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This session is for Board Members of Condominium Associations; it will NOT satisfy state requirements for new HOA Board Members.
As our company grew we expanded out product line to include, Out Door Living Products. Which includes our exclusive “Jansen Vista” Motorized Insect Screens, Fabrication, Louver, Pergolas and more. We are proud to say everything we manufacture is American Made. Our work does not stop at installation, we believe it is necessary to educate our customers about the products we provide. So you can pick the best products that fits your lifestyle and budget.
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Impact and Non Impact, Single and Double Hung Windows, Casement and Horizontal Roller Windows, Sliding Glass, French Doors, Entry Doors by Plastpro, DAB Garage Doors, Windoor PGT Vinyl & Jeld-Wen Vinyl & Wood Products.
Jansen “Vista” Motorized Insect Screens, Solar Shades, Pergolas, Sunbrella Awnings, Sun Air Retractable Awnings, Canopies, Sun Sails, Fencing, Estate Gates, Louvers, Bahama Shades and Privacy Barriers.
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941 484 4700
PHIL@JANSENSHUTTERS.COM
Believe it or not, it’s getting harder to sue someone or to sue a business in the State of Florida.
First, it’s more risky now to sue your insurance company. The typical case that comes to mind is the one where a condominium association sues its own insurance company for failing to pay for roof damage because the insurance company does not believe the storm caused all that damage. Until now, there was no risk for the condominium association. The attorney took the case on a contingency and, if the association won the case the association would be entitled to an award of attorney’s fees against the insurance company. And, even if the association lost, the association did not have to pay attorney’s fees to the lawyers for the insurance company. In other words, the risk of paying attorney’s fees only ran one way. No longer. Now the association has no right to collect attorney’s fees against their insurer even if the case is settled or won. The association bears the risk of not having their fees paid by their carrier which should ultimately result in a smaller recovery.
Perhaps the biggest change to the law since I’m in practice went into effect last week. The statute of limitations regarding negligence actions went from four (4) years to two (2) years. That is a bombshell.
The law is primarily intended to go after personal injury lawyers and prevent personal injury cases from winding up in the courtroom. From a condominium and HOA perspective the change in the law will also have major effects. For example, all claims for damages to condominium or HOA property caused by someone else now have to be filed in two years and not four. This could be damage caused by contractors the association hire, or unit owners who live or rent on the property.
There are some other bills of interest that may pass during the legislative session and if they do, I’ll let you know.
Tags: Condo and HOA Law
While trying to enforce restrictions and rules in your community, have you run across evidence, or worse, been brought to your attention by current residents or a pending lawsuit, that your current or previous boards were arbitrarily or inconsistently been enforcing certain rules and restrictions?
What are you to do now? Just give in? Not necessarily. A restriction can be revived with notice, to the community, that the association will enforce the restriction moving forward. This lets owners know that the board will actively and evenly enforce the restriction in question. Attorneys refer to this as the Chattel Shipping clause and comes from the case in 1985 of Chattel Shipping and Investment, Inc. v. Brickell Place Condo Assoc.
In this case the association’s declaration of condominium prohibited unit owners from enclosing their balconies without prior approval from the board. Multiple owners, nevertheless, enclosed their balconies without the requisite approval. The board, prompted by a letter from the city that the enclosures violated the city’s zoning ordinance, informed the owners that it would enforce the restriction and prohibit future balcony constructions. After this announcement, one unit owner, Chattel Shipping and Investment, Inc., enclosed its balcony. When the association secured a mandatory injunction requiring the removal of the balcony enclosure, the unit owner sought a reversal on the ground that the association had failed to require the dismantling of the other existing enclosures and thus was unequally and arbitrarily enforcing the restriction.
The court rejected the owner’s argument, holding that the association could adopt and implement a uniform policy under which a building restriction will be enforced only prospectively without the enforcement of the same being deemed selective and arbitrary. This allowed for the association to revive the enforcement of a restriction despite previous non-enforcement by notifying the members of the board’s intent to prospectively enforce the restrictions.
