Author Archives: myself313

Autocycle War Instead of Online Voting

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Indian Hammock is now a thriving Residential Community with many Full-Time Residents.
 
I rode motorcycles for some 55 years and gave up before moving to Indian Hammock.

I applauded the A Team 2024 BOD for their work, as presented in the current Book of Rules Chapter 6. Driving Privilege (I still object to driving in IH being considered a “Privilege“)

I am too old to ride a two-wheel motorcycle, but I am considering an Autocycle, a Slingshot, which is currently allowed in Indian Hammock.

The B Team 2025 BOD seems ready to ignite a new war, the Autocycle War.
They are trying to amend Rule 6.4 Prohibited Vehicles to ban Autocycles like the SlingShot.

The B Team received repeated requests to put Online Voting on the BOD agenda.
Most members want Online Voting; see the last membership meeting numbers.

The B Team BOD is bent over dismantling the good work the A Team has done.
They devote their time and efforts to an Autocycle War and procrastinate on Online Voting. The B Team BOD doesn’t give a hoot about what the members want, the Online Voting.

Why does the B Team not expedite Online Voting? This is a breach of  BOD Fiduciary Duties, and I challenge members to explain where I am wrong in pointing this out.

And to those who still don’t know what an Autocycle is, please check out my favorite, the Slingshot. Two wheels in the front and a steering wheel, not a handlebar, require a regular driver’s license; no motorcycle endorsement is needed. It can not be driven on a dirt trail without being destroyed.

Governing and Managing Indian Hammock.

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What is Governing

Governing and Individualism are two opposing philosophies.
Governing is controlling Individualism.
Governing makes us live according to what the Governing one thinks is right.
Anything Governing is a “Beast” hungry for more power, laws, regulations, and control.

What is my Agenda

Governing is a necessary evil, but we should minimize Governing.
I campaign for changes leading to less governing by the Club BOD.
IH Members should strip the Club BOD governing to the bare minimum.
There must be a Club BOD in IH.
There must be a Professional Management Office in IH.

What should the Club BOD handle:

  • Hire a Professional General Manager to run the Management Office.
  • Sign contracts on behalf of IH.
  • Manage the Member’s Meetings.
  • Communicate with and Report to members.

The Management Office’s duties:

  • Ensure compliance with Florida Status 720 and all laws and regulations.
  • Guard the Club’s interests and ensure the Club BOD doesn’t fail to keep its Fiduciary Duties.
  • Carry out the daily administration and maintenance of the common areas.
  • Provide Membership Services.
  • Report to the Club BOD.
  • Report to the Members in Members Meetings.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – Part Two.

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How I choose a GOOD one.

Members become candidates for the BOD to get something they want.
No one will serve on the board and “fight” for something I want unless they also want it.

Before voting for a candidate, I consider two things:

A.             What skills does the candidate possess?

I research the candidate’s management experience and business history. I don’t wholly rely on the candidates’ resumes; some will write what they believe will get them elected.
I consider my experience with any candidate who has already served on the board.
I also check two available sources.
1. For background check: https://www.truthfinder.com/dashboard
2. For further verification of skills:
https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/ByOfficerOrRegisteredAgent 

B.             What is the Candidate’s current Agenda?

For candidates who already serve on the board and any long-time residents, I rely on how the candidate acted and his interests.
Agendas may be fluid and can change or be traded on a dime.
Candidates avoid declaring their current Agenda and use generic, politically correct phrases.  A candidate may say he doesn’t have an Agenda and runs only to serve the community; I see that as a red flag and a warning.

Choosing the GOOD one.

Usually, the lineup of candidates is a dozen or more, and I am asked to choose seven.
I never managed to find seven skillful candidates.
If elected, a candidate who lacks the required skills will be a BAD board member.
Acquiring the required skills will take longer than the twelve months on the board.
Next, I eliminate skillful candidates with agendas I can not live with.

The GOOD one is a Candidate with the required skills and one whose agenda I can live with.

Since joining IH in 2017, I have never found more than four GOOD ones to vote for in any yearly election.

For more entertainment, please see                The GOOD, The BAD, and the UGLY.

Meet the A Team

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The 2024 Board Members who gave IH the Quail Barn and were placed on IH’s “Bad Boys” list.

David Bass.
Articulate professional David Bass led the IH BODs in 2023 and 2024.
The best president and BODs I have experienced in IH.   

Joe Coyle.
Master of valuable technologies, a great asset to IH.
Until his retirement, Joe held high executive positions in various corporations that appreciated his skills and contribution.
Joe served on several previous BODs under different Presidents, bringing IH to the “Internet age.”

