tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44037323553764729952012-02-16T04:46:28.429-05:00All 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.Lindanoreply@blogger.comBlogger421100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-28666558956893122372012-02-01T17:19:00.000-05:002012-02-01T17:19:37.607-05:00

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-33296510119809639172011-10-03T16:14:00.001-04:002011-10-03T23:22:24.570-04:00

A Seminole homeowner association president's mailbox has exploded following a notice sent to association residents who were non-compliant with a brick mailbox requirement. Pinellas County Sheriff's detectives responded to the home of Wind Tree Oaks Home Owners Association president Gerard Esposito after receiving a report that his mailbox exploded around 1:45 p.m. Friday. According to deputies

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-73611403042525481592011-08-06T04:00:00.002-04:002011-10-03T12:12:31.439-04:00

I came upon a description of Fascism, and some of it sounds painfully familiar. 1.  Disdain for the Recognition of Rights - The people tend to look the other way.2.  Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - Example, putting pictures on the association website of a home owner's violation in the Preserve.3.  Obsession with Crime and Punishment - liens, foreclosures, fines, often

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-12011600506714969022011-06-27T19:40:00.004-04:002011-06-28T08:49:02.400-04:00

Knob Hill Property Owners Association President Rick Trump said Homes for Our Troops did not receive approval for the house it wanted to build for paralyzed Afghanistan veteran Sean Gittens. The builder also made untrue statements about discussions before their plan's denial, Trump said. "They're saying we blocked this," he said. "We're not blocking them from building a house; we just blocked

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-69709982281217622932011-02-09T01:26:00.004-05:002011-02-09T10:55:59.765-05:00

Association Rules Lead to Homeowner March in Las Vegas. That is the headline in a Nevada newspaper. It isn't only Florida, or Texas, or California where homeowners are getting angry at the association's overreaching boards who use bullying tactics against their next door neighbors, but neighborhoods built in the past decade across the country. Brigitte Porter was fined $3,110 by Heather

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-5557579447911455952010-11-04T21:42:00.002-04:002011-01-16T15:15:45.728-05:00

JUST BARK BACK The following appeared on Boston.com (from Boston Globe): Headline: Barking back at neighborhood dog noise Date: Nov 4, 2010 "DEAR BENNY: What can be done about dogs that bark all the time? I live in a gated development in a homeowners association. The board says they cannot do anything about it, but I don't see how that is possible. What is the board for? --Bill" ________

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-88368522913971308152010-10-25T00:18:00.009-04:002010-10-25T03:15:54.574-04:00

I got the HOA newsletter and as I was tossing it into the recycling bin, I caught the paragraph on the last page about curbing your dog and bringing water along. First, how nice of the HOA to be concerned about my dog being thirsty, thanks. Second, I decided to have a talk with my dog after reading that little blurb. I said, "Look, we should be more civilized than to stoop in the grass and

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-63243063747011922712010-08-06T13:36:00.002-04:002010-09-02T12:38:56.739-04:00

This editorial was submitted by FortBendNow.com reader Nancy Hentschel.Home Owner Association (HOA) and Property Owner Association (POA) living is advertised to promote sales and to manage the homeowner population, but these “corporations” are specifically designed to disenfranchise most if not all the homeowners in the subdivision.The HOA corporation is frequently controlled by the developers,

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-77498761158460594302010-07-24T21:11:00.004-04:002010-07-24T22:12:01.869-04:00

Submitted by a resident:Just a note of thanks to Mrs and Mr Hotz for their selfless dedication to Venetia. We’re so fortunate in Venetia … we get a twofer … Mrs Hotz is the President of the entire Association and Mr Hotz is subservient to her as the President of the single family homes association and he leads the Architectural Review Committee. We save so much time and bureaucratic rigamarole

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-39463327867815748952010-07-03T18:14:00.002-04:002010-07-03T18:17:27.462-04:00

How does it feel to live in a Stalag? Ok, ok ... its not a POW camp and we are free to sell and get out of here. (Which I am planning to do ... and I cannot wait to be out from under Mr. and Mrs Hotz BTW). A prison camp, among other similarly egregious aspects, is a place where you have virtually no rights ... and the power of the keepers to control you is essentially, boundless. Having

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-77785136252751942682010-06-05T10:27:00.007-04:002010-06-05T10:42:34.401-04:00

BEFORENOWThanks HOA!!

