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Community Officers Association of Singer Island, Inc.
Official Meeting Minutes for April 16, 2016
Martinique II, Singer Island
Meeting came to order at 9 a.m.
President Michael Sloser was present and presided. He thanked the Martinique for hosting the meeting and announced the start of this, the annual meeting. Transcriber did roll call of communities in attendance.
President Sloser announced that two COASI directors have resigned—Vice President David Cross moved to North Carolina while Treasurer Diane Simon moved to New Mexico. Secretary Sandy Frauenheim was in attendance.
He then called up Diana DiMeo to read nominees for the board, who made remarks and asked if there were any nominations from the floor. There were none.
She announced the new board: Sloser remained president, while Bill Contole is the new vice president and Bob Gonstead is to be the treasurer. Sloser said the two men are among the most experienced people he knows and they have always been supportive of COASI. In exchange for their service, President Sloser said he has agreed to serve on SICA. This is the best thing for Singer Island, he said, to work together for the good of the community.
President Sloser then talked about the upcoming municipal runoff scheduled for May 17. Your vote, he told the members, is vitally important. He urged them to vote and to urge their neighbors to vote. They can vote at the Palm Beach County courthouse in Palm Beach Gardens, by absentee, or on Election Day at Phil Foster Park.
David Cross had told him about someone willing to volunteer to keep the COASI website updated, President Sloser said, and introduced her, Patti Murphy Dohn from Sugar Sands. That’s the kind of spirit we need to really help COASI move to the next level, he said.
He then introduced Randy Sherman, Riviera Beach’s finance director, who, Sloser said, will explain how Riviera Beach spends our money.
Sherman began at 9:12 a.m. with his background, which includes 33 years in municipal government. He is the retired finance director of Manchester, New Hampshire, and worked 5 years in West Palm Beach before coming to Riviera Beach.
He began with this: Riviera Beach is a gem; there’s so much opportunity here, he said. What we really need to do is polish this diamond. Cash is not the issue; the city has plenty of money, it’s got an A+ credit rating, which allows us to access the financial markets that is helping to pay for infrastructure projects that are going on now, he said.
He went on to detail the city’s $65.1 million budget for this fiscal year, explaining that 57 percent of it came from property taxes—36 percent of which comes from Singer Island. FPL pays 26 percent of property taxes and the next largest category is other taxes—sales, business—that total 17 percent.
The number one focus of spending: public safety. Police and fire together account for 43 percent of the operating budget, he said.
He provided more detail, about spending by other departments, new equipment that’s been purchased, public works projects, debt, pension plan costs, the CRA’s slice of the city budget.
The questions and answers began, including: Is there a rainy day fund (yes, which is required by the City Charter, Sherman replied); Are the city’s pensions funded (yes); Why is Riviera Beach’s millage high compared to other cities (be careful about comparing apples to oranges); Any ideas how to lower millage (bring up overall property values, increase homeownership).
Sherman finished at 9:45 a.m.
President Sloser thanked him for attending.
He then announced that Secretary Sandy Frauenheim is leaving the board at the end of the year.
President Sloser called up City Council Chair Dawn Pardo, who thanked Sherman for his leadership and then talked about the District 1 special runoff election, providing background on the fact of this, the second runoff, including the fact there will be no City Council meetings until after the runoff election on May 17. She reminds everyone to vote.
Discussion continued about the importance of voting May 17.
Draga Lindblom came up next to explain voting options.President Sloser then talked about what the Martinique is doing—an e-blast to condo owners, including those out of town—to get out the "we’ve-got-to-vote" message.
Several members then rose to express the importance of voting and getting people to the polls.
Chair Pardo finished at 10:13 a.m.
President Sloser thanked her for her service, then turned to the Treasurer’s Report. There is $4,834.80 in the bank. There is no New Business, he said, and no Old Business.
He reiterated developments—new COASI board members, Patti Murphy Dohn working on the COASI website—and that there’s still one position open on the board, secretary.
Have a great summer, he said, as he closed the meeting.
Meeting ended at 10:14 a.m.
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Community Officers Association of Singer Island, Inc.
Official Meeting Minutes for January 24, 2015
Eastpointe I, Singer Island
Meeting came to order at 9 a.m.
Vice President Nels Carlson was present and presided. Upon roll call by Vice President Carlson, Director Diane Simon and Treasurer Diana DiMeo were present, President Sloser excused Quorum met.
Vice President Carlson asked for approval of the November 15, 2014, meeting minutes. Treasurer DiMeo made motion to approve the minutes. Second by Director Simon. Unanimous vote, 3-0.
Vice President Carlson then asked for the treasurer’s report. Treasurer DiMeo said the organization has $4439.62 in its account.
Riviera Beach City Councilwoman Dawn S. Pardo discussed changes in the city. She spoke about the Inspector Generals audit report and the findings in the report
Again, Councilwoman Pardo discussed the issues with Ocean Mall.
She pointed out that one problem with leasing at Ocean Mall is the very limited parking; the City can’t expect full build-out with the parking situation. In response, the CRA bought the former Buddy’s Café and Max and Eddie’s restaurant to use for overflow parking
2. Coastal Construction Moratorium. Councilwoman Pardo said the proposed zoning code changes went before the Planning & Zoning BoardShe’s seeking engineers to sit on a committee she wants to form to make sure that what’s being proposed is OK.
3. Property on west side of A1A. Councilwoman Pardo urged the audience to write to DEP and copy the City if they see anything unusual or problematic happening on the properties. She is convinced there will be lawsuits. There is already a lawsuit related to the Taylor property.
Councilwoman Pardo then closed, answered a few questions and left the meeting.
Vice President Carlson introduced Bill Worrell of First Service. Bill spoke on reserves , their importance and the intricacies involved in reserves. How they are related to property value, monthly assessments, special assessments. He answered questions.
Bill Worrell said he would email the board a handout of his presentation to have available for the February meeting.
Vice President Carlson asked if there was any old business; there was none.
The February meeting was announced for February 21st at Sugar Sands Condominium
Treasurer DiMeo made motion to adjourn.
Meeting adjourned at 10:35 a.m.
