There will be a Board of Directors meeting, on Thursday August 28, 2008 at 8:00p.m. on the Card-room (2nd. Floor); the agenda will be the following:  1. City Violation  2. Information about the 40 year Re-Certification. 

                                                                                                 02/15/08

 RESUTS

PRESIDENTIAL CONDOMINIUM OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC

ELECTION 02-14-08

NAMES OF CANDIDATES

44        THEODORE APRIL

93        JOSE CALDERON

94        ESTHER CASTIGLIA

29        ISABEL CORONA

108      MARIA FARMIGA

44        MILDRED FROMCHECK

100      ROBERTO GOMEZ

23        JEFF GREENBERG

18        GEORGE GUERRA

36         JOHN HARVEY 

38         B.    JOSEPHER                                                                       

11        SHERYL MARSELLA

33        KENNETH MOMAN

100      LUIS RAMUNDO

120      MIGUEL REMON

74        JOSE ROUCO                                                

24        JOYCE ROWE                                                 

                                       TRUSTEES  

52         Milli Membiela

28         Maria Ortega                                      

The Florida House of Representative’s Select Committee on Condominium & Homeowners Association Governance invites you to attend a meeting in the Nautilus Middle School on Saturday February 9th.

The committee provides oversight to the governance of condominiums, cooperatives, and homeowners associations including accounting, budgeting, audits, theft by officers and directors, elections, and access to records, the state regulation of condominiums and cooperatives by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

Nautilus Middle School is located at 4301 N. Michigan Ave in Miami Beach. The meeting begins at 10am and will close at 6pm.

Click here to see the invite from the City of Miami Beach and Speaker Marco Rublo.
Click here to learn more about the work of this committee.

January 15, 2008

Dear Unit Owners:

As we approach the end of our term, after two consecutive years of proudly serving as Board members we are taking this opportunity to enumerate some of the accomplishments of this Board. The following are only some of the many repairs and replacements we found necessary, some as a result of deferred maintenance by previous administration.

The special assessments levied did not exceed $1000 per unit owners. We were also able to offset part of the cost by using the small insurance proceeds received from claims of Hurricanes Wilma and Katrina.

• Parking lot. Cleaning of all debris neglected in the parking lots for several months after the last hurricane incident.
• Storage rooms. Cleaning of all storage rooms. All furniture, mattress, card boxes, refrigerator, etc. abandoned through the years were disposed and the rooms sanitized and painted.
• Guidelines for storage rooms. New guidelines were implemented in order to keep those rooms available to all unit owners and not only to a selective group.
• Garbage rooms. All the debris, rusted water heaters, kitchen cabinets, furniture, etc. abandoned in the garbage room located in the East side of the building were disposed. Contractors, unit owners and other residents were using that room as a junk yard and as a result the area was vulnerable to rodents, roaches, etc.
• Pest control. A new exterminator was contracted at the request of many of our unit owners and the feedback of his results is fantastic.
• Landscaping. New landscaping, from lawn to new plants, was replaced and a professional landscaper hired to upkeep the lawn and as a result improving the curve side appeal.
• Licensed Manager. Monica Sosa, from cleaning part-time and keeping the office duties part time, became a full time licensed property manager (CAM). Prior January 2006, Ms. Sosa was performing duties that require to be licensed by State of Florida Statutes. We are now in compliance.
• Additional staff. A part time staff person was hired to perform housekeeping duties taking over Ms. Sosa’s previous duties.
• Office. We extended the office hours for everyone’s convenience.
• Financial statements. The financial statements were posted on a monthly basis.
• Contractor bids. All contractor bids were available to any unit owner who wished to review them.
• Railing and fences. Railing and fences damaged by either Hurricane or weather elements, were repaired and some areas replaced accordingly.
• Saunas. Saunas became a health hazard when someone, prior our tenure, decided to varnish the interior. As a result both saunas needed to be replaced after finding the varnish could not be removed without damaging the interior cabin. Also there was a malfunction in the electric system.
• Electrical support pipes. Clamps were replaced to avoid the electric pipes falling.
• Parking area plumbing. Plumbing piping located in the second floor and first floor parking garage were replaced.
• Drains and wells. All drains in the parking lot were cleaned to avoid floods that could otherwise cause serious damages to the integrity of the building.
• Pool furniture. All pool furniture, including chair, chaise lounges, tables, umbrellas and garbage receptacles, were replaced. The existing furniture was damaged, stained and not appealing to the eyes.
• Gates. The motor of the second floor electric gate was replaced. The existing motor was beyond repair.
• Fire Alarm. There was a change order on the fire alarm system installed that required payment.
• Plumbing hangers. Plumbing hangers were installed in the 1st floor to support plumbing pipes.
• Tower doors: The doors of the fire pump and cooling tower room were replaced by new doors as per new door compliance with the building code.
• Exhaust fans. All exhaust fans were replaced with new ones and the electrical connections were installed accordingly.
• Roof repairs. A section of the roof was repair.
• Duck work and wires. Duct work and faulty wires from hurricane damage were repaired.
• Elevator cabins. The front elevators cabins were replaced by new ones. The existing elevators were infected by termite and the infestation was neglected during several years.
• Office. The old and obsolete office furniture and cabinets were replaced and the office painted.
• Technology. A new computer, fax and printer were purchased to be more in tune with the 21st Century. The Internet finally arrived at The Presidential’s office.
• CPA. A new CPA was hired. The new Certified Public Accountant is teaching Monica Sosa to utilize our Accounting software to maximize its functions. All of the individual maintenance account will now be computerized for more accountability.
• Legal. We inherited several legal issues that need to be addressed and we hired a new attorney to address these issues.
• Air Conditioning. A new contract was signed to maintain the air conditioning of the building.
• Laundry. An additional washer and dryer were installed in each floor and a better business contract with a termination date was negotiated with Coin-Match.
• Sliding doors: The tracks and wheels of the sliding doors in the individual units were replaced by new ones.
• Cable TV. A new contract with Atlantic Broadband was negotiated with a minimal increase.
• Refund of Special Assessment. The special assessment collected several years ago to installed new mail boxes was reimbursed to the unit owners, approximately ($15,000). The mail boxes were not installed and therefore this Board felt that it was only fair to give credit to the unit owners for that assessment.
• Ballots and proxies. All ballots and proxies were in accordance with the Florida Statutes and supervised by the Association’s attorney. Despite of the critics of some unit owners, the language was the appropriate and the format was approved and done by the Association’s attorney.
• Roof Antenna. Additional stipulations were incorporated to the existing contract. Unfortunately the original contract was not favorable to the Association and we are not able to renegotiate, delete or cancel the contract.
• Website. The Presidential launched a website as a result of the efforts and initiative of Mr. David Zornow, The Presidential webmaster.
• Fire Alarm: We continue arguing with A1A Alarm due to several flaws in the existing alarm system.
• Scrubbing machine. We purchased a new scrubbing machine to address the years of filth that had built up in our common halls and implemented daily cleaning with this machine.