Corey Miller.
The cool-headed, devoted Indian Hammock ex-Treasurer was probably the longest-serving BOD member.
Corey was a candidate for the 2025 BOD. Corey got elected but immediately gave up his seat.

Matt Rector.
Business Owner who served on many of the BODs and has experience as a board member.
Matt contributes a lot to IH, especially to the hunting community.

Tim Ward.
Business Owner. Indian Hammock’s own Gunsmith.

Meet the B Team.

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The governing body of Indian Hammock (IH) is the Board of Directors (BOD). 
Every type and size of government must be watched by the governed.

Barbara Roberts – 2025 BOD (IH Government) President.
Barbara’s governing style: “The new board can do whatever they decide.”
(Declared on 2025-02-15 Saturday morning Hunting Committee Meeting.)

Carla Sapp – 2025 BOD (IH Government) First Vice President. 
Carla’s governing style: “Go ahead and sue us; we are insured.”
(Declared on 2025-02-15 Saturday morning Hunting Committee Meeting.)
Carla’s known conflict of interests:
Carla’s husband, Ron Sapp. – Indian Hammock’s property manager.
Carla’s brother, Danny Brewer. – Indian Hammock’s Maintenance Contractor.

The B Team’s controlled BOD – 2025 first three months report.

  • Lost the long-standing services of IH’s trusted treasurer, Corey Miller.
  • Complaints about Forced resignation/dismissal of IH manager Matt Dorriety.
  • The Quail Barn Special Members Meeting fiasco.
  • Complaints about concealing, deceiving, and lack of transparency.
  • Complaints about self-serving and conflict of interests.
  • Complaints about violating Florida statute 720.
  • A “painful to watch” Search Committee Zoom meeting.
  • Ignore requests to put the online voting on BOD’s Agenda.
  • Complaints about secret BOD meetings and destroying incriminating documents.

Anyone observing the situation should recognize the damage done to the Club’s reputation. Enlighten yourself, please follow the links:

The Quail Barn War
The Quail Barn War – Comments
Matthew Rector reporting BOD violations
March 10 Ad Hoc Search Committee Zoom Meeting
March 10 Ad Hoc Search Committee Zoom Meeting – Comments
Mike Dixon reporting BOD violations and the destruction of incriminating records.

Your comments and suggestions are welcome and needed.

Adding Online Voting.

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Florida statute 720 gives the BOD the power to add online voting.
It does not require members to vote by 2/3 (200 votes).
It does not require any special member meeting to vote on.
The BOD can add it to the agenda and vote on it in a regular board meeting.

In the last members meeting, the 2024 BOD unnecessarily motioned to amend the Deed of Restrictions to add Online Voting, a mission impossible since it requires 200 votes.

The established quorum was 247 votes.
150 (61%) voted YES for adding Online Voting, while 97 (39%) voted NO.

I call on the 2025 BOD to include a motion to add online voting to the agenda for their next meeting.

If you agree, please get in touch with the board’s members and help me with this task.

March 10 Ad Hoc Search Committee Zoom Meeting.

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I watched the meeting, and seeing what was happening was painful.

I ask from members who watched the Zoom meeting to share their feelings and comments.

I presume Sandra Steinruck, who ran the meeting, is the Committee Chair.
Sandra and others have many questions and sought advice and guidance from Mike Dixon, David Bass, and Joe Coyle. 
The three were helpful and knowledgeable, sharing their highly regarded and sought-after experience. Yet, none of them is on the current Search Committee.

My questions are:
1.             Was any of the three, Mike, David, or Joe, asked to be on the 2025 Search Committee?
2.             Why was Sandra appointed to chair this committee when it is clear she is far less suitable for the position than Mike, David, or Joe?

Indian Hammock Members, a lot is happening, and not everything is positive.
Please join in and make your voice heard.

To the members who attended the Zoom meeting, am I missing anything?

David Etzion.
Lot 246

Matthew Rector Lot 256 complaint – Indian Hammock BOD violations.

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This is a complaint submitted under Article XIII, Section 2 of the Indian Hammock Declaration of Restrictions. I expect to receive a written response within 30 days of the date of this letter in accordance with the Declaration of Restrictions.

Dear Barbara Roberts,

     I heard that the “Special Members Meeting” was cancelled by the BOD:

  1. Please identify the time, date and attending BOD Members when they met to vote on this cancellation.

       2. Please provide when and where notification of this meeting was posted on the website as required by FS720303 (4) OFFICIAL RECORDS (m), and how it complied with FS720.303 (2) BOARD MEETINGS (a) (b) and (c) 1. 

