This Is our Village

Wednesday, December 27, 2023

Updated Century Village Map

 


Click here to download the updated Century Village map.



Sunday, December 24, 2023



I would like to invite you to visit the Board Synergy Club. We formed in July with the vision that "Every board has a well-informed and capable board." One of our accomplishments in 2023 was the creation of a website for Century Village residents. The website can be viewed by clicking on this link: Board Synergy Club Webite

Our next meeting is January 4th at 1:30pm in Cardroom B in the Clubhouse.  We typically meet every Thursday @ 1:30 in the clubhouse.

One of our priorities for 2024 is implementing a voluntary Board Accreditation Process. We have found an experienced accreditation board that is excited to help us implement a Board Accreditation program here. We will work with parties with a vested interest in Century Village to develop Community Standards for all associations in Century Village. Below describes how this has been implemented in a very similar community to ours.

The primary objectives of these standards are to ensure that the Associations: 

  • act in accordance with their governing documents and with state and federal laws. 
  • demonstrate sufficient financial resources to their Owners, to potential buyers, and to the community at large in order to maintain their property and to administer their operations in a responsibly economic manner that benefits the community as a whole Condominium Associations are encouraged to apply for Accreditation to confirm that they meet the community standards. 

Accreditation Process 

  • Condominium Associations, with approval from their Boards, apply to go through the accreditation process. 
  • The Accreditation Committee then meets with the Association Board to review required documentation. 
  • Associations that do not meet the standards will be offered mentoring and assistance to remedy deficiencies in Order to achieve excellence. 
  • Associations that are accredited will receive a plaque and a certificate and recognition throughout the community via The Reporter, real estate agencies, etc. 

Advantages of Accreditation: 

  • Demonstrates that the Associations operate in the best interests of their Owners 
  • Allows Owners and potential Buyers to know that the Associations maintain sufficient financial resources and that they operate in accordance with state and federal law. 
  • Creates a more valuable community and potentially raises property values.
  • Gives Associations the privilege to advertise and affirm their strive for excellence. 
  • Creates documentation that serves as a guideline for Presidents of all Associations to realize what they should achieve and to know that they are in compliance with the standards when they have been accredited. 


Friday, December 15, 2023

Hot water heater replacemenr

WOuld like to hear from a CV WPB resident who replaced their hot water heater and had a favorable experience with the installer. IF there is such a thing LOL if so, company name and total cost would be very helpful.

Monday, December 11, 2023

West Palm's Century Village entities settle $7 million suit alleging murder could have been prevented

 

WEST PALM BEACH


              West Palm's Century Village entities settle $7 million suit alleging murder could have been prevented


Security at Century Village had pictures of a man that was believed to pose a threat to a unit owner. Yet he was allowed to enter the community, allegedly stabbing the girlfriend to death.


In addition, United Civic Organization (UCO), an umbrella organization of the more than 300 condo associations at Century Village, agreed to pay another $1 million to settle the civil case filed in Palm Beach County Circuit Court after Jenie Barbato, 63, was found stabbed to death in her condominium in September 2020.

While details of the settlement have not been disclosed in court records, The Palm Beach Post has obtained a copy of an email from the UCO insurer, AssuredPartners, to the UCO treasurer, Ed Grossman, discussing the details. In settling the case, the security company — Platinum Security Group — did not acknowledge guilt for the incident.

Century Village in West Palm Beach recently settled a lawsuit alleging that its security operation failed to keep a murder suspect out of the community

Cases like this can play badly in front of sympathetic juries so they are often settled,” said Phillip Masi of AssuredPartners in explaining why the defendants agreed to settle the case. Phone calls placed to Masi were not returned, and Grossman declined to comment. Efforts to obtain comment from attorneys involved in the civil suit were unsuccessful.

According to Masi’s email, UCO’s insurance policy will cover its $1 million payment.

Robert Murray, 58, has been charged with first-degree murder and armed burglary in the death of Barbato, who police say was stabbed 11 times. Murray's criminal trial is scheduled for May 31, 2024.

In September 2021, Melisa Grace, the daughter of Barbato, filed a lawsuit on behalf of her mother's estate accusing Platinum Security Group, UCO, Seacrest Services (a management company) and W.P.R.F., a company that oversees recreational amenities, of negligence.

According to depositions filed with the court, Platinum Security acknowledged that Murray should not have been allowed to come into Century Village. Grace, concerned that Murray might harm her mother, provided the company with pictures of Murray, requesting that he be turned away. The pictures were posted at the guardhouse.