In some cases, depending on the restriction, your association may want to adopt the restriction providing for grandfather status. You should always reach out to your association attorney for correct wording and advice.
Commercial Fitness Products, a Florida based organization, has been serving the fitness needs of our customers nationwide for over 27 years. Our primary focus is Multi-Housing & Hospitality, as such, we stay current on the latest industry trends, and are able to share ideas on how we may equip or improve any community fitness center. We provide more than just equipment…our goal is to delight your residents & guests by providing them an exceptional fitness environment.
CFP’s team of experienced professionals are eager to assist you with prompt & courteous customer service. If you have any plans to add, change or upgrade your fitness amenity, we welcome the opportunity to work hard to earn your business.
The Corona pandemic has shaken up the fitness industry. Instead of the motto “higher, faster, further”, the future will see more health orientation, holistic offers and specialization in particular clientele such as risk groups. We present the seven most important fitness trends for the year 2021.
Fitness studios in Germany are in the middle of their second shutdown in the Corona year 2020, which has complex consequences – on the one hand, many fitness center operators fear for their existence with a cumulative loss for the industry of 460 million euros per lockdown month. On the other hand, many users (forcibly) reorient themselves and discover app and video training at home.
“The uncertainty in the industry is great. Many studios will not survive if the lockdown lasts much longer,” says Ralph Scholz. The head of the German Industry Association for Fitness and Health (DIFG) hopes that the fitness studios will be able to open again in January 2021 – that’s when most new members usually sign up with the Christmas kilos on their ribs.
The pandemic will massively change the fitness economy. This makes it all the more important for all players to set the right course for the future. These are the most important fitness trends identified for the year 2021.
Many people stay in shape during the lockdown period with running, walking, fitness exercises on their own or free digital services. Of these, a proud number of 73 percent intend to maintain this alternative training in the future. Although most fitness enthusiasts want to go back to the gym in the future, they place the condition that training is not associated with the risk of corona infection.
“The survey has shown that many people are concerned about having the highest possible standard of protection. It must therefore be in the studios’ own interest to ensure exactly that,” says Ralph Scholz in the ISPO interview. So the basic condition for studio operators in 2021 is to win back the confidence of fitness fans.
Over one million of the 11.6 million members in Germany in 2019 have quit their membership so far.
In the era of closed fitness studios, most sports and fitness fans have turned to online offers. Apps such as Freeletics, which use artificial intelligence (AI) to compile individual training offers for users, are particularly popular. “The main benefits for users are access to training planning, monitoring and even motivation at a fraction of the current cost, which means that many more people can be reached than ever before,” says Simon Alger, Lead Data Scientist at Freeletics, in an interview with ISPO.
Another example of the new digital trend: With the so-called peloton bike – a spinning bike with which you can connect with spinning fans around the world via the Internet – you can do your cardio training, for example, in virtual competition with many like-minded people around the globe.
The topic of outdoor fitness is gaining in importance precisely because of Corona: intensive training in particular is much less dangerous outside than indoors because of the draught. Fitness studios should therefore move more and more equipment and activities outside. This creates more safety for the users.
The experience of a pandemic, which is unique for everyone, has brought the topic of health into focus for many people much more than before. In principle, this is good for the fitness industry. Fitness strengthens the immune system. In fact it also needs the right and safe offers to do so.
Whether it’s in media use, buying behavior or travel: individualization is advancing in all areas of life. This also applies, of course, to the fitness wishes of the clientele. Whether Beer Yoga, fastest possible self-optimization through high intensity training or the new workout trend Glide Fit: differentiated and target group-oriented training is mandatory.
All-round fitness studios will continue to exist. Nevertheless boutique and micro studios with tailor-made offers are attracting more and more customers. In these difficult times, specialisation can also be financially attractive for fitness studios. Scholz: “The interesting thing is that the more special you are, the more money you can demand from customers.”
