Team C&S is a sponsor and participant in the Paws in Motion fundraiser for the Humane Society of Manatee County. The big event is Saturday, March 8th and the walk begins at 9:00 AM along the beautiful downtown Bradenton River Walk.  

In what is becomming an annual event, Team C&S will have several dog walkers and others from our team will be handling our booth.  The above photo is from last year.  Everyone is invited to come out and visit with us (and walk if you would like).   You may help our donation drive by clicking on our Team C&S Link,  to give a donation to the Humane Society of Manatee County. Thanks and hope to see you there.

The Board Member Forum turned out great today and we had over 220 attend. Here are a few pictures from early this morning. We will have more pictures and video of the forum in a few days. Thanks to everyone who came!

Today is the day!! The C&S Board Member Forum is about to start. Registration opens at 7:30AM. Hope to see everyone soon at the Manatee Performing Arts Center!

C&S Management is very excited to be presenting Bruce Campbell, the Florida Condominium Ombudsman, Christine Ashburn of Citizens Insurance, Patrick Flynn from the Department of Business and Profession Regulation, along with Attorney Stephen Thompson of the Najmy Thompson Law Firm, and CPA Timothy Gruters from Shinn and Company CPA's, together in our annual Association Board Member Forum for HOA and condominium board members.  

The February 27th forum takes place in the morning and then following lunch, board members may attend the board certification class which is required by the State for HOA and condominium board members. Seating is limited so please RSVP quickly, 941-758-9454 ext 118 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  

See below for more information. 

We are very pleased that the Board Member Forum will be at the new Manatee Performing Arts Center. Here are a few photos of the center.



Forum seating area:


Luncheon room:


Lobby:

C&S' Ellen Brown, CAM, CMCA, AMS, will be one of the presenters for the below Board Certification class.

This class is in Venice and you may click here to register.

UPDATE 12:20 PM:  FPL has made the necessary repairs and power has been restored throughout the area. All systems at C&S are back up and now fully operational.

UPDATE 10:30 AM:  FPL still is not able to give any information on when they believe the power outage will be resolved.  We are in the process of setting up our generators to be able to handle email and phone calls shortly.

An FPL transformer has blown near our main office and we have no power. Since all servers are now down, we are not receiving phone calls or email messages. FPL hopes to give us an update between 9:30 and 10:00 AM.

At that time we will decide if we will need to take our generators from storage and set them up.

Community Associations Institute (CAI) has offered advice and support for proposed federal rules that accomplish two important CAI goals: helping more homebuyers obtain safe mortgage financing and stimulating a housing market that has struggled since home prices began falling in late 2006. Both will provide more stability to community associations across the country.  

In addition to protecting consumers from unscrupulous lending practices, the newly proposed rules are expected to accelerate the housing recovery by generating a greater flow of private capital to the mortgage market.

Importantly, the proposed rule gives condominium and HOA communities limited lien priority on foreclosed homes. That means associations would be able to collect all or at least a portion of the money that is owed to them after a foreclosure.

"This is welcome news for tens of thousands of community associations and the tens of millions of Americans who call them home," said CAI Chief Executive Officer Thomas M. Skiba, CAE. "We appreciate regulators considering various perspectives and applaud them for developing these important consumer protections. This is how the process should work, with regulators being open and responsive to the views of critical stakeholders."

Click here to link to the Community Associations Institute for more information and the full press release.

C&S team members continue their support of the Literacy Buddy Project of the Early Learning Coalition of Sarasota County.  Below is a picture of some of the C&S team getting the books ready to be sent off to their Literacy Buddies.  

The purpose of the Literacy Buddy Project is to teach children about correspondence, communication, and promote early literacy while providing children with quality books that they take home. The project also supports parents as partners in their children’s learning. For many of the children, a Literacy Buddy provides the only opportunity for them to have books of their own at home.
 
Anyone, any age, anywhere can become a Literacy Buddy and it doesn’t take much time, but makes a large impact in the life of a child.  Exchanges occur three times per year.  For more information about the Literacy Buddy Project and the Early Learning Coalition of Sarasota County, please check out their website:  http://www.earlylearningcoalitionsarasota.org

Workshop for Condominium Board Members is this September 25th. Here are the details:

The Bottom Line
August 23, 2013

Dear Friends,

This week, FEMA administrator, Craig Fugate, warned that Floridians are in denial about the devastating impact that hurricanes can have on their way of life. I also feel that it is important to remind you to be as prepared as you can be as we venture through this Atlantic Hurricane Season.

