Budget Input Workshop on Aug 28 at 5:00 PM at FOP. See details at Budget Input Workshop

Comments (5)

  1. Michael Tranchina

    I agree with all the comments above. Although I have no first-hand experience with the Board or the ARB, I can see that the ARB and the process to build in SL has become a nightmare…I have decided to NOT BUILD until things dramatically change. Dave is spot on regarding HOAs and Home Values. We live in Palm Beach County, and I can tell you without exception, every single acreage we have looked at within an HOA is priced considerably LOWER than similar lots that are NOT ruled by an HOA. People are FED UP with over-reaching tyrannical leaders. Nobody wants to invest their hard earn dollars into a property and not have the freedom to do what they want (within reason).

    HOA and ARB’s forget that they work FOR the residents. They are not in POWER to micromanage and control every aspect of properties.

    Please list the folks and/or provide insight for anyone running for the BOD who are like-minded and who will make it their mission to reign-in the over-reaching ARB.

  2. Dave and Cindy Dyal

    Thank you, Jim for your posting and experience. Unfortunately, things are not working for the residents and future residents. For those not living here yet and own property that you may be holding for future use or investment, there is a reason there are so many folks running for the new board. Essentially, it’s not the board itself that is the problem, but their failure (or perhaps complicity?) to rein in the ARB and its tyrannical behavior. There are contractors that refuse to build here. Others will build but will charge a premium and others will build but the homeowners are required to deal with the ARB and its machinations. So, for those of us experiencing problems or will experience problems in the future, we feel a new board will have the courage to appoint an entirely new ARB with a more cooperative nature and far less acrimonious attitude toward neighbors. Please consider your votes as your investment in your homes and property — because it certainly has impact. While some argue that an aggressive ARB maintains our property values, it can also be legitimately argued that an aggressive ARB can adversely impact those same values. Look at advertisements for homes and properties where No HOA is a selling point. Yep, that’s a real thing for folks who lived under the tyranny of Condo Commandoes and do not want to live under that tyranny again.

    As Jim noted, this is not personal — but is all business. Love our neighbors, but perhaps not as HOA officers who appoint the ARB members or who file complaints against their neighbors.

  3. Diana and Todd Reed

    Agree 100% Jose. One example I can share personally ……it took the ARB 4 months to approve our backyard landscape plan that we submitted after our seawall was completed. We weren’t able to complete our landscaping until March 2022 after we submitted to the ARB in August of 2021. This caused us time and money not to mention the fact that our poor neighbors had to look at dirt and a silt fence for close to 7 months. And yes, for anyone that is wondering……our submission was 100% in compliance with the ARB guidelines.

  4. Jose & Mariana Rodriguez Fabiani

    Jim here is the nut shell some rules were written vaguely and may be up to your interpretation which can also be rewritten to be suitable in our community the same way addition are made. I hear that it takes a lot of time to do the job so it will be better if the members of the board think about what time they want to allow from the day for the duty prior to taking charge. The ARB process is too slow and non responsive in my opinion.

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