For corona risk groups and senior citizens, health and fitness are just as important as for the rest of the population. This makes seniors a core target group that must be wooed with special offers and training opportunities. This can range from individual training sessions or workouts in small training groups to special premises and digital offers for risk-free training at home.
The trend towards topics such as yoga, mental training or Pilates already existed before Corona. But it has been intensified by the pandemic. More and more people want to combine physical training with mental relaxation.
This desire is triggered not only by job-related stress, also by the strenuous homeschooling with children or financial and health fears in connection with the pandemic. “We must therefore also strengthen the sport psychological level in our offers”, demands Ralph Scholz.
Rather go to the gym to train on workout devices or jog outside? For many fitness freaks this used to be a real question of faith. The Corona period, including the closure of the studios, has accelerated the resolution of this either/or situation. Many equipment fans move to alternative indoor and outdoor offers, apps included.
“In the perception of the end consumer, this belongs together, if only because of the many new apps and wearables. That is why it is also important to develop holistic offers. In a sense, the gym is the pilot in this process,” says Scholz.
reproduced by: https://www.ispo.com/en/trends/seven-most-important-fitness-trends-year-2021 sent to us by Commercial Fitness Equipment.
Tags: Common Area Issues, Fitness Rooms Articles, Management News
Networking and Education is key for Managers, Board Members in Condo and HOA’s
Take part in our Industry Expos presented by L&L Management, SFPMA – Our members take part in these to show our industry the top companies ready to help with everything from Business to Services for your buildings and communities.
Palm Beach Condo & HOA Expo
APRIL 11TH, 2023 AT 8:30 A.M.
AT THE PALM BEACH CONVENTION CENTER.
Orlando Condo & HOA Expo
APRIL 26TH, 2023 AT 8:30 A.M.
AT THE ORLANDO CONVENTION CENTER
Tampa Bay Condo & HOA Expo
APRIL 27TH, 2023 AT 8:30 A.M.
AT THE TAMPA BAY CONVENTION CENTER.
Tonight’s the night! Ft. Lauderdale city officials are expected to approve raising sea walls by just over a foot to meet a county mandate.
The move will mean dilapidated sea walls will have to be replaced, and new ones will be required to be at least 5 feet high to help protect against future tidal flooding.
Was established to fulfill the unique needs of structures in coastal areas such as South Florida. The team’s rare combination of expertise in Civil/Structural Engineering and Corrosion Engineering makes SRI unique in providing concrete rehabilitation/protection services related to condominiums and other near-sea structures. SRI also provides Concrete Diagnostic testing (Ground Penetrating Radar, monitoring corrosion of reinforcing steel in concrete structures) to its clients or other engineering firms.
Tags: Engineering Articles, Florida Building Inspections
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Do you know? Or do you think you know?
I call this lack of systems knowledge. Here’s why it’s important.
Every piece of your building is made up of systems. Each system has pathways and pipes that make that system whole. I love when people generalize the term “plumbing”, when there are really multiple facets of systems that make up the plumbing.
There are domestic water systems, storm water systems, sanitary systems, etc.
Now, with that said, are you waiting until you have a major problem with your system to
Look at it? Like a don’t ask, don’t tell type of scenario?
Problem is, these systems almost always find themselves in peculiar locations, level 5 finished walls, columns with marble on them, walls with expensive finishes etc. Like when the kitchen of the tower club is located above the law offices really fancy conference room. (More on that story later).
The design of these systems is like the veins in your body, they hide discretely under the surface of your skin, and as long as everything is running smooth, no reason to investigate or research right?
Wrong.
Each one of these systems has a life expectancy for failure, and the longer the life, the higher the risk. When you wait till the system is failed, it usually always ends up
Costing more in the end.
For this condo in Fort Lauderdale, they unfortunately deferred maintenance, waited until it was too late, and the entire system needed to be replaced, as an emergency.
Had a thorough camera work up and report been done 5 years ago, they could of budgeted for this, and been more prepared.
As the story goes, just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it isn’t there. Underground utilities are a part of your buildings critical infrastructure, you must prioritize it, or it will bite you in the ____.