Frequently Asked Questions
We've fielded a lot of questions from concerned owners who say they're getting confusing and misleading information from certain members of the current Board.
In an effort to help combat this and provide accurate information we've developed this page of Frequently Asked Questions and answers from your Unified Board candidates.
Stay tuned as we're working hard to continue to compile the most asked questions and provide answers to concerned owners. Continue to check back often as we'll be adding new questions and answers as we receive them.
Click on each question below to see the answer to that question.
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Why can’t we wait for the Official Letter from the City of Pompano Beach for the 50 Year recertification? Why have we started work before receiving it?State law, verified by the City of Pompano Beach, states that we must submit our recertification compliance report within 90 days of receiving the recertification letter. Given we may receive that letter between June and September 2024 (but could be later), our building and garage recertification project would then need to be completed three months thereafter or not later than December 2024. There is no way to accomplish this unless we started our 12–15-month project in advance of receipt of the letter. The Pompano Beach City Building Inspector told us that starting any later than we did would have compromised getting the project done on time and would have increased the risk of obtaining our building occupancy certification. The board is being proactive, rather than reactive, in an effort to ensure the building and all owners are cared for properly.
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I heard the Association is being double-charged for items in this 50 Year Certification Project. Is this true?There have been several accusation and misunderstandings of duplicate and/or unnecessary line-item charges within PBC 50-year certification contract. There are no duplicate or unnecessary line items. Below, we've provided an explanation of several of the line items that seem to be causing confusion. If you have additional questions or would like a deeper explanation, please contact Bill Hanks, our Owners' Representative for the 50 Year Certification Construction Project. Bill will be happy to walk you through the bid sheet and answer any questions you may have. You can call Bill at (754) 233-0722 or email him at pbcownersrep@gmail.com. Please note that this phone does not accept text messages. Line Item 4 - Full Slab Repair (25% of balconies) Line Item 5 - Partial Slab Repair (75% of balconies) These line items represent the slab repair to the balconies. While line items #4 & #5 were included in alternate balcony design options #16 & #17 that was not the case for the "as-is" balcony design for line #15. Line Item 9 - Beam Repair Line Item 10 - Column Repair These are the additional beams and columns throughout the building, not related to the balconies. Line Item 11 - 8" Block Wall Demolition Line Item 12 - 8" Block Wall Construction It has been presumed that these are balcony walls, that is not the case. The balconies are constructed with 4 &6" block as well as poured concrete. The 8" block demolition and repair represents the area outside of balcony repair.
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Did all contractors who were selected to bid on the 50 Year Certification project receive the same bid package?Yes. All contractors were sent the exact same bid package. There’s been some miscommunication on this from multiple owners, but the bid packages sent to all contractors were identical. Owners can visually verify this by making an appointment at the office to see the bid packages and communications.
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Will FBS really tear down balcony walls and rebuild or will they just patch them up? And are they charging for work not being done?FBS will repair each balcony based on the scope of work provided by the Engineer. FBS was provided a scope of work for each unit (like you can see on the boards in the lobby). If additional work is required, the Engineer will inspect and confirm the requested work and provide an updated scope of work for that unit with no additional charge to the Association.
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Will all balconies get new railings or just the ones being repaired?The railings on all balconies are being replaced with new ones that are code-compliant.
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Why do we need to remove the shutters and balcony tiles in order to complete the 50-Year Recertification Project?The work we are doing is structural in nature, thus we need to identify if there’s deterioration behind the shutters and under the tiles. Thus far, there’s evidence in some units of significant deterioration behind shutters and under tiles. In one case the rebar was completely rusted out and will need to be replaced. We’ll be posting photos here later this week.
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Why do shutters have to be removed, “my balcony and surrounding concrete walls are intact”?The contractor cannot perform the balcony repairs with the shutters in-place. Therefore, the shutters must be removed. When the balcony concrete slab is repaired, re-sloped to keep water away from the building walls, and resurfaced, it is highly unlikely the old shutter will still fit the new space. For those wanting to attempt to have their shutters re-installed, the original shutters must have been permitted with City approvals and the Owner must store and reinstall the shutters at their own expense, they must be compliant with Association shutter directives, and pass the building engineer inspection. Regarding the concrete walls being intact, no one can make this assessment visually without a structural inspection.
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Why was the vote option of the balcony wall/pickets not made clear and unit owners were led to believe that they could vote against all work? Why can’t we change for the pickets now and lower our assessments?We believe the cost benefit for choosing railings was made quite clear by the Board Officers who sponsored four (4) vote opportunities for owners to lower your assessment. Instead, owners chose either to keep walls for personal preferences or listen to the three Directors who provided incorrect & misleading information and encouraged people to vote no for railings. As this 50-year contract is on a short 12-month schedule, the contractor has already made material purchases needed, so the benefit of switching to the railing & pickets no longer provides a reduction in cost.
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Did we opt for the most expensive company (FBS)? I heard we had lower bids.We didn’t opt for the most expensive company. In fact, we selected the lower costs for items of all bidders and then lowered the prices further to create a negotiation price sheet. This low-price sheet resulted in the negotiated prices we have with FBS. There was an analysis of the bids done by an owner, which was subsequently shared with other owners, however those data and assumptions are incorrect. We will publish the correct bid analysis demonstrating that we negotiated based on lowest bids and achieved the lowest cost possible for this project. In the meantime, please contact any of the Unified Board members for an explanation or fill out the form below to request a personal walk-through of the numbers.