The above are only some of the accomplishments of this Board within the last 2 years. There was no proposal considered without enough details and information. All of the contractors hired to do repairs or replacements were properly licensed and insured, and in one instance a meeting was cancelled for lack of details in the proposals.

The majority of this Board was not driven by playing politics and our purpose was not to win a popularity contest but to do what was needed, what was best for the building and therefore what was best for the unit owners well being and investment.

As we promised to the unit owners when we first ran for office the Association’s affairs were handled with an open policy, any unit owners was welcomed to review any documents except for those documents compromising the safety of the unit owners and residents.

We repeat that those are only some of the accomplishments.

We would like to thank Barry Josepher for securing a free internet service and negotiating the contract with Atlantic Broadband, Rafael Corona for his dedication and to all the unit owners who supported and assisted us along the way. There is still much more to do and the following are repairs and/or replacements that need to be addressed immediately.

• Fire Alarm: Continue the negotiations with A1A
• Staircases: Repairs to the staircases, with emphasis in the South West staircases that appear to be badly damaged.
• Pool deck. Some areas of the pool deck, especially around the swimming pool, appear to be hollow. Special attention should be given to that area.
• Concrete spoliation. Some areas of the building appear to be deteriorating.
• Routine maintenance. Exhaust fans should be periodically checked for malfunction or clogs.
• Engineer. A reputable engineer should be hired to perform an overall inspection and allows us to be ready for the 40 years inspection that is approaching.
• Plumbing. Additional replacement of pipes but those involved the bathroom situated on the second floor units.
• Tiles at the entrance. The entire area should be replaced with decorative stamped concrete and not with tiles or pavers. Tiles will not last due to the constant passing of the vehicles and pavers will get loose due to the water accumulation.
• Lobby. Remodeling of the building is recommended for esthetics.

We are encouraging you to vote but to vote for individuals who can bring to the table experience, integrity and that are running not for the power or ego trip but for the desire to improve, maintain and enhance our building. We live in one of the most desirable addresses in the world and could be the jewel of Ocean Drive. There are new names on the list of candidates and some of them should be considered. We strongly believe the Board needs fresh ideas and it is good to have a change of hands.

