361Sat, 21 Mar 2009 16:51:00 +00002009-03-25T08:34:32.448-04:00http://makeitreasonable.blogspot.com/2009/03/price-of-apathy-towards-public-affairs.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Linda)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-4519971586854627901Sat, 21 Mar 2009 02:30:00 +00002009-06-24T20:09:59.868-04:00http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kXK8JasVamg/ScRg_itEBJI/AAAAAAAABPY/hrduQA6wYfc/s200/XMAS+PALMS.JPGIS THIS BOARD FOR REAL?  ONE OF THE FEW ASSETS THAT BELONG TO ALL OF US ARE COMING DOWN.  THREE DIFFERENT KINDS OF BEAUTIFUL PALM TREES.  THEY ARE ROBBING YOU!!!  DID YOU VOTE FOR THEM TO DO THIS??   THEN DO SOMETHING!!!! do something . . . . do somethingQuotes from the February minutes:Offer to buy Canary Date Palms at Jacaranda entrance. MRT Landscaping has offered to buy the Canary Date http://makeitreasonable.blogspot.com/2009/03/stop-thiefs.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Linda)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-1868083750234114452Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:48:00 +00002009-03-26T08:01:04.096-04:00When will our illustrious board and its judicious Madame President shift their collective attention from its petty war on our pet dogs to the disastrous state of our landscaping – which, by the way, they created.They ought to concern themselves with fixing the mess they have made of our community landscaping. Rather than worrying about 6 foot leashes; perhaps the community ought to question thehttp://makeitreasonable.blogspot.com/2009/03/confederacy-of-dunces.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Linda)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-2922859532219576482Tue, 03 Mar 2009 19:03:00 +00002009-03-26T08:01:47.938-04:00Maybe it is time that the new HOA President looks at the broader economic picture.The economy is suffering.  People are hurting.  It's time to look at Venetia's spending practices.  Instead of raising dues to include larger legal fees and larger management fees, perhaps it is time to cut costs.   We have used lawyers to put liens on our members, to investigate our residents, to support the http://makeitreasonable.blogspot.com/2009/03/increase-dues-or-cut-costs.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Linda)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-924324002127737815Tue, 03 Mar 2009 18:45:00 +00002009-03-26T08:03:05.481-04:00Venetia Recreational and Social Complex Rules and Regulations"Exterior doors of the clubhouse are to be kept locked and closed.Be sure the clubhouse doors close firmly behind you as you enter or exit the building.  The building must be secure at all times to maintain a clean and safe environment for residents and their guests."Personally, I think the rules are unnecessary and unfriendly.  But, http://makeitreasonable.blogspot.com/2009/03/who-wrote-rules.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Linda)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-2928952833459921610Sat, 28 Feb 2009 22:37:00 +00002009-03-26T08:03:34.213-04:00Do you remember when Billy Crystal played the Fernando Lamas character on Saturday Night Live? Those famous words "Dahling, it's not how you feel, it's how you look, and you look mahvelous!!" stuck in everyone's head and were repeated over and over.Those words now come back to haunt me. I look around Venetia and think "it's all about appearances". Really, is that all there is my friends?http://makeitreasonable.blogspot.com/2009/02/you-look-mahvelous.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Linda)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-3716345082047330723Sun, 15 Feb 2009 08:55:00 +00002009-03-26T08:04:51.728-04:00I just came upon a really interesting lawsuit in California. A homeowner is suing 150 homeowners in his neighborhood. The problem started with the HOA wanting him to remove a gate from his property.When asked why he would sue his neighbors instead of the HOA, he said "If you think this is all about a gate, you are living in a dream world. You need to start looking into the files at the Club http://makeitreasonable.blogspot.com/2009/02/one-man-150-lawsuits.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Linda)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-1790095408133421191Sat, 07 Feb 2009 01:39:00 +00002009-02-06T20:43:53.701-05:00http://makeitreasonable.blogspot.com/2009/02/mother-goose_06.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Linda)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-149612710519129451Wed, 04 Feb 2009 17:20:00 +00002009-02-04T12:40:34.963-05:00 http://makeitreasonable.blogspot.com/2009/02/could-this-be-venetia-should-this-be.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Linda)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-6291471770915093605Fri, 30 Jan 2009 20:44:00 +00002009-03-26T08:09:54.377-04:00A Comment by Carl Block:Why should we, the residents of the single family homes, have to live under the rules which were set up by the developer and his lawyers? They don't live here, they never intended to live here, they just wrote the rules and left.Now that the covenants need to be rewritten, why not rewrite them with rules we want to live under? The original rewrite committee spent a summer http://makeitreasonable.blogspot.com/2009/01/just-say-no.