Community Officers Association of Singer Island, Inc.
Official Meeting Minutes for November 15, 2014
Corniche Condominiums, Singer Island
Meeting came to order at 9 a.m.
President Michael Sloser was present and presided. Upon roll call by President Sloser, Vice President Nels Carlson, Director Diane Simon and Treasurer Diana DiMeo were all present. Quorum.
President Sloser introduced Don McKinnon, the board secretary of the Corniche, and announced that David Cross, COASI secretary, had resigned over the summer. Mr. Cross was at the meeting and thanked members for the privilege of serving for the last 6 to 8 years. He suggested that someone from amongst them should volunteer to take his place.
President Sloser asked for approval of the October 18, 2014, meeting minutes. Treasurer DiMeo made motion to approve the minutes. Second by Director Simon. Unanimous vote, 4-0.
President Sloser then asked for the treasurer’s report. Treasurer DiMeo said the organization has $3,740 and change in its account.
President Sloser pointed out a change in the agenda: Riviera Beach City Councilwoman Dawn S. Pardo had a scheduling conflict and needed to leave early. He introduced Councilwoman Pardo.
1.Councilwoman Pardo began by discussing the Ocean Mall. The City has been working with GFS, which owns the Ocean Mall lease. GFS has signed 3 new tenants—a bagel shop, a restaurant and a real estate office that will be located above Wings on the second floor.
She pointed out that one problem with leasing at Ocean Mall is the very limited parking; the City can’t expect full build-out with the parking situation. In response, the CRA bought the former Buddy’s Café and Max and Eddie’s restaurant; both were demolished this week and the plan is to build a parking garage. The contract is currently out for bid. The open space will be used for surface parking until the garage is built. She said she expects the lot to be paved in January or February of 2015.
There has also been negotiations with GFS about the south end of Ocean Mall, she said, where it had once been proposed for a hotel, with City staff recommending use of the space for parking. Councilwoman Pardo said a plan should be presented to the City Council in December or January.
Once all this happens, she said, we should see real movement at the Ocean Mall.
2. Coastal Construction Moratorium. Councilwoman Pardo said the proposed zoning code changes went before the Planning & Zoning Board, but full discussion of the item was postponed until the December 11 meeting because of some “surprise” changes made by City staff shortly before the meeting. The changes allowed uninhabitable structures—such as swimming pools—in the area back to the old 1979 line. She’s seeking engineers to sit on a committee she wants to form to make sure that what’s being proposed is OK.
3. Property on west side of A1A. Councilwoman Pardo urged the audience to write to DEP and copy the City if they see anything unusual or problematic happening on the properties. She is convinced there will be lawsuits. There is already a lawsuit related to the Taylor property.
4. Channel Dredge. Councilwoman Pardo said she’d been working for nearly 7 years on having the Intracoastal Waterway channel dredged to allow access to mega-yachts. It is one of several issues she’s focused on—including coastal erosion, A1A redo, getting the Ocean Mall and Marina moving—that has finally been successful.
Now, the approval will allow for a ¾-mile dredge from the NW turn of Peanut Island down to 20th Street—allowing Rybovich to develop its property; it is making a $100 million investment in the City, with the attendant increase in jobs and the tax base. It will also allow Lockheed Martin to bring in Navy ships and will definitely raise the City’s profile.
5. Viking’s Maritime Academy. The boat builder plans to make a $3 million investment to build a larger, 2-story high school in the City and attract more students—especially those in Riviera Beach. She says she committed to helping so that more City residents can get the good jobs provided via the maritime industry. It will be located on the current space.
6. Mingle & Jingle. Councilwoman Pardo pointed out that she is hosting her 10th annual Christmas Toy Drive but that, this year, she plans to focus on reading and learning. That’s because she learned over the summer that 3 of the City’s 4 elementary schools, plus its 1 middle school, have failing or near-failing grades and very poor reading scores. She wants to fight that. She urged audience members to contribute to the drive and to allow donation boxes to be placed in their condo lobbies.
Councilwoman Pardo then closed, answered a few questions and left the meeting.
President Sloser pointed out that COASI has put together a sample letter to send to government agencies related to the Taylor and Lozman properties.
President Sloser then introduced Ken Direcktor, attorney with Becker & Poliakoff, with a remark about tax responsibilities for rentals.
Mr. Direcktor began to discuss the most-recent state legislative session as one that did not have much about condo and association law. One topic, which he discussed at length, had to do with the right of access to units that have been abandoned. The legislature amended the item, now allowing access in certain situations and as long as certain requirements are met.
Most of his discussion was a back-and-forth, question-and-answer with COASI members. There were questions about, among other things, insurance statutes; common elements; document declarations; casualty v. negligence v. wear-and-tear; how to force owners to carry casualty insurance; requirements when publishing directories; and understanding when emails become public records.
Mr. Direcktor finished his remarks.
President Sloser asked if there was any old business; there was none.
President Sloser then asked if there was any new business. Treasurer DiMeo said yes—noting that it was President Sloser’s birthday and then had a surprise: the transcriber brought out a small cake with lighted candle! The audience sang ‘Happy Birthday’, which was followed by a red-faced, but warm, thank you from President Sloser.
President Sloser announced there is no meeting in December and asked for a motion to adjourn.
Treasurer DiMeo made motion to adjourn.
Meeting adjourned at 10:38 a.m.
Minutes of the April 5, 2014 Meeting
of the Community Officers Association of Singer Island
A meeting of the Community Officers Association of Singer Island was held at the Dolcevita Condominium, 151 South North Ocean Drive, Palm Beach Shores, Florida, on Saturday April 5, 2014
Call Meeting to Order: President Mike Sloser called the meeting to order at 9 a.m. Board members:
Nels Carlso, David Cross, Diana DiMeo and Diane Simon are all present.
Proof of Notice: Notice was sent out as required.
Riviera Beach Councilman Terence ‘T.D.’ Davis, made a presentation about American Cancer Society ‘Relay for Life’ event, which is a partnership fundraiser with the City. Event is scheduled for May 9-10, 2014, at Suncoast High School’s football field. He says event is seeking volunteers and teams to participate.