Grace said in her deposition that that it took several days before a UCO administrator returned her calls to discuss her concerns about Murray, and the risk he posed to the community and her mother. About a month earlier, Murray punched Barbato in the face, giving her a black eye, according to her daughter’s deposition He also placed a knife to her throat.

Grace's civil complaint alleged the defendants failed to:

  • employ enough security guards

  • monitor security devices

  • guard and protect residents from “an unreasonable risk of harm”

  • implement adequate security policies

  • and properly train employees

The defendants responded to the lawsuit claiming that Barbato “knew of the existence of the danger” posed by Murray and “voluntarily exposed herself to the danger.”

Barbato's death is the first homicide reported at Century Village in West Palm Beach, according to security officials. The retirement community is home to more than 10,000 people.  


posted by Richard Handelsman



Weekly LCAM Report Dec 11, 203 By Donald Foster

Uco Operations 2023, Weekly Lcam Report by Donald Foster, December 11, 2023 by Christine Perry on Scribd

Sunday, December 3, 2023

New Stiffer State Mandates for Condo Associations

 

Florida Bill 154:

New State Requirements/Mandates

Impacting

Century Village's 309 Condo Associations



(Note: Although the bill presently applies to buildings of three+ stories, (a) predictions are that its requirements will be extended to all condo structures; (b) insurance companies want these requirements met)

  • The Bill

    (1) states that all owners of a mixed-ownership building in which portions of the building are subject to the condominium or cooperative form of ownership are responsible for ensuring compliance and must share the costs of the inspection;

    (2) orders that a building that reaches 30 years of age before December 31, 2024, to have a milestone inspection before December 31, 2024;

    (3) authorizes the local enforcement agencies that are responsible with enforcing the milestone inspection requirements the option to set a 25-year inspection requirement if justified by local environmental conditions

    (4) authorizes the local enforcement agency to extend the inspection deadline for a building upon a petition showing good cause that the owner or owners of the building have entered into a contract with an architect or engineer to perform the milestone inspection and it cannot reasonably be completed before the deadline;

    (5) permits local enforcement agencies to accept an inspection and report that was completed before July 1, 2022, if the inspection and report substantially comply with the milestone requirements; however, associations must still comply with the unit owner notice requirements, and if a local enforcement agency accepts a previous inspection as a milestone inspection, the deadline for a subsequent 10-year re-inspection is based on the date of a previous inspection;

    (6) provides that the inspection services may be conducted by a team of design professionals with an architect or engineer acting as a registered design professional in responsible charge;

    (7) states that the condominium or cooperative association is responsible for all costs associated with the inspection attributable to the portions of the building for which it is responsible under the governing documents of the association;

    (8) requires associations to give unit owners notice about the inspection deadlines, electronically or by posting on the association’s website, within 14 days after they receive the initial milestone inspection notice from local enforcement agency;

    (9) require the milestone inspector to submit a phase two progress report to the local enforcement agency within 180 days of submitting the phase one inspection report; and

    (10) clarifies that an association must distribute a copy of the summary of the inspection reports to unit owners within 45 days of its receipt.(11)requires associations to base a budget adopted on or after January 1, 2025, on the findings and recommendations of the association’s most recent SIRS;

    (12) requires reserves for the SIRS items for which the association is responsible under the condominium declaration;

    (13) clarifies that reserves for replacement costs do not need to be maintained for any item with an estimated remaining useful life of greater than 25 years, but the SIRS study may recommend a deferred maintenance expense amount for such item;

    (14) states that the SIRS recommendation must include a reserve funding schedule;

    (15) allows associations complete the SIRS simultaneously with the milestone inspection, but the associations must complete the SIRS by December 31, 2026; and

    (16) permits associations to satisfy the SIRS requirement with a previous milestone inspection, or an inspection performed for a similar local requirement, if the inspection had been performed within the previous five years. (17) And, finally, effective July 1, 2027, the bill permits condominium owners to use the mediation process in this section for specified disputes related to compliance with the milestone inspection or SIRS requirements.



Richard Handelsman.



Excerpted from https://www.flsenate.gov/Committees/billsummaries/2023/html/3187. Or simply google Florida SB154 for more details)



Weekly LCAM Report Dec 3, 2023 By Donald Foster

Uco Operations 2023, Weekly Lcam Report by Donald Foster, December 3, 2023 by Christine Perry on Scribd

Monday, November 20, 2023

 The UCO Office will be closed on Thursday and Friday, Nov 23 and 24 in observance of Thanksgiving. 


