It’s official, we are now living under a National State of Emergency with our country fighting a pandemic. C&S is committed to the well-being of our clients and our employees. As such we are reviewing what steps we can take to increase safety for our clients and our staff.
We are closely monitoring the ongoing COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak according to the guidelines and recommendations of the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). We want to share with you the actions we are taking to help protect our clients, their communities and our employees from catching the coronavirus.
We’ve advised our staff to follow the public health authorities' guidance regarding hygiene and personal travel, and we’ve reinforced existing C&S policy encouraging staff who exhibit flu-like symptoms to stay home and consult with a medical professional. Effective today and until further notice we are eliminating any business travel which includes professional conferences, educational classes and seminars.
To help decrease direct physical contact with members in our client communities we are taking these additional steps which should be very beneficial to the safety of the Board Members and residents within the community. We are prepared to handle meetings via telephone conference. Our conference center has the capability to handle up to 5000 callers for a meeting. Using technology for meetings during this emergency is also being recommended by Florida law firms. Those C&S clients, which are not presently using online invoice review and check approval with electronic signature, will be requested to do so and we will provide whatever instruction is necessary to assist Board Members. If a community still does not wish to utilize this service we will make arrangements so they can come to our office in a sanitized room to review invoices and sign checks by themselves and we will then secure the checks and mail them after they leave our office eliminating any direct contact while they are reviewing and signing checks.
Also, of benefit to our clients, Boyd McAdams, the Director of the Division of Condominiums, Timeshares, and Mobile Homes, has confirmed that Boards may utilize their statutory emergency powers pursuant to the Governors Emergency Order and the pertinent provisions of F.S. 718.1265, 719.128 and 720.316. If such actions are being considered, the Board and Manager should discuss the considered action with the association’s legal counsel. While managers and boards have considerable experience dealing with hurricanes, a pandemic is a whole new matter.
We recommend everyone continue to monitor the CDC website, along with local and state agencies for instructions on dealing with COVID-19. Try to have as little direct contact with others as possible and practice social distancing. While we hope this crisis will pass very quickly, C&S will continue to prepare long-range in the event it does not.
Thank you,
M.H. Chris Brown, CAM CMCA AMS PCAM
President
C&S Community Management Services, Inc.
nity Associations Institute (CAI) surveyed their members to understand how and why community associations made decisions regarding their pool(s). View the Community Associations and COVID-19: Pool Openings report. 