President Sloser reminded members that he works with the Beaches Coalition and on April 26 Congressman Patrick Murphy will visit Singer Island for a meet-n-greet and discussions about beach re-nourishment at the federal level. Four locations are already scheduled; COASI will email members with those locations.
Mike Sloser mentions a new magazine, Taste of Singer Island. He brought in copies for viewing. The magazines are available for condo distribution. Email COASI to get contact information for receiving the magazine.
He then calls for a board vote to approve the minutes. Unanimous vote, 5-0.
President Sloser asks for the treasurer’s report.
Treasurer’s Report: Diana DiMeo stated that there is $3,496 in the treasury; she is still awaiting payment of a few more annual dues.
Keynote speaker, County Commissioner Hal Valeche read through a prepared list of issues and topics (see attached comments, below) that are of interest to residents of his District 1 including his own personal views. Topics include beach re-nourishment; western development; traffic; impending retirement of senior county staff, including County Administrator Weisman; agricultural production in the Ag Reserve; cost analysis of spring training; and redevelopment of the Riviera Beach Marina.
Questions from COASI members were far-ranging, including: plans for the Panama Hattie’s site in PBG; cities’ lawsuits against the County re the Inspector General’s office; the county sheriff’s budget; expansion of the Port of Palm Beach; breakwater studies; and rehabilitation facilities and sober houses.
Palm Beach Shores Vice Mayor Koutzen began her remarks by saying the town is in great shape financially. The town also: won a negotiation with Marriott, which was seeking a 40 percent reduction in its taxes through the County Appraiser; beat by six percent the state guideline for fund balance as part of its annual budget; has a top-notch volunteer public safety department, even with an interlocal agreement for these services with Riviera Beach; recently approved construction of three condominiums on town’s south end; and is considering infrastructure improvements, including the burial of some overhead power lines.
Riviera Beach Councilwoman Dawn S. Pardo began her comments by thanking Singer Island residents for their overwhelming support of the referendum on redeveloping the Municipal Marina and invites them to the upcoming Marina groundbreaking, Thursday, April 10. Construction is expected to begin in earnest in early July; the Tiki will close at that point. The first phase includes reconstruction of both the Tiki and Newcomb Hall.
Ms. Pardo then talked about crime on the island, particularly in Sugar Sands, and points out that the RBPD has an undercover operation going on currently. She urges residents to call police if they see something unusual or suspicious and to ensure that cars, home doors—especially glass sliders—are always locked. She says RBPD is working with PBG police investigating a suspected crime ring.
Councilwoman Pardo next discusses vacation rentals. She, as a member of the PBC League of Cities, has been working on this as a priority for state action and expects that, by July 1, there should be state guidelines in place that would allow cities to regulate this type of housing. A favorable bill passed the Senate this session and is now before the House. This is critical for Singer Island, she said, because, in part, it has different zoning from the mainland.
With regard to sober houses, she attended a forum about six weeks ago with Rep. Hager and SICA. There’s a bill moving through the state Legislature that she is monitoring.
The City was contacted by federal Homeland Security officials about a pot of money available for use; she is recommending some of it be used to put a license plate reader on the north end of the island by the bridge. The reader, plus cameras, should be up and running by the time COASI members return in the winter, she said.
She also discussed: Ocean Mall’s continuing development; City plans to buy the old Buddy’s to create parking/open space along with the recently purchased Max and Eddie’s; planned redevelopment of the Amrit; Lozman’s Cove; water drainage on A1A; the millage rate and the City’s budget; and condition of landscaping in new A1A medians, especially loss of trees.
Real Estate Report: Ann Slocum, has taken over the board’s real estate committee. Her report indicates a very busy season on the island: listings and sales are up, both of single-family homes and condos; there are a lot of cash buyers.
In closing, President Sloser tells members to remember ‘lights out’ for the upcoming turtle season; introduces Anne Reddie as the new president of SICA; Councilwoman Pardo introduces her new staffer, Marian Dozier; and David Cross introduces Lindsey Mayse, the new property manager at Dolcevita, who invites members to take a tour after the meeting.
Meeting adjourns at 10:45 a.m.
Comments from County Commissioner Hal Valeche, provided by his office:
- A permit and funding is in place for a dune restoration project to commence, if needed, in January between Water Glades and Condado.
- Easement Agreements have been provided to Ocean’s Edge and Beach Front that would extend the project boundary and from Condado down to Ocean Reef Park.
- In order to fund work in the extended project boundaries, we’ll need to amendment the Interlocal Agreement with the City to increase the municipal funding cap.
- During the last year, 7 properties within the project area have constructed seawalls
o Approximately 2850 ft of the current project area now armored (55%)
- A hopper dredge is currently taking 85,000 CY of sand from the Singer Island Borrow Area (3,000 ft offshore in 45 to 75ft water depth) to place at Jupiter Carlin as part of the Hurricane Sandy repairs by the Corps of Engineers. PBC will also use this borrow area at the end of the year and early 2015 for a full scale nourishment at Jupiter Carlin. The borrow area is well offshore of the active beach, so this dredging will have no impact on adjacent shorelines. While this material will not be directly placed on Singer Island, the beaches on Singer Island will benefit as the sand naturally moves from north to south and will continuously supply the beach.
Minutes of the January 25, 2014 Meeting
of the Community Officers Association of Singer Island
A meeting of the Community Officers Association of Singer Island was held at the Palm Beach Shores Community Center, 90 Edwards Lane.
Meeting comes to order at 9:02 a.m.
Board President Michael Sloser is present and presides.
President Sloser opens meeting by welcoming Singer Island, thanking Palm Beach Shores for use of facility and SICA and Citizens for Responsible Growth for promotion. He introduces attending elected officials—County Commissioner Hal Valeche, Riviera Beach Mayor Thomas A. Masters and Lisa Tropepe, Palm Beach Shores Commissioner. He informs audience that, after special guest—Congressman Patrick Murphy—there will be reports from Protect Our Beaches and about an upcoming ballot initiative in Riviera Beach. He then introduced Rep. Murphy.