The office willreopen on Monday, Nov 27.


Happy Thanksgiving


 

Saturday, November 4, 2023

Delegate Assembly 11-3-23

 For those who missed Becker Webinar on Insurance:

 https://beckerlawyers.com/webinar-fixing-floridas-property-insurance-crisis/


Saturday, October 14, 2023

Below is a text version of the Post article about illegal construction/activities in Century Village: (https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/local/westpb/2023/10/14/are-new-investors-ruining-the-vibe-at-west-palm-beach-century-village/71079592007/) 

 Animosity at Century Village: Are investors and illegal contractor work ruining the vibe? 

Absentee landlords have been buying condos and all too often, they are using unlicensed contractors to do work without permits. 

Mike Diamond Palm Beach Post WEST PALM BEACH — 

This is not your grandfather’s Century Village. The mini-city of more than 7,000 condos and 10,000 people still has its fair share of retirees who take advantage of the multimillion-dollar clubhouse, swim in its pools, participate in its many clubs and enjoy the top-flight entertainment offered throughout the year in its theater.  
But long-time residents and management say investors have changed the demographics, ruining the camaraderie and the close-knit bonds that used to exist among residents. That camaraderie has been replaced by infighting and contentious disputes between year-round residents and absentee owners who have swooped in to buy as many condos as they can. 
 
Some owners are also using unlicensed contractors to do unpermitted work that has been so shoddy that load-bearing walls have been removed, making units unsafe to live in. Six units are currently "red-tagged," meaning that Palm Beach County building officials say no one can reside in them. Each time, a contractor removed a load-bearing wall. There were three other incidents where damage occurred, but it was not serious enough to warrant a red tag. 

 More Century Village units are being used as rentals Many investors bought condos at or about the time COVID struck. A one-bedroom unit could be had for as little as $20,000. Now many of them sell for more than $100,000 and two-bedrooms for $200,000. An ever-increasing number of renters are living in those units. One renter, upset over having to show his driver’s license to a security guard as he entered the complex, has been charged with a felony for separating the gate arm. The incident was caught on video. 

 Built in 1968, the complex lies just west of West Palm Beach in an unincorporated area of the county. The West Palm Beach Century Village was the first of four to be built in Broward and Palm Beach counties. Century Village management and board members declined to comment on the issues, but they reported on them in detail in monthly newsletters that are posted online for anyone to read. 

 Century Village to new owners, renters: You have to play by the rules 

Stew Richland, a vice president of United Community Organizations, the umbrella group that oversees the different condo building associations, wrote: “An ever-increasing number of people buying units have brought with them an attitude that they will and can do anything they want.” Richland added investors are purchasing enough units in some buildings to take control and then adopt policies that favor investors, noting: “This has led to a growing animosity by many residents toward this group.”  

In 2015, the community fought off an effort by an investor to dissolve the Sheffield O association. He had bought many of the units there. H. Irwin Levy, the founder of Century Village, entered the fray, bought out the investor and has since sold all the units the investor owned. Levy recently died at age 97. 
 
The illegal commercial activity includes: A commercial real-estate office. Makeshift car washes have been set up in parking lots. Junk cars are left in the parking lots, causing oil leaks that need to be cleaned. A grocery store, complete with a cash register and commercial shelving. Liquor was also being sold. Code enforcement cited the owner, and management ordered that it close. The incidents were all reported in the monthly newsletter published by the community. A makeshift grocery store operating out of a one-bedroom condo at Century Village in West Palm Beach. The owner was cited by code enforcement and ordered by management to shut down. 

“Our condominium units are intended for people to live in, not to be used for profitable enterprises,” said Don Foster, the director of UCO, in the newsletter. Belinda Flores, a resident of Century Village, complained to The Palm Beach Post about the incidents. “Once investors got a whiff of how cheap they could buy, they swept in like vultures after their prey. They discovered they could resell for up four times what they bought them for. Rentals are so prolific now they are changing the original idea of Century Village being a retirement community.” Flores said the investor-controlled board in her building allowed an owner recently to convert two units into one. The owner serves on the board, she noted. Another investor has bought a unit and plans to to turn it into a recovery center for people who have had surgery, according to Flores. 

Owners using unlicensed workers becoming problem at Century Village Flores lives in Stratford H. She claims unlicensed workers tunneled into the building’s foundation, compromising the building’s integrity. Two units sustained cracks in their walls and ceilings because of the work, she said. 