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If a new board is elected can they stop FBS and what are the consequences?The Board has contractual authority to modify or cancel a contract for cause according to the terms of the contract. Simply wishing to cancel the contract is not considered “cause”. Given that our 50-recertification date is July, 2024, and our best-effort completion date of January 2025, any action that slows our preparation puts all owners at risk. Here are some possible consequences to a contract modification at the stage of the project: Due to the fast-track schedule pressure, any non-act of God or sanctioned delay will cause financial penalties to either Contractor or the Association. For the Association, it's $3,000 per day. If the project is descoped to a lower contract amount that results in a non-compliant 50-year recertification, the Association risks building closure and owners would be forced to move-out. If the contract is terminated, it must be terminated for cause. If that were to occur, it is very likely that the Owners would end up paying higher costs to complete the repairs due to inflation of material costs and lack of similar knowledge level for the new contractor. In addition, our building would likely not satisfy the recertification readiness schedule, creating a risk of building closure subject to decision by the court. This board has worked hard to negotiate the best and most predictable outcome for this project in an effort to ensure we meet our legal deadlines and protect Owners from financial burden due to extenuating circumstances once the construction project is underway.
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I have not yet received my vote package. How do I get it and what happens to those that are out of town/country?NOTE: The answer below was posted for questions regarding the March 12 election, which has been rescheduled to April 4. The original ballots are no longer valid, and you should have received a new ballot in the mail for the April 4 election. If you have not received your new ballot, please contact the Management Office immediately to obtain a ballot and cast your vote. OLD BALLOTS ARE NO LONGER VALID. The following answer was posted regarding the March 12 election The ballots were mailed on February 17, 2024. Due to a mistake while addressing the envelopes by an independent third-party who handled the mailing, many ballots went to the wrong address. The board and management office are working hard to ensure everyone has a ballot in time to cast their vote. IMPORTANT: Please check your email from the office for special instructions with regard to returning the ballots If you received a ballot without your name on it, please bring it to the office. Do not open it Arrangements are being made to distribute all ballots in their possession to the rightful unit owners Provisions will be made for those who have not yet received their ballots to ensure everyone has a ballot in time to cast their vote for the election
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Why do the four Board Officers not send out email replies to the texts, emails, and letters coming from the other side?The simple, straightforward answer is that the Officers feel it would be unethical for them to use the Association platform for what could be perceived as campaign purposes. As much as they would love to refute the propaganda by providing accurate information to all owners through the official Pompano Beach Club unit owner roster, they feel it's unacceptable to do so. The letters that they have officially responded to in the past were actually received by them through official channels. The more recent election campaign run by the three directors has deliberately omitted the four Officers and almost everyone known to be associated with them. In addition, they find it unethical the three directors are sending these messages, unsolicited, to unit owners' emails and cell phones. Therefore, it would be wrong for the Officers to do the same. The Officers and their running-mates have decided that staying ethical, professional, and taking the high-road is a better course of action. Our PBCS community has endured enough discord without us adding to the drama. As always, we strive to provide accurate, transparent information through noticed meetings, town halls, and official updates. In addition, we have met personally with many owners to answer their questions directly. The Officers will continue to do the right thing for our community, and they hope that you will give them and the other candidates running with them the opportunity to do so for another year.
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Are we able to negotiate better terms for the Special Assessment bank loan?The negotiations for the loan began in February of 2023. Three banks were considered: South State, Popular Bank, and Bank United. As we already had a line of credit with Popular Bank for the ELSS project (2021), the other two banks were ultimately not an option due to the fact that they would not accept a secondary position. Popular Bank’s rates were competitive with the other banks, and at the time we had a final price for the contract this was the best rate available. The loan documents allow for refinancing if interest rates decrease, and this option will be exercised if it is in the best interest of the Association.
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Many unit owners that are here seasonally have complained that upon their return their deeded parking spot was occupied and every season it repeats in that they have to complain to security and the office to have vehicles removed. Is someone renting out their spots and collecting money unbeknownst to the owners?The office does its best to ensure that only properly identified vehicles are parked in their appropriate spaces. We instituted a Towing Policy in 2022 that allows for the towing of illegally parked cars. Broward County has strict laws about towing vehicles on private property, and their regulations must be followed in order to have a vehicle legally towed. If you find someone parked in your spot, the first step is to notify the guard on duty so that a warning sticker may be placed on the car’s window. We are in the process of updating the master parking list. This will help ensure that unauthorized people do not park in owners' spaces.
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The 3 directors are claiming they are not allowed in the office and have no access to any information. Is this true?No one is denied entry into the office. Due to an unfortunate circumstance, the three directors may only come to the office individually at any point. If they want to come in as a group they need an appointment. They have access to all pertinent information that any board member would normally have access to, and they are included in relevant email communications.
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Why are the 3 directors stating that the 4 officers are not cooperating and causing division? Why can’t you all get along?Communication and cooperation is a two-way street. There is a lot of work to do to keep this building running smoothly. There have been multiple projects and opportunities for the 3 directors to help and they've refused (on record). So, in the face of this the four officers pick up the slack and work to get it all accomplished. This situation is as frustrating for the officers as it is for the owners.
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In a recent Special Assessment Meeting, a question was asked about our delinquency rates. Can those numbers be published?Our Association’s delinquency rate has decreased substantially due to the hard work of our office manager and our property manager. The current delinquency rates are as follows: Monthly HOA . . . . 4.48% ELSS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.18% Rec Center . . . . . . . 1.21% Insurance . . . . . . . . 3.53%
New FAQs will be added by January 21. Please submit any questions you have...
If you have a question for us that you'd like answered, please fill out the form below and we'll get back to you as soon as possible. And, if your question would be helpful to other unit owners we'll post your question in our FAQs.
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