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Linda)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-676927901073693706Fri, 30 Jan 2009 19:21:00 +00002009-03-27T11:03:20.664-04:00The 2007 audit was on the Venetia website one day, but gone the next. I was curious why, so I asked for a copy. We are , after all, paying for it with our dues. Perhaps it was because of this following statement:As more fully described in note 6 to the financial statements, the Association capitalized street lighting lamp posts purchased during 2007 and is depreciating the lamp posts over a http://makeitreasonable.blogspot.com/2009/01/we-had-audit.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Linda)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-8303812644653138846Fri, 30 Jan 2009 05:51:00 +00002009-03-27T11:04:17.788-04:00I was really concerned about how the progress of our palm tree removal was going.   The once regal entryways are looking pretty slipshod, as are the median strips on Corso Venetia, so I requested a copy of the tree contract from Lighthouse Management.   If we paid a lawyer to approve this contract, I think we should get a refund.  And why are we paying Lighthouse Management over $100,000 per yearhttp://makeitreasonable.blogspot.com/2009/01/palm-tree-update.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Linda)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-5140522690015855033Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:45:00 +00002009-01-27T11:09:11.104-05:00We love our dog. He is small, yet whenever we come home he greets us with wagging tail, leaps of excitement, and all is right with his world, and ours too. Since our children live quite a distance away, all of our affection is lavished on him. Call us "over the edge", but he is now very much a part of our family. He has his own place to sleep, his own dishes, a sweater or two, and of course, http://makeitreasonable.blogspot.com/2009/01/we-love-our-dog.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Linda)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-7122801270080635457Fri, 23 Jan 2009 16:37:00 +00002009-01-23T11:38:36.768-05:00http://makeitreasonable.blogspot.com/2009/01/welcome-to-our-new-board-of-directors.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Linda)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-3678820659453938731Tue, 20 Jan 2009 14:38:00 +00002009-01-20T10:08:24.736-05:00Today is an extraordinary day as we celebrate an historical event in this great nation. It is questionable why the board chose Inauguration Day to have their annual meeting. There are, after all, 30 other days in January.Nevertheless, let's hope that the board will take on the mantra of the new administration and be better neighbors, more united and transparent in their politics.http://makeitreasonable.blogspot.com/2009/01/extraordinary-day.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Linda)3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-354904249600292585Wed, 07 Jan 2009 04:49:00 +00002009-03-27T11:05:09.796-04:00We received our opportunity to vote today. I'm not even sure why LHM bothers to send out forms and envelopes. A simple postcard with ditto marks would have been sufficient and money saving too! Well, to be fair, there have been a couple of minor changes. Sperry decided to quit before someone asked, "hey, what's with the trees around here?" and "by the way, George, where are the tops of the http://makeitreasonable.blogspot.com/2009/01/blog-post.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Linda)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-1149556224199688330Mon, 22 Dec 2008 05:42:00 +00002009-03-27T11:06:26.565-04:00home owners associationhoadeed restrictionsThe Venetia Community Association Board of Directors takes full responsibility for removing the mighty Washingtonian trees at the 41 entrance to Venetia.Ronnie Hotz and George Sperry have taken charge of the grounds, the treasury, the street lights, and the general running of the community. They have let us all down by not including the membership a vote approving the dissolution of an asset - http://makeitreasonable.blogspot.com/2008/12/venetia-community-association-board-of.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Linda)4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-5339913213779588031Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:44:00 +00002009-03-27T11:01:12.994-04:00NORM HOTZ!!! Kind of.Florida State Representative Doug Holder attended the most recent VNAone board meeting. Before you feel good about that, know that it was not to congratulate us on a well run community, but to defend one of our residents for being proud enough to have a TV commercial taped at his home in Venetia.In response to the hysterical rantings and in receipt of a three page letter http://makeitreasonable.blogspot.com/2008/12/and-winner-is.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Linda)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-1934280259059208658Sat, 22 Nov 2008 05:14:00 +00002009-03-27T10:59:28.524-04:00Although the following list was written to encourage homeowners to understand their rights before they buy, it also applies after the purchase of your home.According to Richard Thompson of "Realty Times", members of HOAs have the right to inspect the following records: CorrespondenceMailing ListsManagement NoticesNewslettersResident Manuals/HandbooksAnnual BudgetAssessment InformationAuditor http://makeitreasonable.blogspot.com/2008/11/did-you-know.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Linda)1