Presidents Report

FOLLOW THE COMMUNITY RULES

The summary of my report once again is “FOLLOW THE COMMUNITY RULES”, so if you are one of the fabulous 80% of my neighbors that have done exactly that, you can now mute this meeting for the next 1500 words, make yourself a drink and check your social media account. For everyone else, I will give a detailed update of both what is happening and what is not happening in Whitemarsh Reserve, which we will put on the website for people who could not attend.

“The Board Really Needs To …“

Again and again, I hear and read things about what the Board should
or should not be doing. These comments are inappropriate because
they are always by residents that:

  • have not read the community rules,
  • have never attended a Board meeting,
  • have not updated their contact information with Property Management to receive updates
  • have not read any emails sent out by property management
  • have not opened letters sent to them by property management
  • have never looked at the Whitemarsh Reserve website

The reality is that our development has 186 properties. Of these 186 owners, approximately 150 (that’s 80%) are willing and able to read and follow the community rules, rules which maintain the beautiful and tidy environment why they moved here.

Then there are approximately 10% of residents that for some reason are totally unaware of the rules, which is why the Board introduced individual “meet & greet” interviews about two years ago. These are less an interview and more a detailed explanation of the rules and the behavior expected from Whitemarsh Reserve residents, and the opportunity for the new residents to meet Board members, get contact information and ask questions.

Then there are the 10% of residents consisting of both owners and renters who are very aware of the rules but feel that the rules do not apply to them. This group takes up 80% of the time for both Property Management and the Board. They the main reason why we must be so strict and unforgiving to everyone. This is the group who instantly doubles down on any rule violations the HOA doesn’t follow up on, and who are the first to turn to social media to spread rumors and lies. The time it takes to manage this group means that this community will never move forward to projects that would make Whitemarsh Reserve an even nicer place to live, from improving landscaping to having social events to having a fully updated website with meaningful content.

For example, just spending our legal fees budget on landscaping every year would make a huge impact on the community and property values.

The Board thanks the silent majority of residents that follow the rules and make our life easier, but takes a very unified and firm view on residents that feel the rules do not apply to them. We will continue to not renew leases for tenants that break the rules and verbally and physically abuse Board members and their property, and will use every legal option open to us to correct the rule violations of owners.

So what has the Board been doing since the last meeting?

Parking: As ever, the concept of “the only parking available to residents is in their garage and on their driveway” is not understood by several residents, both tenants and owners. I am not sure why this is so hard to understand. We only have the parking available that the developer provided, and to keep the community safe and nice to walk, cycle or jog it means that parking on the sidewalks is not acceptable, however tempting it may be. The pool parking lot is also not overflow parking space for residents who have more vehicles than parking spaces, it is designated for residents using the pool, picking up their mail or out of town visitors that have applied for a short-term parking permit at the pool in advance of their stay.

  • If you have moved to Whitemarsh with too many vehicles thinking that “it will be OK somehow”, YOU ARE WRONG.
  • If you have lived in Whitemarsh for a long time and have outgrown your parking spaces because your children are now also of driving age, MAKE ALTERNATIVE ARRANGEMENTS (basically you need to clear space in your garage).
  • If your grown children now have boyfriends or girlfriends and you have more vehicles than your garage and driveway can accommodate, MAKE ALTERNATIVE ARRANGEMENTS. It is not the community’s problem that you have outgrown your property.
  • Having a work vehicle in addition to personal cars is NOT A REASON TO BE GRANTED AN EXEMPTION.
  • Vehicles with company logos are not permitted to be parked in general view and should be parked in the garage. If this is not possible, it is up to the resident to make alternative arrangements. We have only made exemptions for vehicles from law enforcement, so if it becomes a permanent situation the resident needs to get in touch with property management or the board before it becomes an issue.

The Board makes formal and informal exemptions for parking all the time, but these are for residents that contact us in advance and explain their situation, not for residents who refuse to follow the rules, ignore any reminders that they are in violation, verbally or physically abuse board members and then ask to be given a free pass to continue doing what they have already been doing for months.

Special exemptions are always temporary, and we expect the resident to communicate with us about their situation regularly, not wait until we follow up with them.

Architectural Modifications

The very first paragraph of the community rules states that:

No material alteration, addition or modification to a lot of home, or material change in the appearance thereof, shall be made without prior written approval.

This is to ensure the uniform feel and appearance of the community is maintained, and with it our property values. It also serves to make everyone’s lives easier. Once we have determined a modification is appropriate (for example a decorative shutter that was damaged due to age), we will share/recommend the same product to the next resident applying for the same change and their application will be processed much faster, because not every board member has to review the product and give their opinion. This ensures the uniform appearance of the community over time. The board will not be blackmailed into decisions by owners who proceed with a project without obtaining ACC approval first, and again will use all legal means available to us to rectify the situation and maintain community standards.

The Board will not approve:

  • Impact windows not conforming to size and design of the windows provided to the entire community by the developer
  • Driveway widening
  • Replacement of mulch with rocks in areas in full view from common areas
  • Playground equipment
  • Above ground pools
  • Landscaping changes drastically different to original design or non-native vegetation planted close to or in the preserve

The argument “my neighbor did it” will not give a resident automatic permission to do the same, but will also get your neighbor into trouble if there are not already proceedings against them by the HOA.

Trash

I really do not know why this is so hard to understand. Residents must put their trash in solid, closed containers to avoid animals and vermin tipping them over and spreading trash all over the sidewalk and road. Trash containers must be brought into garage on the same day of collection and cannot be left outside by the road or near the house until the next collection, as it will attract vermin and insects and is impacting your neighbors.

Pool Closure & Pool Fence Repair

The pool gate and some of the fence next to it were damaged when persons climbed over it trying to gain access to the pool area without functioning pool fobs. This happened just before the regular but unannounced inspection of our pool area by Martin County. As the pool was no longer securely fenced it was deemed unsafe under Florida law and closed by the official. All this occurred before the Property Management was made aware of the broken gate and fence. The closure was outside of the control of the Board, and property management sent out an eblast to inform the community and arranged for the gate and fence to be fixed. With the usual attitude of our community towards rules, several pool users ignored the eblast and the sign on the gate stating the pool was closed and continued using it.

I would be grateful if someone could explain to me why we should tolerate this behavior and why they thought this was an acceptable thing to do, as any financial implications will be borne by the entire community.

New Residents

Finally, on a positive note, we welcome several new residents, it was lovely to meet all of you, even if it was only by zoom.

Leases: Heather #204, Amanda #229, Charles & Sarah #116, and Kevin & Amber #208

Sale: Henry & Sarah #249

Sincerely,

Britta Fleischhack-Norquoy