community association presidents Tag Archives

The firm’s latest Miami Herald “Real Estate Counselor” column was authored by partner Marc A. Smiley and appears in today’s edition of the newspaper. The article, which is titled “Harassment Reports, Video Voyeurism by Association Presidents Highlight Need for Vigilance,” focuses on the takeaways for community associations and their owner members from two recent cases of horrific behaviors by association and co-op presidents. Marc’s column reads:

. . . The first report by South Florida’s Local 10 News focused on the president of a co-op building who was caught on camera verbally abusing a resident. Larry Reinfeld, the president of Building V in Ro-Len Lake Gardens in Hallandale Beach, has since been hit with a restraining order barring him from having any contact with a resident or coming within 5 feet of her apartment.

Two videos of Reinfeld’s behavior were shared with the station’s reporter. In one, he is seen calling a resident a profane name as she walks by him, asking her if he is blocking the walkway. Dispatch records show she called police after Reinfeld allegedly asked her as she walked to her car: “Are you paranoid enough?”

Residents told the reporter that such behavior is not unusual for Reinfeld. One says she brought it to the attention of the building’s vice president, who told her she should just keep her door shut and her blinds closed.

“I even put it in writing to the association, and they did nothing,” she states.

A well-functioning community association board requires dedicated directors who are all doing their part to help make their enclave the best it could possibly be. Each of a board’s members and officers, which generally include the president, vice president, treasurer and secretary, play vital roles and make essential contributions to the administrative and financial wellbeing of their association.

With that in mind, the office which is often perceived to be most important is that of the association president. While the individual serving in such capacity may not cast a vote having a greater weight than other directors or officers, the president may set the tone for a well operated community or for one that leaves room for improvement.

Firstly, the president is generally required to sign many legal documents and official association records such as new amendments and contracts. As such, they should be very involved in the work that goes into the development of all the important documents and records, so they know exactly what they are signing – and so as to possess individual knowledge as to the purpose and consequence of each in order to be able to respond to any potential member inquiries about them.

Additionally, while the oversight of association budgetary and financial matters primarily goes to the treasurer, the president is usually very much involved in all major financial matters and often plays a lead role in vetting and approving any emergency expenses that may arise. That is one of the reasons why successful community association presidents should be versatile, possess a broad knowledge of association concerns, and be able to dedicate the time necessary to focus on such tasks.

Articles Tagged with community association presidents

Firm’s Latest Miami Herald Real Estate Column: “Harassment Reports, Video Voyeurism by Association Presidents Highlight Need for Vigilance”

Characteristics of Great Community Association Presidents