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-84938389147737290572010-06-05T09:05:00.001-04:002010-06-05T10:09:57.228-04:00

We're being double gated in. Now if you are having a problem navigating the new double barrier or lose your number, call Dennis Smith for the correct code. He can be reached at 941-474-5300 between 8:00 and 4:30 - otherwise call the HOA at 914-408-7923 when you are locked out and need to get home.Wow man, I'm impressed. That's a big uhhhh, pipe.Where should we put it now?Uh, is this what I

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-82725945550280824932010-02-26T15:46:00.003-05:002010-02-26T15:49:43.204-05:00

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-21285736580301105572010-02-12T07:20:00.000-05:002010-02-12T07:21:19.893-05:00

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-49191446686691418072010-02-07T01:38:00.003-05:002010-02-07T02:12:54.019-05:00

According to one online directory, a buffoon is also considered a fool, idiot, dolt, dunce, dunderhead, dullard, ignoramus, dummy, simpleton, jackass; informal chump, blockhead, jughead, boob, bozo, doofus, nincompoop, numbskull, numbnuts, dope, twit, nitwit, halfwit, birdbrain. See also ass.An elderly couple in our neighborhood were forced to sell their home because of illness and move into an

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-18924813354702749682010-02-04T20:15:00.000-05:002010-02-07T20:43:37.202-05:00

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-70331182045073940492009-07-17T18:00:00.001-04:002009-07-17T18:03:08.305-04:00

SUBMITTED 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,

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-74630145088543979402009-06-28T08:21:00.003-04:002009-06-28T08:30:46.762-04:00

Check out this video coming from Houston. Sound familiar?

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-86297292124136540102009-06-24T20:10:00.004-04:002009-06-24T20:15:25.648-04:00

Venetia seems to attract all kinds of venomous snakes.

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-42363951564763379792009-06-19T12:52:00.001-04:002009-06-19T12:54:48.731-04:00

Comment 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

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-85599801971500801142009-04-30T01:50:00.002-04:002009-04-30T01:59:58.880-04:00

Or . . . . 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 the

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-62679091103819208172009-04-02T07:40:00.003-04:002009-04-02T08:27:59.864-04:00

If 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.

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-5088670626545093612009-03-21T12:51:00.009-04:002009-03-25T08:34:32.448-04:00

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-45199715868546279012009-03-20T22:30:00.013-04:002009-06-24T20:09:59.868-04:00

IS 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

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-18680837502341144522009-03-17T09:48:00.007-04:002009-03-26T08:01:04.096-04:00

When 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 the

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-29228595322195764822009-03-03T14:03:00.007-05:002009-03-26T08:01:47.938-04:00

Maybe 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

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-9243240021277378152009-03-03T13:45:00.004-05:002009-03-26T08:03:05.481-04:00

Venetia 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,

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-37163450820473307232009-02-15T03:55:00.006-05:002009-03-26T08:04:51.728-04:00

I 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

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-17900954081334211912009-02-06T20:39:00.001-05:002009-02-06T20:43:53.701-05:00

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-62914717709150936052009-01-30T15:44:00.009-05:002009-03-26T08:09:54.377-04:00

A 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

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-6769279010736937062009-01-30T14:21:00.008-05:002009-03-27T11:03:20.664-04:00

The 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

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-83038126446531388462009-01-30T00:51:00.008-05:002009-03-27T11:04:17.788-04:00

I 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 year

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-51405226900158550332009-01-27T09:45:00.005-05:002009-01-27T11:09:11.104-05:00

We 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,

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-36788206594539387312009-01-20T09:38:00.004-05:002009-01-20T10:08:24.736-05:00

Today 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.

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-3549042496002925852009-01-06T23:49:00.007-05:002009-03-27T11:05:09.796-04:00

We 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

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-11495562241996883302008-12-22T00:42:00.039-05:002010-08-06T17:17:44.036-04:00

The 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 -

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-53399132137795880312008-12-03T06:44:00.011-05:002009-03-27T11:01:12.994-04:00

NORM 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

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-19342802590592086582008-11-22T00:14:00.016-05:002009-03-27T10:59:28.524-04:00

Although 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

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-83429629149958554572008-11-19T01:08:00.004-05:002008-11-19T01:10:29.680-05:00

Does anyone know who's running for election this year? It's coming up pretty soon, and it sure would be nice to know about the candidates, unless of course, it's all the usual suspects.

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-2197470006868692842008-11-15T08:34:00.007-05:002008-11-15T10:42:32.283-05:00

Every once in a while, opportunity knocks. Sometimes though, you have to listen very carefully. It may be a tap, tap, tap. It may be a whisper. This morning, I heard . . . . . . psssst, this is it.Harold Bubil wrote in his column from the Herald Tribune the following:The Florida Community Association Journal has announced a call for entries for its 2008 "Florida Communications of Excellence

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-56623578899034912008-11-08T08:59:00.015-05:002008-11-09T01:13:47.293-05:00

King George and Prince Norman have conquered and taken down the walls of the Scolaro's fortress. With the help of the sheriff's department, and without warning, the association entered their property and ripped down the cage from their beautiful home, devaluing their property and putting yet another smear on Venetia. How destructive, how appalling, what abusive use of power.

Lindanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4403732355376472995.post-51493159681369921572008-10-19T17:04:00.005-04:002008-10-20T18:09:32.742-04:00

We live in a gated and deed restricted neighborhood in Florida. When we first moved here, the developer still had control of the Covenants and Deed Restrictions. The people in the neighborhood were friendly and we were always happy to come home. After the first year we were here, the developer turned over the HOA to a few volunteer homeowners. Since that horrendous evening of the first

Lindanoreply@blogger.com