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Find Blog Articles for Florida’s Condo, HOA and the Management Industry.
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Accessible parking isn’t just a nice thing to have – it’s the law.
Most parking lots must provide accessible parking spaces that align with ADA standards.
This legal requirement ensures people with disabilities can park safely and conveniently, making it easier for them to patronize businesses, access services, and participate in community life.
Navigating the legal landscape can be challenging, but with our expertise, your parking lot can open doors for all.
Connect with us to stay informed about the crucial aspects of making your parking lot welcoming and accessible to all.
772-349-4669
admin@truelinesinc.com
Our online education program is designed to give you the knowledge and skills needed to excel in this field.
Don’t miss this opportunity to earn your license and boost your career!
To become licensed in Florida, you need to first meet the requirements to enter an approved educational program. Once you’ve completed the program successfully, you apply for a license.
After being electronically fingerprinted, you’ll need to take and pass the licensing exam. You don’t need a license if you are only managing personally owned properties. Some rental properties, however, need a licensing by the Division of Hotels and Restaurants.
If a property owner hires a salaried employee to manage the property no broker’s license is required, but if they are paid by commission or transactional basis they must have a license.
Community Association Managers (CAMs) differ from property managers. CAMs must hold a valid Community Association Manager license. Obtaining this FREC license follows a similar process, but requires a different educational program.
If you need to verify a License in Florida:
Check each applicant’s license status before hiring any person. Use the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s Licensee Search webpage to determine their licensing.
State of Florida Requires; Property Managers to be Registered with the DPBR
Are you tired of the deteriorating condition of the roadways in your community?
Planning and executing site improvement projects can be a complex process. From roadway resurfacing to tennis court replacement, these projects require careful planning and development.
Now is the perfect time to start planning for the upcoming construction season.
At Falcon, we understand the challenges communities face when it comes to site improvements. That’s why we offer comprehensive engineering services to help you tackle these projects effectively.
Our team can assist you with feasibility studies, design plans, construction documents, bidding, and even construction management services.
Don’t wait until it’s too late. Take advantage of the construction off-season to plan your site improvement project.
Tax planning is one of the best ways we know to reduce your tax bill, and at RMS Accounting we take a proactive approach to helping clients pay the lowest amount of tax allowed by law.
We do this through a two-step process. Step 1 requires us to keep up to date with the latest changes to the tax laws, and tax savings strategies. Step 2 is all about you our clients, it requires us to keep you updated on just what steps you can take to ensure that you can take advantage of ever tax saving strategy that will help you.
Since everyone’s situation is different the only way, we can assist you is to be available when you have questions and prior to year-end to review your situation with you, so that you can take the steps required to maximize your tax savings.
That is why every tax preparation engagement includes year-round access to our tax professionals and year-end tax planning, free when we have prepared your tax return for the prior year.
Below are links to this year’s tax planning letter which is mailed to all our clients along with links to planning worksheets for individuals and business. You can use these documents to help you get the most out of your tax planning consultation.
Tags: Accounting Articles, Management Tools
4 “Tricks” to a Healthier Lake!
Regularly test the water quality.
The first step in keeping your lake healthy is regularly testing the water quality. Ensure that your lake management company is testing the water before treatments.
Use algae control.
Algae is a common problem in Florida lakes, but there are methods you can use to control it. Partnering with a professional lake company is key! A lake maintenance company can put together a comprehensive plan designed specifically for your lake. Each lake is different and each HOA property might have specific goals and aesthetics they want to achieve.
Use aeration to promote healthy oxygen levels.
Aeration is essential for maintaining healthy oxygen levels in your lake. The water can become stagnant without adequate aeration, leading to low oxygen levels and an unhealthy lake ecosystem. Use a lake aerator to keep the water moving and to promote healthy oxygen levels.
Control invasive plant species.
Invasive plant species, such as cattails or water hyacinths, can quickly take over your lake and create an unhealthy environment for aquatic life. Let our lake specialists work with your HOA to help control and eradicate invasive plants/
Contact us today:
info@allstatemanagement.com or 954-382-9766
Tags: Lake Management Articles
Winter seems to be the time of year that we all think about goals. Whether it’s assessing how successful we were at achieving previously made goals or setting new milestones to achieve, the long cold nights seem to make us all reflect a little more. This time of year is also perfect for evaluating and setting long-term goals for lakes, ponds, and stormwater facilities. As aquatic resource management consultants, these goals are critical to deciding the who, what, when, where, why and how of managing each client’s waterbody.
Setting and exceeding long-term goals for freshwater resources requires the understanding and discussion of many factors. Each waterbody is unique, and each client is unique. In order not to get lost, focusing on the following five factors can make your goals measurable and, ultimately, achievable:
This question seems to be very simple, but it is deceptively complicated. For example, some people live in communities with stormwater management ponds that are the focal point of the community. Even in cases like this where pond aesthetics are important, pond maintenance services still must focus on ensuring that stormwater functions are working properly. Alternately, a drinking water reservoir is going to be managed much differently, as is a recreational lake or mill pond.
