February 2018. We celebrated the 40th anniversary of our condo community on February 23rd. At the time of our usual Friday evening Cocktails by the Pool thirty owners and friends participated. There was much reminiscing among the many long-term owners present. None of the original owners remain, and unfortunately, our longest-term owners ... Norm and Ginny Schock ... could not be here. But their heart-felt e-mail to their neighbors was read to all present. The longest-term owners at the celebration were Joe and Carolyn Dawson. Also present were Mike and Jo Martin who rented here back in 1979 when the building was practically new ... and many times since. A good time was had by all. See photos from the celebration below.

September 2017: Hurricane Irma hit Florida with all its fury. Fortunately Fort Myers Beach was just west of the "eye of the storm" ... leaving us with a minor storm surge and lower velocity winds. Our building itself withstood Irma with no damage whatsoever ... and the damage to common property was minimal. Such damage was limited to the following: the beach stairs were destroyed; some sod along the seawall was washed out; the scraggly palm near our front entrance was wind-whipped beyond recovery; several exit signs and outdoor lighting fixtures were lost to the wind; and a small piece of rain gutter was blown away. See photos below.

We have relatively few units in our building that are primarily held for purposes of rental. Historically we have found most renters to be good and interesting neighbors and they and the owners of rental units to be generally observant of our Condo Rules. Unfortunately, recently the rental agent employed by two owners has been repeatedly in violation of several of our rules. These infractions involved unauthorized changes to Common property, violation of our water shut-off rules, and failure to provide mandated renter information. Legally, our Association's recourse is only through the owners of those units ... remember, you are responsible for the acts of your agents, guests, and renters. This situation has been addressed by your Board, and the owners have formally been put on notice of the negligence of their agent and the possible repercussions they face for continued negligence.

In one instance, the main water shut-off was left on by the agent's cleaning personnel in an unoccupied unit. A defective toilet in that unit allowed 50,000 gallons of water to pass directly to the sewer system before the problem was found. That cost our Association about $600 in excess water/sewer expenses, though no physical damage was involved ... meaning it cost each and every one of us about $25. To make it explicit that the unit owner is responsible for such negligent excess costs in the future, even when no physical damage is involved, your BoD amended our Rules and Regulations. Check out the Condo Docs page of this website to view the changes.

So to all owners, consider this incident a reminder and a warning ... shut-off water at the main valve in your unit if the unit will be unoccupied for more than 24 hours. Thank you.

Every 7 or 8 years we give our building a really good facelift. The painting was completed in October 2015, and the building looks great ... especially the new sea-green highlights on the Estero Boulevard side. In addition to the obvious ... all necessary concrete structural repairs and paint ... with the concurrence of owners all windows and other openings were recaulked using high-quality materials that are expected to last as long as the paint. Also, first floor service doors were replaced, and all doors were painted with the new sea-green trim color. Though concrete repairs were less extensive than originally thought, seven units were inconvenienced by that work. The structural repairs were done under the supervision of a licensed Professional Engineer. In all seven units, it was necessary to also replace the lanai enclosures and screens.

In anticipation of large expenditures for stuctural concrete work, your Board authorized a Special Assessment to supplement our Painting Reserves, payable in two parts. The first half was paid by our owners, but after the concrete work was completed it was clear that the second half of the assessment would not be required. Therefore the BoD rescinded that part of the assessment. In preparing this year's budget, much of the paid-in assessment was placed in the Painting Reserves fund, allowing us not to have an increase in Common Charges again in 2016. A few thousand dollars was left from the paid-in part of the assessment, and it was decided to use these funds in four areas to complete our beautification efforts.

Many of the building's lighting fixtures on the balconies were approaching their useful lifetime. Rather than repainting the pitted metal bases of the lamps, they were replaced. Thanks to owners who volunteered to install them, as a result the cost of this part of the project was low. It was completed in January. Another piece of the effort concerned lanai screens. The screens of seven units were replaced out of necessity during the concrete repairs. In fairness to all owners, and to improve the uniformity and appearance of the gulfside of our building, lanai screens were replaced for all other owners desiring replacement. This work was completed in February.

The pool area fencing also was reaching it's useful lifetime, with several of the poles badly rusted and unsightly. Before, the fences could be replaced, the gulfside portion was knocked over during a January storm. At our Annual Meeting, owners expressed a preference for replacing the entire pool area fence with similar chain-link fencing. This work was finally completed in March, after a long delay in issuing permits.

Finally, a few minor things are being put off until after the summer. The lighting fixtures under the building and the illuminated "EXIT" signs will be replaced as needed. Also, a few rusted outside lamp posts will be replaced. New umbrellas will be purchased for the tables in the pool area. Lastly, the plastic chairs in the pool area, many of which are getting fragile due to sun exposure, will be replaced.

The resolution was approved by a vote of 16-5, with one invalid vote and two owners not voting.