Remarks by Rep. Murphy (9:15 to 9:30 a.m.)
Rep. Murphy begins by explaining his view and experiences on lack of bi-partisanship in Washington and how he and a group of freshmen Democrat and Republican legislators formed United Solutions to work together on primarily fiscal issues. They have been successful, he said, including finding $230 billion in duplicative and wasteful spending.
He points out he spends a great deal of time explaining to his colleagues that beaches equal economic growth and that the environment is an economic engine. He’s had some success thanks, in part, to close working relationships with organized residents in his home district who are fighting alongside him to save the state’s fragile environment.
There are 3 main environmental issues on his agenda that affect the state’s environmental and, therefore, economic, health:
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Beach re-nourishment solutions
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Everglades restoration
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FEMA flood maps
Every dollar spent on environmental issues, he said, comes back three-to-one in economic return on investment, he said.
Questions from the audience (9:30 to 9:55 a.m.)
Commissioner Valeche asks where funding would come from to build breakwater structures, while Mayor Masters asks if there’s any pressure that can be brought to bear on President Obama to take executive action. Commissioner Tropepe asks whether federal officials can stand back sometimes and allow local and state officials to handle problems they have much more familiarity with and will do a better job with. Other questions include: the cause of toxicity in the waters of Lake Okeechobee; will bi-partisan compromise ever improve; would it work to withhold taxes to get the attention of government officials and make them act; and can Everglades restoration funds be used to pay for beach restoration?
Congressman Murphy answers each in turn, finishes, and offers to stay after to answer other questions.
President Sloser then introduces other local community leaders and COASI attending board members: Vice President Nels Carson, TITLE Diane Simon, Secretary David Cross and Treasurer Diana DiMeo.
Tom Derita makes a report about the continuing work of Protect Our Beaches and how Rep. Murphy has been an effective supporter and advocate.
President Sloser reminds audience there will be a referendum related to the development of the Riviera Beach Marina on the upcoming election ballot that will seek to amend the City Charter. He urges residents to register to vote and/or to get absentee ballots.
He calls for adjournment.
Meeting adjourns at 10:09 a.m.
Next meeting scheduled for 9 a.m. on February 22, 2014 at Sugar Sands.
Minutes of the April 13, 2013 Meeting
of the Community Officers Association of Singer Island
A meeting of the Community Officers Association of Singer Island was held at Connemara Condominium, 5420 North Ocean Drive, Singer Island, FL
Call meeting to order: President Mike Sloser called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m.
Proof of Notice Meeting: Notice was mailed out and e-mailed on April 4, 2013.
Roll Call of Member Associations: The Majority were present.
Roll Call of Directors: All present except Diana Di Meo, who was excused
Minutes of the February 16, 2013 meeting were unanimously approved.
President Sloser welcomed everyone and announced the guest speaker.
Peter Ringle, the Riviera Beach Building Officer. Mr Ringle discussed when permits are needed and explained why permitting was necessary to protect everyone. There were many questions and discussions on the permit process. You can call his office anytime when in doubt or questioning if a permit was issued. 561-845-4020. You can also check to see if a contractor is licensed to work in Riviera Beach. You can also get this information at www.myfloridalicense.com and www.rivierabeach.com Peter Ringle's email is pringle@rivierabeach.com
Councilwoman Pardo: Ms Pardo was unable to attend the meeting, however she asked President Sloser to inform the membership that the Marina Redevelopment is on hold while the referendum issue is being heard in the courts. This may cause a new referendum to be voted on in August of October of this year.
Real Estate Report: Over the past month there were 21 condo sales and 4 single family homes . Real Estate appears to be in recovery.
Treasurer’s Report: COASI balance of $4,660.12
Presidents Report: President Sloser thanked all the speakers and all the membership, and Connemara for hosting our final meeting of the year. President Sloser urged all members to join the Protect our Beaches Coalition.
Vice President Nels Carlson: asked for feedback on the educational seminar . He also wanted to know if COASI should be involved in getting board members certified. Feedback was positive on the educational seminars and that they are always well received.
Minutes of the February 16, 2013 Meeting
of the Community Officers Association of Singer Island
A meeting of the Community Officers Association of Singer Island was held at Sugar Sands Condominium, 1242 North Sugar Sands Blvd, Singer Island, Florida
Call meeting to order: President Mike Sloser called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m.
Proof of Notice Meeting: Notice was mailed out and e-mailed on February 6, 2013.
Roll Call of Member Associations: The Majority were present.
Roll Call of Directors: All present.
Minutes of the January 19, 2013 meeting were unanimously approved.
President Sloser welcomed everyone and announced the guest speakers. A special welcome went to Sergeant Randy Edwards of the Riviera Beach Police Department, who has been promoted. He will no longer be policing Singer Island with his new promotion and COASI thanked him for his years of service with a picture of Singer Island, Randy will be missed on the Island.
Ken Direktor, attorney with Becker and Poliakoff : You can go to Ken's website to view the new bills that are being introduced. www.becker-poliakoff.com/kdirektor Ken also offers questions and answers on this site.
Max Sonnenschein, from the Tax Collectors Office informed COASI of the REAL ID that all Florida residents will need to have over the next few years. The new driver's license will have a gold star in the upper right hand corner on your license. There are different documents that you will need when next applying for your license. This information can be found at www.taxcollectorpbc.com
Councilwoman Dawn Pardo: Ms. Pardo spoke about the Riviera Beach Marina Development. Viking has a major role in this development on the private sector. The city is preparing to rebuild Newcomb Hall . The hall is projected to be finished by 2014. The south end of the marina will be starting renovations and should also be completed by 2014. The city recently purchased for 6 million dollars, a building in the warehouse district of the city. This building will house the Police Dept, Fire Dept and Public Works. Waste Management donated $15,000 to the city for Dawn Pardo's district. Dawn used this money to repaint the Singer Island Fire Station. Ms. Pardo will use the remaining $7500.00 for cameras on the North end of the Island.
Sonny Nardulli : Mr Nardulli is the head of Save our Beaches. He announced that there are already 1415 members. He plans to reach out to the entire east coast of Florida.