The Post reported in May 2022 about an incident at one of the Norwich buildings. An owner has become homeless, according to county officials, when the owner of a unit directly below his removed a load-bearing wall in 2021, causing his second floor to become unsafe as the floor sank several inches. 

Doug Wise, director of the county building division, said the problem of homeowners using unlicensed workers has been on the rise throughout the county but has been a special problem at Century Village near West Palm Beach. People need to understand that there is a real price to pay for trying to cut corners this way, he said.

"Far too often we hear horror stories like this coming out of Century Village," said County Mayor Greg Weiss. "These are preventable tragedies, and all you have to do is use common sense. Doing construction work without permits is a violation of the building code and can result in stiff penalties." Weiss said homeowners should only use certified contractors. Information is available by using the website, Myfloridalicense.com or by calling (850) 487-1395. One can also call the Palm Beach County Contractors Certification Division at 561-233-5530. 

 Richard Handelsman

Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Health Living Expo Cancelled Oct 12

The Healthy Living Expo scheduled at the Clubhouse on Oct 12, has been cancelled. 

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

BEWARE OF FAKE GEEK SQUADS

I had a bad experience yesterday (October 3, 2023).  We had a glitch with Wi-Fi and I lost my Internet connection.  I tried everything to get it back.  I have a Geek Squad account so I called them.  I had to look up their number on my smartphone and the first number I saw on Google I called, which was a huge mistake.  It looked legit because I used them many times before. I let them have access to my computer and all hell broke loose.  He got access to my Amazon account and got access to my credit card stored there and charged $690.00.  I immediately called my charge card and reported it and they are sending me a new card and noted the charge.  He also charged on Amazon a Sandisk TB Ultra microSDXC and I received it today which cost $90.  I am sending it back.

Thank God I don't store any passwords on my computer.  I changed all my passwords  I did call the real Geek Squad from Best Buy and gave them access to my computer and they showed me the difference.  The scammer still had access to my computer and running the Task Manager.  The real Geek Squad closed everything the scammer was on and cleaned and tuned up everything on my computer and I now have access to the Internet. The whole process was around 40 minutes.

The Geek Squad technician said the scammers are becoming very smart and it's easy for anyone to get scammed when they have trouble with the computer.

Please be alert so you don't have to go through the experience I had.  I am so careful and never had any virus or trojan on any computer I owned or when I worked and consider myself computer smart, but I got taken.

Sunday, October 1, 2023

Saturday, September 30, 2023

Please Read -Submitted by David Israel- UCO President - SOCIAL SECURITY PAYMENTS

 SOCIAL SECURITY PAYMENTS


If the federal government shuts down Sunday, numerous publicly funded agencies will stop work and their employees won't be paid, but Social Security checks will still go out.

Social Security is considered a mandatory program, and it isn't funded by the shorter-term appropriations bills passed by Congress and signed by the president. That means its operations and funding don't stop when the government shuts down.

That's important for a large proportion of Americans, as about 67 million people receive monthly Social Security benefits, according to the Social Security Administration. Those benefits go primarily to retirees but also to people with disabilities, as well as dependents of deceased beneficiaries. 

Medicare and Veterans Affairs benefits also continue to be distributed during a shutdown.

....................................................

Dave



 Plan for 621 townhomes on old Century Village golf course wins county's OK without opposition

A decade ago, Century Village residents fought plans to build at the shuttered Turtle Bay Country Club. This plan passed without a word of debate.

Mike Diamond Palm Beach Post

WEST PALM BEACH — The fairways of the long-ago shuttered golf course at Century Village near West Palm Beach will soon be home to 621 townhomes.

Palm Beach County commissioners Thursday approved D.R. Horton’s plans to build the townhouses on 57.3 acres adjacent to the Southampton condominium buildings at Century Village. The approval happened with no debate among commissioners and no public testimony opposing the plan.

The project on the former site of the Turtle Bay Golf Club is expected to be completed within two years.

None of the current county commissioners were in office when a different owner sought approval 10 years ago for a more intense project that called for an assisted-living facility, a civic center, 84,500 square feet of shops and offices and nearly 700 residences. A deeply divided county commission voted 4-3 to approve the plans; residents, who packed the commission chambers objected to the plans and threatened a lawsuit.

Reflection Bay project smaller than version proposed decade ago

The parcel's owner at that time, Andrew Waldman, never moved forward with his plans. In July 2022, D.R. Horton and an affiliate of Kolter Group paid $36.9 million for the parcel, and then scaled back what would be built and worked closely with Century Village to obtain support.