Although we haven’t experienced a serious storm so far this year, it is crucial to have a plan for both before and after a storm. For more information on developing a disaster plan for your business or home, please visit www.floridadisaster.org. Here, you can find helpful tips that will allow you to develop a well-thought-out plan not in the heat of an emergency.

Additionally, after a storm or natural disaster strikes, unlicensed construction activity may increase as clean-up begins. Consumers should always ask to see the State of Florida professional license, which can be verified online at www.myfloridalicense.com or by calling 850-487-1395. Consumers should also avoid paying cash or writing checks to an individual, especially when the work is being done through a company.

If unlicensed activity is suspected, consumers within Florida should call 1-866-532-1440 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to report it. Any person who acts as an unlicensed contractor during a state of emergency as declared by executive order of the Governor is committing a third-degree felony.

As Floridians, we are vulnerable to these serious storms and it is vital that we take them seriously and do all that we can to protect our homes and our businesses. Please take advantage of the many resources that are available to you and stay safe!
 
Sincerely,
 
Ken Lawson

Secretary
Department of Business and Professional Regulation
1940 North Monroe Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399
Customer Contact Center:
850.487.1395

Do you have piles of clothes, papers and “stuff” collecting in your home or condo?  You’re not alone.  It’s time to clean up that clutter and make your abode a more enjoyable and relaxing place to live.

Create a schedule.  Depending on how high those piles are, you may not be able to accomplish the task in a single weekend. So, try tackling one room at a time. It may seem like a daunting project, but it will be less scary if you break it down into segments.

Practice a one item in, one item out rule.  When you buy an item of clothing, for example, throw out one item of clothing. Not only will it keep down the clutter, but it will also make you rethink whether you really want to buy a new item.

Create a stress-free environment in the bedroom.  That means no piles of toys and no mounds of clothes. It should be a place where you can rest without worry.

Make cleaning up fun for kids by turning it into a game.  Kids are often the clutter culprits; involve them in the process to make things neater and more organized.

Know your vision for the room.  What do you want from a room? Is it a place where you work, a space where you unwind, a playroom for the little ones or something else? If you can answer that question, you’ll be able to decide what items stay and what items go.

Try to make decluttering a part of your everyday life.  If you do it at the same time every day—like before you go to bed—the piles won’t accumulate and you won’t have to set aside a block of time to do a major cleaning.

Citizens Property Inaltsurance Corp.

WHO:Citizens Property Insurance Corporation (Citizens)
 
WHAT: The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (Office) will conduct a public hearing to discuss Citizens’ proposed rate increases for its business in the Coastal Account, formerly known as the High Risk Account (HRA), and the Personal Lines Account (PLA). These accounts include, but are not limited to, homeowners’, mobile home, and dwelling/fire lines of business. Additional filings on behalf of Citizens will be forthcoming. Evidence regarding such filings may be received at the hearing.
 
Listed in the chart below are the proposed rate changes (by file log number) that have already been filed by Citizens with the Office. These filings can be accessed via the “I-File Forms & Rate Search” system using the following search criteria: file log numbers (provided below) or by entering Citizens as the “company name”. Scroll down to the bottom of the results page for the most recent filing information.

Any comments or concerns not addressed at the public hearing may be submitted by consumers and other interested parties by sending an email to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Please include “Citizens” in the subject line of your email. Under Florida law, written communications to the Office are public record; this would include email addresses. They are subject to public disclosure, including being available to the public and media if requested.
 
Comments will be accepted until August 30, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. for all rate filings except for the Commercial Lines Accounts File Log #’s: 13-12319, 13-12323, and 13-12470. Commercial Lines Accounts rate filing comments need to be received no later than August 20, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. for consideration as the Office is required, per statute, to render a decision on these filings within a few days of the hearing.  
 
For more information about this hearing, visit the “Citizens’ Property Insurance Rate Filing” page on the Office website.
 
WHEN: August 20, 2013
           4:00p.m. – 8:00p.m.
           A copy of the agenda is available for review.
                            
WHERE: Tampa Convention Center
              Ballroom D
              333 South Franklin Street
              Tampa, FL  33602
 
The Florida Channel will stream the hearing live online. A videotaped recording of the hearing will be available on the Office’s website at a later date.
                
CONTACT:   Amy Bogner
                          850-413-2515                           
                         This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

By Chris Brown

The Community Association Leadership Lobby (CALL) has made available their 2013 Legislative Guides for Condominiums, Cooperatives, and Homeowners' Associations.  Review the new laws of which most became effective today.  Click the links below to view and download each guide.

Condominiums

Cooperatives

Homeowners' Associations

By Chris Brown