Real Estate Report: Ron Asef reported 224 active condo listings and 37 homeson Singer Island. there have been 28 closings in January, and 30 contingents and 1 short sale. Five single family homes sold in the same period.
Treasurer’s Report: Diana Di Meo reported a COASI balance of $4,551.71.
Annual Election: David Cross conducted the annual election. He stated that the current board was willing to serve again for another term. He asked for any nominations from the floor. Hearing none, the vote was taken with unanimous Ayes.
Presidents Report: President Sloser thanked all the speakers and all the membership, and Sugar Sand's for once again hosting the annual meeting. President Sloser also reminded everyone that COASI is 25 years old . Happy Anniversary COASI.
The Educational Seminar will be held on March 11th , 2013 at Palm Beach Shores Town Hall
The next meeting will be held April 13th, 2013 at the Connemara Condominium.
Minutes of the January 19, 2013 Meeting
of the Community Officers Association of Singer Island
A meeting of the Community Officers Association of Singer Island was held at Dolce Vita, 151 South Ocean Avenue, Palm Beach Shores.
Call meeting to order: President Mike Sloser called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m.
Proof of Notice Meeting: Notice was mailed out and e-mailed on January 7, 2013.
Roll Call of Member Associations: 22 member associations present.
Roll Call of Directors: All present. Nels Carlson, Vice President, presided as Mike Sloser, President, was participating in the MLK Parade and had to leave early.
Minutes of the December 15, 2012 meeting were unanimously approved.
Vice President Nels Carlson welcomed everyone and announced the guest speakers. The Mayor of Palm Beach Shores, John Workman, and Tony Brown .
Tony Brown, Executive Director of the Riviera Beach CRA, focused his presentation on development of the Riviera Beach marina. Both public and private investors are involved I this redevelopment project. Viking is the master developer. Consultants, Live, Work, Learn and Play, have been engaged by Viking to draw up the conceptual plan for this area. Phase I will include the rebuilding of Newcomb Hall.
Mr. Brown also discussed the Ocean Mall. Plans are in the planning phase to build a five story parking garage behind Beach Court behind the bank and real-estate building on Singer Island. The rest of Ocean Mall is on hold until all of the legal issues are resolved with the Catalfumo bankruptcy.
John Workman, Mayor-Palm Beach Shores, spoke about the Palm Beach Shores annual budget, stating that property values had declined since 2007. Despite this decline, Palm Beach Shores has stayed within budget, kept its millage rate down and put money into reserves. Mayor Workman mentioned the reduction in arrests from 400 in 2007to 50 in 2012.
Future plans are to redo the roads in Palm Beach Shores and place the power lines underground.
Treasurer’s Report: Diana DiMeo reported a COASI balance of $4,957.00. Reminder: membership annual fee of $150.00 is due.
Presidents Report: Nels Carlson thanked Tony Brown, Mayor Workman for speaking at the meeting. Nels also thanked Meredith Roseneau of Dolce Vita for hosting the COASI meeting.
The next COASI meeting, the annual meeting, is scheduled for February 16th at the Sugar Sands Condominium
Minutes of the November 17, 2012 Meeting
of the Community Officers Association of Singer Island
This meeting was held at the Martinique - LeClub, 4100 North Ocean Drive, Singer Island. President Mike Sloser called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m.
Proof of Notice: Notices sent via e-mail and US mail on November 9, 2012.
Roll Call of Member Associations: 22 member organizations present
Roll Call of Board Members: Present: Mike Sloser, David Cross, Diana DiMeo. Absent: Diane Simon, Nels Carlson
President Mike Sloser led a moment of silence in memory of Michael Simon, Diane Simon’s husband.
Minutes of the April 14, 2012 meeting were unanimously approved.
President’s report: President Mike Sloser welcomed everyone and thanked the Martinique for hosting the general meeting. Mike discussed the newly formed Commission on Social Justice. He is Co-Chairman of this commission
There will be a public meeting to discuss the commission’s goals, etc. on Tuesday, December 4, 7:00 p.m. in the Riviera Beach City Council Chambers. Volunteers are needed to work with the commission.
Mayor Masters introduced the new Riviera Beach Senior discount program. For more information, call Rivera Beach
City Hall at 561-845-4000. This program may be expanded to include residents of Palm Beach Shores. The mayor also mentioned that there is an Office of Veterans Affairs in Riviera Beach.
Sonny Nardulli (Eastpointe) explained the purpose/activities of the ‘Protect our Beaches’ coalition that was formed earlier this year. He encouraged members to visit the website to learn more about the organization and asked all households to become members: www.beachcoalition.com.
Dawn Pardo, Riviera Beach Council Chair ProTem, gave an update on activity in her district-Delivery of sand will start at the Condado and Water Glades Condominiums the week of November 26, 2012. It will then be delivered to all of the properties between these two locations.
-The A1A project will be completed by the end of December 2012. The city is aware of the landscaping issues and is working on the ‘punch list’ with the contractor
-The library is now open on Saturdays.
The annual ‘Mingle-Jingle’ Toy Drive benefiting the children of Riviera Beach is scheduled for Thursday, December 6,6:00 – 11:00 p.m. at Johnnie Longboat’s. Toy collection boxes are available for condominium lobbies. Call 561-845 3683 to obtain one
Karen Marcus was the featured speaker at this meeting. Commissioner Marcus is ‘retiring’ after 28 years as a county Commissioner due to term limits. Ms. Marcus stated that she would remain active as a volunteer. She will be on the Board of the Protect our Beaches coalition in addition to other county-wide activities.
Diana DiMeo, Treasurer, reported that COASI had a balance of $3,316.31 in the bank
Ron Assef - Real Estate Report: There are 218 active listings on the island. There were 132 condo sales from May –November 2012. Single family homes for sale: 37. From May – November 2012, there were 24 homes sold, nine were short sales and there are still 7 pending. Real estate is selling and prices have become more in line.
Mike Sloser closed the meeting by thanking the Martinique for its hospitality.
Next meeting: Saturday, December 15, 2012, at Eastpointe I.
