October 26 General Meeting and November 17 HOA Board minutes have been posted
I could not resist posting this excellent article in today's Sentinel. Our declaration of covenants, conditions, restrictions, reservations and easements for Conway Landings were established in 1989. Many of the orginal owners are still living here and agree with these values . New owners know when they purchase a home in Conway Landings that it is an HOA and that by Florida Statue the board of directors are required to enforce all the rules. (Note Conway Landings HOA allows bahia grass and Florida friendly landscaping.)
Mike Minear, President orlandosentinel.com/news/os-beth-kassab-hoa-rules-101112-20121010,0,1907203.column OrlandoSentinel.com HOA rules aren't made to be broken Beth Kassab Local News Columnist 8:15 PM EDT, October 10, 2012 Renee Parker was tired of the water bill and aggravation that came with maintaining a lawn of St. Augustine grass. Last year she let the grass die and began replacing it with hardier plants that can survive off rain, including Argentine Bahia grass. That seemingly simple act was a lot more than a hard day's yardwork. It was the opening salvo in the latest homeowner-vs.-homeowners association dispute to make headlines in Florida. Bahia grass isn't permitted in Summerport, Parker's neighborhood in west Orange County near Windermere. She planted it anyway, and now the association is suing her. A local environmental activist said the Parker family is being "bullied by their homeowners association for converting to Florida-friendly landscaping." That's how these stories typically go. The big, bad HOA is accused of intimidating, tormenting or otherwise oppressing the little homeowner who just wants to build a basketball court behind the garage. Or install a 13-foot flagpole to fly the American flag. Or display five pictures of nude women in the front yard. These are all real examples. We're supposed to sympathize with the homeowner whose athleticism, patriotism or artistic expression is being quashed by the HOA. We're supposed to wring our hands about the unfairness of it all and demand an exception to the rules. But when you step back from the emotional appeal of these stories, you're left with a renegade homeowner who is flouting rules that are in place for a very important reason. HOAs protect our property values. They maintain flowers in the medians and make sure the playground or the tennis court is kept clean. They make sure your neighbor doesn't construct a 10-foot tribute to Elvis on his lawn. "I characterize them as mini-democracies," said Pete Dunbar, a Tallahassee lawyer who wrote the book on HOAs ("The Law of Florida Homeowners Associations," now in its ninth edition). "You have bought this property with the knowledge of what the rules are, and you are expected to follow the rules." His sober reasoning makes the whining seem even more shrill. If you buy a house in a place governed by a set of rules, and you don't bother to learn what those rules are, then you really can't blame anybody but yourself. If you haven't done this, call your HOA and request a copy today. And keep in mind, when your HOA board denies your basketball hoop, it's probably not because board members hate basketball. It's because the hoop is against the rules. And unless the rules are changed, the boards are obligated to enforce them consistently. If they don't, then all of the rules become meaningless, and suddenly your neighbor is no longer prohibited from building his giant tribute to Elvis. And who wants that? So when Parker thumbed her nose at her HOA and planted her Bahia grass, she risks allowing other neighbors to do whatever they like as well. Parker says she has the law on her side because Florida prohibits HOAs from preventing homeowners from using water-conserving landscaping. Her concern for our resources is admirable. We should all be doing more to conserve water. But Doug Stafford, a vice president on the Summerport association, says that while the board prohibits Bahia, it allows zoysia grass. He says that is a good alternative to water-and-fertilizer-hogging St. Augustine. Eventually a court will decide. The problem is that stories like this tend to perpetuate the belief that HOAs are dictatorships. You might have a different view when your neighbor decides to park his 40-foot motor home in the driveway. [email protected] or 407-420-5448 Copyright © 2012, Orlando Sentinel Grass Clippings Rule 3.6.4 Waste Container Storage. Garbage cans, supplies, yard debris, rubbish and trash, or other similar articles shall not be stored or permitted in front of the residence or in any area on the exterior of the dwelling or property.which is visible to the public from ground level from the front of the property. Garbage cans,yard debris and other trash to be picked up shall be put at curbside not earlier than the evening before the scheduled pickup. Garbage cans and recycling bins shall be removed from curbside by the end of the pickup day. After mowing please either sweep up grass cllippings off street, gutters, sidewalks or blow them back on to the lawn. (good mulch material) . This will help keep our storm drains clear, and community looking good. Violation notices will be issued to owners that fail to comply. Conway Landings has lost a good neighbor!Our hearts were saddened with the news of the passing of Michael Carbenia, husband of HOA Board Director, Sherie Carbenia. Cards can be sent to 4580 Conway Landing Dr, Orlando, Fl 32812. Mike fought a tough battle with Pancreatic Cancer and contributions may be made to www.pancan.org.
Parking Reminder and please advise your guests.
Several owners have noted cars parked in front of their mail boxes. Please do not park in front of mail box. We would like to hear from you, any suggestions for the board or this site is appreciated. |
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