They agreed to improve the drainage system in and around the proposed development, benefitting Century Village. The result was an endorsement from the United Civic Association, an umbrella organization for the numerous condominium associations within the 7,854-residence, senior-citizen complex.

The development, known as Reflection Bay, will not be age restricted. School officials estimate that it will generate about 151 public school students, 45 of them at Palm Beach Lakes High School. The additional students there are expected to put student enrollment over capacity.

Reflection Bay will be built on the southwest corner of Century Boulevard and Haverhill Road, about 630 feet north of Okeechobee Boulevard. It will have a 4-acre recreation area. Prices are expected to range between $166,000 and $308,000.

The Reflection Bay subdivision is vacant commercial land adjacent to Century Village west of Haverhill Road in unincorporated Palm Beach County, Fla. It was once home to Turtle Bay Golf Course. Since the course closure more than a decade ago, nature has reclaimed the land with vegetation growing wild on the property. 

D.R. Horton must comply with the following conditions:

Construct a southbound left-turn lane on Haverhill Road

Separate its townhomes from the four-story condo buildings at Century Village by creating buffers

Provide 24 workforce housing residences

(for photos and map, either google Reflection Bay West Palm Beach or copy and paste URL below:

https://news.google.com/articles/CBMimgFodHRwczovL3d3dy5wYWxtYmVhY2hwb3N0LmNvbS9zdG9yeS9uZXdzL2xvY2FsL3dlc3RwYi8yMDIzLzA5LzMwL3Rvd25ob21lcy1va2QtZm9yLXNodXR0ZXJlZC1jZW50dXJ5LXZpbGxhZ2UtZ29sZi1jb3Vyc2UtbmVhci13ZXN0LXBhbG0tYmVhY2gvNzA5OTEwMjUwMDcv0gEA?hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen

Click on this link for detailed :82 page Kolter Reflection Bay proposal:

https://discover.pbcgov.org/pzb/Zoning/Hearings-Meetings-BCC/02%20DOA-2022-0119%20Southampton.pdf

Richard Handelsman

Friday, September 22, 2023

UCO Office Closed Sept 22

The UCO Office is closed today. It will reopen on Monday at 9a.

Sunday, September 17, 2023

Weekly LCAM Report September 18, 2023 By Donald Foster

Uco Operations 2023, Weekly Lcam Report by Donald Foster, September 17, 2023 by Christine Perry on Scribd

margin: 12px auto 6px auto; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none; display: block;"> Uco Operations 2023, Weekly Lcam Report by Donald Foster, September 17, 2023 by Christine Perry on Scribd

Tuesday, September 5, 2023

PBC Fire Inspectors

 FIRE SAFETY INSPECTIONS- PBC Fire Inspectors have begun inspecting all CV residential properties. These inspections will include fire extinguishers, emergency EXIT lights, walkways, staircases, laundry rooms, storage rooms, and elevators. CV Property Managers have been notified of these inspections, but CV Association Directors might also want to take a walk around their buildings, and check for conditions that would result in a Notice Of Violation from the Fire Department. Here are some examples of what to look for:


  • Fire extinguishers: annual inspection tag, storage box.

  • Emergency EXIT signs: not cracked, light up when tested.

  • Walkways: keep clear; no chairs, bicycles, garden gnomes.

  • Stairways: keep clear; no loose handrails.

  • Under stairways: no bicycles, shopping carts, grills. 

  • Propane or any other combustible fuels: no storage in or near the building. 


CV Property Managers can help with getting possible violations straightened out. 

Thursday, August 31, 2023

UCO Office Closed For Labor Day Sept 4

 The UCO office will be closed on Monday, September 4 in Observance of Labor Day. 


Office will reopen at 9a on Tuesday, Sept 5.

NOTICE OF CLOSURE, CV CLUBHOUSE

 PAVING WORK AT CV CLUBHOUSE- W.P.R.F. Vice President Eva Rachesky advises us of the following:

 

“Starting next Wednesday, 9/6, the milling/paving of the Main Clubhouse roundabout will begin and breaks down as follows:

 

Wednesday, 9/6, 7:30 AM:  The milling work will be done, followed by the paving. The Clubhouse will be closed on this day.  A Security station will be set up at the bridge, as Clubhouse Island will also be closed off to all vehicular/pedestrian traffic on this day. This will include bus traffic, which will be rerouted.

 

Thursday, 9/7, 9:00 AM: The striping will be applied and the parking lot and Clubhouse will reopen by 12:00 PM

 

The above schedule is subject to change, due to possible weather events (rain).