Minutes of the April 14, 2012 Meeting
of the Community Officers Association of Singer Island
A meeting of the Community Officers Association of Singer Island was held at Phoenix Towers Condominium, 2800 North Ocean Drive.
Call meeting to order: President Mike Sloser called the meeting to order at 9:00am.
Proof of Notice Meeting: Notice was mailed out and e-mailed on April 4, 2012.
Roll Call of Member Associations: The majority present.
Roll Call of Directors: Present: Mike Sloser, David Cross, Diana DiMeo, Diane Simon, and Nels Carlson.
Minutes of the March 10, 2012 meeting were unanimously approved.
President Mike Sloser welcomed everyone and announced all of the guest speakers, The Mayor of Palm Beach Shores John Workman, Melissa Roettger and Michel Khoury from Florida Power & Light, and Marianne Horrigan & Chris Felton from Super Green Solutions. He also thanked Phoenix Towers for hosting the general meeting.
Nels Carlson gave a brief welcome of Mayor John Workman. Mayor Workman informed everybody of the new Palm Beach Shores monuments that are located at the two main entrances of the town.
He also discussed the new license plate reader and cameras located on the main corners and walkways.
Mayor Workman is proud to announce that Palm Beach Shores has twenty-five certified Fire Department volunteers on the force and they receive a small stipend for their services. He greatly appreciates the services of the Riviera Beach Fire Department’s backup services.
Also, turtle friendly lights will be installed where needed. He also covered a brief discussion of the Palm Beach Shores budget.
President Sloser informed the committee that the County Inspector General will be holding a training session at the Hilton Airport Center on April 26th 10:00am until 11:30am.
Brazilian Jazz Concert will be held at the Riviera Beach Municipal Building on April 29th.
Michel and Melissa from FPL on Going Green with your electricity. FPL offers many Going Green services that you can view on their website, www.FPL.com. They highly recommend customers viewing the website and search for the many ways you can save money.
Marianne Horrigan & Chris Felton from Super Green Solutions talked of the many ways to GO GREEN. Super Green Solutions uses the holistic approach to GOING GREEN. They stressed solar systems and LED light bulbs. You can go to their website to view the many ways to GO GREEN, www.supergreensolutions.com.
Officer Randy Edwards of Riviera Beach addressed crime on the Island and the need to keep doors locked in condos due to some resent burglaries. Many times there are workers with free reign in your building.
Treasurer’s Report: Diana DiMeo reported a COASI balance of $4,347.75.
Real Estate Report by Ron Assof: There are 270 active listings on the island, twenty-two sales in April, forty-two single family homes for sale, and fifteen pending, Going back to 2008 there were twenty-seven sales, 2009 thirty-five sales, 2010 thirty-six sales, 2011 sixty-one sales, and 2012 seventy sales. So the real estate sales are on the rise.
Presidents Report: Mike Sloser thanked Phoenix Towers, the board, guest speakers and everybody in attendance. He wants to be emailed whatever you may be interested in the board covering. October should be our next meeting. He wished all a great summer.
Minutes of the March 10, 2012 Meeting
of the Community Officers Association of Singer Island
Meeting at the Tiara Condos:
Meeting called to order by President Sloser at 9:05am
Proof of notice meeting mailed out on Saturday March 3, 2012
Diana DiMeo did roll call of member associations: majority present
Roll call of all COASI directors: all present
President Sloser thanked Norm Adams, president of Tiara, for hosting the COASI meeting.
David Cross spoke about the volunteer policing program that Riviera Beach is putting into effect. Having this program available helps the police department and our community out tremendously. Contact the Riviera Police Department if you are interested.
President Sloser introduced city council person Judy Davis who is running for re election.
Diana DiMeo presented Dr. McConnell with a beautiful plaque, thanking him for his many years of serving on the COASI. Dr. McConnell spearheaded the transition from Condominium Officers Association of Singer Island to Community Officers Association of Singer Island. His vision was for the whole community to be involved in COASI, not just the condominiums. Dr McConnell’s wife Dona was also recognized as being supportive in all that Dr McConnell did and continues to do.
President Sloser reminded everybody to vote on March 13th and strongly advised voting for the three year term instead of a two year term to help save the city money.
President Sloser introduced Danny Jones, the Assistant Police Chief and interim City Deputy. Chief Jones believes that Riviera Beach is the “Best Place to Live”, he has a deep passion for this town. Chief Jones spoke about two new positions in Riviera Beach, a Media Manager, and an Economic Development Manager . These positions are expected to take the city forward. Another new program for the community is the Ambassador program. This program is to help people with directions, guidance where to shop, eat, and visit. This new program will open in the Ocean Mall area where the police substation, satellite or district office will be located. It is not yet decided on what the prescence the police will have at the Ocean Mall.
He spoke about Zachery, the construction company that will be building the new FPL power plant. Zachary will create approximately 800 jobs for the construction and about 150 permanent jobs. Chief Jones believes this will keep people in our town and inspire them to buy, rent, shop, and eat in Riviera Beach.
In late June or the early part of July , construction will begin on the south end of Broadway and work its way north. Chief congratulated Councilperson Dawn Pardo on receiving the “Beacon of Light” award . This award is known around the world and is very prestigious for Riviera Beach.
Councilperson Pardo spoke about the DEP funds that are still in place for the dune restoration and sand replenishment on the island and the county. There is a meeting at the Corniche on March 20th at 7:00 pm with Karne Marcus, Dan Bates and herself to discuss the beach erosion problem.
Dawn is developing a website, dpardo@rivierabeach.com. Check for the Island’s and city’s latest news and updates.
Treasurer’s Report by Diana DiMeo, COASI balance is $5366.30
Real estate update by Ron Asef, Singer Island has 17 new listings, total of 281 listings, 12 short sales, 24 contingencies, 18 pending, 19 sales, and 4 single family homes for sale with 1 sold.
President Sloser thanked Matthew Scurry and Norm Adams again for hosting the meeting Prsident Sloser adjourned the meeting at 10:38am.