A bio-swale in a retirement community and a 300-acre lake with public access are going to have different stakeholders and decision makers. Making sure the correct people are involved in goal setting is important to consider before a pond management plan is designed. Often, there are many stakeholders with different goals for the same waterbody, so it’s important to take into account each group’s expectations when developing a lake management plan.
Just as there are different types of waterbodies, there are many different uses of waterbodies. A private farm pond can be managed for waterfowl and fish habitat. A lake association may want swimming and recreation to be the primary use of their waterbody. Deciding the primary uses of the lake, pond or stormwater facility is another primary driver of successful goal setting.
Each jurisdiction has a unique set of regulations. In order for a long-term pond management plan to work, understanding which strategies can and cannot be used is fundamental to goal setting. For example, triploid grass carp are an excellent natural aquatic vegetation management option in some states, but are illegal to stock in others. Working with a professional lake manager will help ensure that you are in compliance with any local, state or federal regulations.
Budget is often the factor in the speed at which certain goals can be attained, but it does not have to be the limiting factor in success or failure of a goal. A smaller budget can be used creatively to systematically tackle the small hurdles on the way to those bigger milestones. As a rule of thumb, practicing proactive pond management is much more cost effective than addressing water quality problems that have gotten out of hand.
A professional lake management company understands the importance of collaborating with clients to address and answer these five questions early on in the management process. From there, long-term goals that are measurable and achievable can be set. With time and patience, goals like reducing phytoplankton algae cell counts or phosphorous levels by a specified amount can be achieved.
Goal setting should begin with the first conversation. Through planning and communication, a diverse lake and pond management firm works with each client to create goals that guide the strategies and techniques applied to their unique aquatic ecosystem. Ultimately, a successful pond management program considers attainable goals, as well as the ever-changing variability of Mother Nature and our human impact.
By: Mitchell Drimmer, CAM
President, Axela Technologies
Starting next year, Community Associations (HOAs & Condos) in the U.S. will have to follow new rules. These rules are part of something called the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA). The CTA requires most Community Associations (HOAs & Condos) to share information about the people who own or control the association. This is called a beneficial ownership report. While some non-profit groups are exempt from this rule, most Community Associations (HOAs & Condos) are not.
Community Associations (HOAs & Condos) are groups that take care of neighborhoods. There is a lot of money flowing in and out of these associations and many boards of directors and even their management companies are not quite ready for this process. There are a lot of Community Associations (HOAs & Condos) in the U.S., more than 355,000 of them. They serve around 74 million people which is about 24% of the population of the United States. Community Associations (HOAs & Condos) are not exempt as they may be the perfect place to engage in money laundering for the purposes of fraud (unjust enrichment), and terrorism. The CTA was specifically established to make money laundering more difficult.
The new rule says that Community Associations (HOAs & Condos) need to provide specific information about the people who own or control the association. This includes their names, addresses, and other details. This information will be collected by a government agency called FinCEN. The goal is to make sure this information is not available to the public, but it can be used by law enforcement. There remain some questions regarding owner access to association records but as we all know Federal law overrides State laws and an association’s by-laws.
Most Community Associations (HOAs & Condos) need to report. They are considered “reporting companies” under the CTA. This means they must file the beneficial ownership report. There are some exemptions, but most Community Associations (HOAs & Condos) won’t qualify for these exemptions. This will add costs to the management of community associations and naturally will be passed through to the owners making life more expensive for community associations. Adding this to structural inspections, increased insurance premiums, and rising costs, this is not good news.
Community Associations (HOAs & Condos) need to figure out who their beneficial owners are. These are people who have control over important decisions in the HOA. It could be board members or others who influence how the HOA operates. Community Associations (HOAs & Condos) need to collect specific information about these people and report it to FinCEN. They also need to update this information if anything changes. The Board of Directors will now be scrutinized more than ever before, making it even more difficult to enjoin volunteers to run for board positions.
The new rule starts on January 1, 2024.
Existing Community Associations (HOAs & Condos) have until January 1, 2025, to file their first report.
Community Associations (HOAs & Condos) formed after this date must file within 30 days of their formation.
Community Associations (HOAs & Condos) need to understand these new rules and make sure they follow them. It’s important to collect the right information and report it on time. If they need help, they can talk to community association specialists who have studied this matter. These rules are meant to increase transparency and prevent fraud, so following them is essential.
SFPMA works throughout the State of Florida, we are a multi-member organization for the Condo, HOA and Property Management industry. Through knowledge based Articles, Events and our Members Directory, Clients find the right information to make an informed decisions for their Florida properties.