Thank you for allowing us to serve for two consecutive years. We did the best we could with the tools available and improved as much as we could responsibly handle.

The Board of Directors

 December 14, 2007

Dear Unit Owner:

            There was a duly legal meeting on December 13, 2007 at 8:00 p.m. for voting on a budget with reserves or a budget without reserves, and the issuance of and audited financial report.  The voting results are as follows:

RESERVES

Without                                                                                   With                                                                               

   121                                                                                            7

AUDITED FINANCIAL REPORT

NO                                                                                            YES

99                                                                                              28

            Pursuant to the duly approved budget without reserves, the new monthly maintenance fees are as follows:

                   ONE BEDROOM                    $263.55

                   DELUXE STUDIO                 $256.23

                   STUDIO                                    $246.61

            These amounts are effective as JANUARY 1, 2008.  Each unit owner will receive an un-audited financial report as mandated by State Law.

            If you have any questions, contact the office. 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

IMPORTANT NOTICE

(Due to Plumbing repairs)

Water will be shut off for the whole building

Thursday Dec 27, 2007

9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Please do not use your air conditioner

Sorry for the inconvenience!

AVISO IMPORTANTE

(Reparaciones de Plomeria)

El dia 27 de Diciembre (Jueves)

El agua de todo el edificio sera apagado

9:00 a.m. a 4:00 p.m.

Por favor no usar los aires acondicionados

Disculpenos por la inconveniencia!

THE PRESIDENTIAL CONDOMINIUM MINUTES
Date: November 28, 2007 Time: 8:00 p.m.

Present: Milli Membiela,  Maria Ortega, Joseph Aguirre, Maria Farmiga, Luis Ramundo, Roberto Gomez ,  Miguel Remon

The meeting was called in order by the president. Milli Membiela motion to approved the prior minutes, second by Maria Ortega, and passed unanimously.

Plumbing: Desmar Plumbing Contractor was chosen to change the necessary valves for the price of $8,100 subject to propose to correct six leaks and for what price, and to submit the specifications of the material to be used. Milli motion, second by Maria Ortega and passed unanimously.

Fire doors, after thoroughly inspection the majority of the doors are in good condition and the replacement of them was not necessary. Milli Membiela made a motion to do the necessary repairs of the fire doors in a job in house, second by Maria Ortega, passed unanimously.

Fire Alarm, motion by Luis Ramundo to postponed the questions of the fire alarm to a future time. Second by Ortega passed unanimously. After that the meeting was adjourned at 8:45 p.m.

Please be informed there will be an increase in your monthly maintenance. Enclosed you will find a copy of the Budget for 2008, a letter explaining the Budget and a Limited Proxy.

You must vote for the BUDGET WITHOUT RESERVES or the BUDGET WITH RESERVES. If you vote for the Budget with Reserves, your maintenance will have an additional increase.

IT IS IMPORTANT THAT EVERY UNIT OWNER TAKES AN INTEREST IN THE BUILDING. PLEASE VOTE!

LIMITED PROXY
A unit owner who cannot attend the Budget Meeting on December 13, 2007 at 8:00 P.M. may use a proxy to direct a person of his or her choice to vote for him or her as the owner directs.

The owner using the proxy must fill in ALL blank spaces. If the Proxy is not dated and signed IT WILL BE VOIDED. Proxies will be accepted by e-mail (info@presidentialsouthbeach.com) or fax (305)673-1983

We are enclosing a return envelope for your convenience. There will also be ballots available at the meeting.

If you have any questions, contact the office.

Joseph Aguirre
President

Dec 13 2007 Meeting to Vote on Budget With or Without Reserves.

Under Florida State Law, unit owners must vote every year whether to have or not have Reserves.

These particular Reserves must stay in a Reserve Account to pay the following:

• PAINTING OF THE BUILDING
• NEW ROOF
• PAVING THE PARKING LOT

If you vote for Reserves, the maintenance will increase to cover the cost of Reserves (See “Budget Without and With Reserves” below)

PLEASE NOTE
If you vote for NO RESERVES your monthly maintenance will be:

ONE BEDROOM : $263.55
DELUXE STUDIO : $256.23
STUDIO: $246.61

If you vote for RESERVES, your monthly maintenance will be:

ONE BEDROOM $282.87
DELUXE STUDIO $275.03
STUDIO $264.70

THE PRESIDENTIAL CONDOMINIUM
BOARD OF DIRECTORS

There will be a Special Assessment Meeting on November 28th to discuss plumbing, fire doors and the fire alarm system. Please mark your calendars and try to attend. If you have any questions for the boad, please click on the Comments link below.