Minutes of the February 17, 2012 Meeting
of the Community Officers Association of Singer Island
Meeting at Sugar Sands;
Meeting called to order by President Sloser at 9:00am
Proof of notice meeting mailed out on February 1, 2012
Roll call of member association: Capri, Connemara, Corniche, Cote d’Azur, Eastpointe I, Eastpointe II, Inlet Beach Club, Inlet Pointe, Martinique, Palm Beach Isles POA, The Reaches, Seagrape, Seawinds, Sugar Sands, The Tiara, Via Delfino, Villas on the Ocean, Villa Towers, Water Glades, Yacht Harbor Estates POA, Yacht Harbor Manor POA, and a new member Inlet Pointe.
Roll call of COASI directors were all present at the meeting
President’s report: President Sloser reminded everyone to vote on Tuesday, March 13th. It is a very important election. There will be a referendum to change the Riviera Beach council term from two years to three which Coasi is highly recommending because it saves the city money and there will be stability for the city with the three year term. This will be the key to economic development for business’ to grow in Riviera Beach.
First speaker:, Ken Direktor from Becker & Poliakoff. Ken talked about the 2011 statutes and what is in the making of the 2012 legislature statutes. He spoke on the advantages of using e-mail in your condos. The use of e-mail does not negate the responsibility of posting meeting notices in your condo. He also spoke of foreclosures and their effect on condos, fines, and the importance of keeping lawyer/ client privileges. Coming up in the 2012 legislation will be collection fees for attorneys, elevator retrofitting, and more on foreclosures. Mr. Direktor’s speech was followed by questions from the membership.
Second speaker: Dawn Pardo spoke about the county commissioners voting down the breakwater structure for the north end of the Island. The DEP will not give the island the $4 million dollars they have reserved for the breakwaters if the structure is not put into place. With this being voted down the county commissioners will have to have sand poured where the erosion is taking place. Dawn has stressed that the Florida Governor is not in favor of the sand being poured, he wants something more permanent. Breakwater is the permanent solution to the problem. Dawn asked for condos to give her direction on what path to pursue: sand replenishment or permanent structures.
Dawn also ask to support the local business’ on the island.
2012-2013 COASI Board elections conducted by David Cross: No new nominations. The current COASI board will serve another term, majority ayes.
Treasure’s report by Diana DiMeo: $6237.67 balance
Real estate January report by Ron Assef: Please remember to complete the condo maintenance assessment form. Real estate prices continue to drop. The average listing cost is $450,000. There are 273 listings, sixteen are new listings, fourteen were sold and four pending.
Committee reports: Mike Sloser would like to know what programs the board can offer them in the future.
The next meeting is on Saturday, March 10, 2012 at the Tiara. The topic will be Going Green with speakers from FPL and other environmentally friendly speakers
A reminder that there is an educational seminar March 12th . The speaker will be a representative from the States Ombudsmen Office.
President Sloser adjourned the meeting at 10:35am.
Minutes of the January 21, 2012 Meeting
of the Community Officers Association of Singer Island
Location: Seagrape Condominium;
Meeting called to order by President Sloser at 9:00am
Proof of notice meeting mailed out on 1/6/12
Roll call of member associations.
All COASI directors were all present.
President’s report: Next COASI meeting will be at Sugar Sands on February 11, 2012. There will be an educational meeting in March, and the regular COASI meeting will be on “Going Green”.
First Speaker, Dawn Pardo was introduced at 9:05am .
On Tuesday, February 7th the County Commissioners’ will meet at 6:30 , with the agenda item of Singer Island Erosion starting at 7:30 pm. She encouraged attendance to show support for the groins. Currently the plan is to start with 3 groins at the most severe beaches and to monitor how they work . ERM and the coastal engineers will decide where they would be placed.
A1A: Good news is that A1A should be completed in the fall of 2012. Work will start on Broadway the summer of 2012 and extend to Silver Beach Road.
The City Council is meeting with the County to explore the county taking over the fire department. It may enable the Fire Departments to update their equipment as needed and to continue the level of service that we currently have.
The municipal election is March 12th . There will be a ballot question concerning the term length for councilpersons to be changed from 2 to 3 year.
The next speaker was Sheryl Steckler, the Inspector General of Palm Beach County.
Sheryl has three branches she works with; Audits, contract over sight division, and administrative investigator. Sheryl talked about following the laws and advises to document everything. You can visit the Palm Beach County Office of Inspector General at http://www.pbcgov.com/OIG.
The IG office does not pursue criminal actions. If it becomes clear that the investigation is turning criminal , it is turned over to the attorney general’s office.
She spoke about two publicized cases, the Wellington Memorial and the Palm Tran theft case. She complimented Riviera Beach on their good procurement policy that was recently used. She said to keep watch out for a case in Riviera Beach that her office handled that will actually give money back to the city.
The IG office does not report to anyone in the county . No one can change her office’s final report. She said the area that one needs to pay attention to are Pay to Play and Contract change orders. They are the areas of most concerns.
Currently there is a lawsuit with 15 out of 38 municipalities not paying their share of the IG budget. This will also be discussed at the County commissioners meeting on Feb. 7th.
Approval of minutes from last meeting were motioned and seconded by Nels Carlson and David Cross.
Treasurer’s report was given by Diana DiMeo. $2400 was received in dues, $645.98 expenses which were holiday contributions and clerical support, the current balance is $6,059.12.
Real estate report by Ron Assef: There are 271 condo listings in comparison to 450 four years ago. There has been one single family home sold on the island and twenty-three condos have been sold since December 2011.
New Business: Draga Lindblom, Yacht Harbor Estates, spoke about the shooting and the neighborhood watch initiative on Singer Island. The owner of the Barnett Building has donated space for a police substation on the Island . The use of Cameras that capture and check all license plates on cars entering the Island from Blue Heron Bridge and the Burnt Bridge is being analyzed and we will be hearing more about that initiative at the February Meeting. The projected cost is $40,000 plus trenching costs. The police would monitor. Comcast and FPL would be doing the work. Palm Beach Shores has these cameras for 2 and ½ years already.
The annual meeting will be held at Sugar Sands on February 11, 2012. Board members for the coming year will be elected at this meeting.
Meeting adjourned by President Sloser at 10:34am
Minutes of the December 11, 2011 Meeting
of the Community Officers Association of Singer Island
Location: Ocean’s Edge Condominium;
Meeting Called to order at 9:00am
Proof of Notice of mailing: Mailed and e-mailed on 11/28/11
Roll Call of Condos
Roll Call of Directors: Sloser, Cross, DiMeo, Simon, Carlson present
The president, Michael Sloser, welcomed everyone and introduced the first guest speaker, Tony Brown, CRA Executive Director.
Tony Brown defined the boundaries of the CRA area. He spoke of the top taxpayers and that when FPL comes on board they will be the #1 taxpayer in the CRA district, followed by the Marina and Marina Grande. The CRA is expecting between 5 million and 12 to 13 million in revenue once FP: is up and running. This will be dollars that should be reinvested into the community for development. If we share the dollars with the city, we would need to share them with the county, for this reason, it may be better to buy services/ expand the CRA area so the money can remain in Riviera Beach.
The Ocean Mall recently received an award for design. And the CRA is looking to clean up the parking lot next to the Peanut Island Grill.
Viking Yacht, the master developer has recently hired their project developer, Live, Work. Learn and Play from Montreal. They have been instrumental in many waterfront redevelopment projects. Tony Brown will be travelling to Montreal to meet with them.
Song and Associates will be working to stabilize the Riviera Beach Heights neighborhood through development. They will also be developing architectural guidelines for Broadway.
Tony announced that the final phase of Ocean Mall will soon start, according to the Catalfumo organization. When asked about the status of the Hotel, Tony answered that the time frame has not expired for the development rights, but that it may be a better fit to develop a hotel on the adjacent properties, where the Sands Hotel is currently. Beach Court and plaza area.
Tony is working on getting the businesses on Blue Heron in Singer Island, to join together and try to share the vision of a redeveloped area.
The Marina is behind schedule due to some issues with the quality of the work. There was poor communication with the tenants and the CRA is addressing the issues.
The next guest speaker was Rick Jones, Security Chief for Publix.
Publix is partnered with Riviera Beach Police to insure a good experience for all. There are cameras in the parking garages and at all times there are employees to walk anyone to their car.
There will be increased signage and mirror to help with the parking lot.
Mark Ball is the manager of the new Publix. There were some start up issues with the elevators, but seem to be under control now.
Real Estate Report was given by Sherry Temple: There are 283 active condo listings with 28 pendings. There were 8 closings in November. There are 34 active single family home listings with 6 pendings and 3 closings.
Mike Sloser gave the Treasures report. We have a balance of $4805.10
Mike asked that anyone interested in running for the board to contact himself or any board member.
David Cross encouraged everyone to read the Riviera Beach Newsletter.
A member asked a general question about condominiums going WIFI.
The next Meeting was announced. It will be on January 21st, 2012 at the Seagrapes Condominium. The guest speak will be the Inspector General of Palm Beach County, Sheryl Steckler.
Mike Thanked Ocean’s Edge for hosting the meeting and adjourned the meeting at 10:30 am.
Minutes of the November 12, 2012 Meeting
of the Community Officers Association of Singer Island
Location: Eastpointe I Condominium;
Call Meeting to Order: President Mike Sloser called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m.
Proof of Notice of Meeting: Notice was mailed and e-mailed on October 31, 2011.
Roll Call of Member Associations.
Roll Call of Directors: Present: Mike Sloser, David Cross, Diana DiMeo and Diane Simon. Absent: Nels Carlson.
Mike Sloser, President, spoke about the new COASI website and the new e-mail data base. He also mentioned the salary survey that was conducted during the summer; if we get more responses, the data will have more validity and could be shared. Request from some attendees for the survey to be sent out again to member association board presidents.
Wayne Richards, Chairman – Port of Palm Beach, spoke about the importance of the port to the local economy. The port has 2,500 direct employees. It is the 20th largest container port in the U.S. and the 4th busiest port in
The port will be spending $65 million dredging the turning basins so that the port can accommodate the Panamax ships. It is also actively pursuing the inland port in South Bay as well as working to attract a 2nd gambling ship.
Lal Samadi, a professional engineer and former Riviera Beach employee, is currently the city’s Project Manager for the A1A project. He has been involved with this project since 2002. The actual road work started in July 2010. Expected completion date is June or July 2012. Lighting was very challenging and a major reason for some of the schedule delays. It took 18 months for all the agencies (EPA, Fish & Wildlife, etc.) to insure the lighting was compliant with turtle regulations. This is the first use of these fixtures anywhere. All light fixtures are the same. However, there are three different materials used for the poles. 1) From Pine Point heading north: metal breakaway poles that were mandated by DOT, 2) From Pine Point heading south: concrete poles that are easier to maintain, and 3) Steel poles on the bridge, necessary to sustain high winds.
Riviera Beach will maintain the lighting and landscaping in the right of way once the project is completed. Until that time, the contractor is responsible for these items. There will be 2 crosswalks: Palm Beach Isles and Sugar Sands. New benches, trash cans, medians with landscaping, sidewalks and new drainage systems are all included in the plan. The total cost: $11 million, some provided by grants.
Low-rise walls that will be flush with the sidewalks will be installed in certain areas to prevent erosion.
Decorative railings for the Blue Heron Bridge have been approved and will be installed first on the south side, then the north side.
Councilwoman Dawn Pardo gave an update on activities in Riviera Beach. She introduced her Administrative Assistant, Jessica Pinsky. Ms. Pardo stated that there was no movement at all on the Breakwater project, saying that residents need to keep after current office holders and be cautious of new politicians who may want to make special taxation districts to pay for any relief along the coastline.
Some of Ms. Pardo’s discretionary funds from Waste Management will be used to install a cold water fountain and a pet water fountain along the A1A walkway.
Treasurer’s Report: Diana DiMeo reported that the current balance is $3,116.19.
Real Estate Report: Ron Assef stated that there are 284 active condo listings, 29 are pending. There are 34 active single family home listings.
Next Meeting: The next meeting will be on December 10 at Ocean’s Edge.
Meeting adjourned at 10:45 a.m.