       3. I am hereby officially requesting the minutes of that meeting as per FS720.3032 (3) MINUTES.  As per FS720.303 (5) (a) I will expect to receive these documents within 10 days.

  While on the subject, please provide the same information for the BOD meeting that occurred with a Burn Boss in the outback immediately after the last BOD meeting at the lodge. That burn meeting was conducting Hammock business, had witnesses including law enforcement, and was NOT disclosed at the BOD meeting held earlier. As you are well aware, per FS720.202 (2) BOARD MEETINGS  (a) A meeting of the board of directors of an association occurs whenever a quorum of the board gathers to conduct association business.

    At the BOD meeting held at the lodge, I spoke before the BOD and officially notified them of the Rule Violation committed by one of the Hunt Committee Co-Chairs. The Hunt Committee Co-Chair admitted his violation freely while speaking about this matter to the BOD. Please disclose what steps have been taken so far regarding that rule violation, and if as stated in the Meeting one or more Members of the BOD encouraged him to violate the IH rules in this matter. At that meeting, I also asked about the meeting that you, Albert Rossodivita, and Carla Sapp held with the Manager in his office. It seems you three IH officers apparently made him stay after normal working hours and had a meeting to inform him of new work requirements not stated on his original contract. He resigned shortly thereafter. Since such modifications of the Manager’s contract can only be a BOD decision, I request the same information referenced above regarding that meeting.

 Furthermore, I hereby request per the same information cited above regarding when the BOD met to appoint Ron Sapp, the Vice-President’s husband, as the new IH Manager. I question why that information has not been posted on the website as required. Additionally, as per HB1203 the following information should have already have been posted on the website regarding Association Managers:

·  Provide the members of the homeowners’ association the following information, post the information on the homeowner association’s website or application as required by section 720.303(4)(b), Florida Statutes, and update the information within 14 business days of any changes:

  • Name and contact information for each community association manager or representative assigned to the homeowners’ association.
  • Hours of availability.
  • Summary of the duties performed by the community association manager or representative.

        ·  Provide a copy of the contract between the community association manager or firm and the homeowners’ association to any member upon request. The contract must be included with the homeowners’ association’s official records.

    Finally, yesterday you fired the current Manager Matt Doherty, who gave a 60 day notice as per his contract, five weeks before he was scheduled to leave. You took his access card, keys and had Ron Sapp drive him home, seemingly in an attempt to humiliate him. I challenge your authority to do so, as that is necessarily a BOD decision. I find it to be a despicable act by you and anyone else involved. I demand you provide when that BOD meeting occurred. I am hereby officially requesting the minutes of that meeting as per FS720 as cited previously, and have that information posted on the website. The entire Membership needs to be informed of your actions, and how each and every BOD Member voted. You swore an oath to uphold our rules and Florida statues, as did every other BOD member. Violations of the Statutes in FS720 are criminal, and I believe they should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. To whit:

FS720.3033 (5)(d) Any director or member of the board or association or a community association manager who knowingly, willfully, and repeatedly violates paragraph (a), with the intent of causing harm to the association or one or more of its members, commits a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083. For purposes of this paragraph, the term “repeatedly” means two or more violations within a 12-month period.

FS720.3033 (5)(f) Any person who willfully and knowingly refuses to release or otherwise produce association records with the intent to avoid or escape detection, arrest, trial, or punishment for the commission of a crime, or to assist another person with such avoidance or escape, commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.

   It is very unfortunate that it seems the current BOD has been acting in a manner inconsistent with the intent of our documents, Florida Law, and the best interest of the Community. I personally consider your actions regarding our Manager Matt Doherty, including his firing yesterday, to be absolutely and completely unconscionable. By all appearances, you have acted in a grossly negligent manner on multiple occasions. It seems you have not considered the ramifications of your actions, and their negative effect on all Members of the Club and the Indian Hammock Community. 

Sincerely,
Matthew Rector
Lot 256

The Quail Barn War.

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The Indian Hammock 2024 Board of Directors voted and approved the construction of a Quail Barn on the club’s common ground.
Quail Hunters will finance the project entirely, and Indian Hammock will incur no costs.

Six of the seven board members attended the Board Meeting on May 19, 2024.
Four members voted YES, approving the Quail Barn (A Team), while two voted NO, disapproving it (B Team).

The Quail Barn was built, and a “quail barn war” started in Indian Hammock.

The B Team and its supporters launched a campaign to win the upcoming election and divided the candidates for the 2025 board into two lists.
The “Bad Boys” – not to vote for.         
Any candidate B Team believes supports the Quail Barn. 
The “Good Boys” – to vote for.               
Any candidate that was not on the “Bad Boy” list.

The B Team and its supporters emerged victorious.
The 2025 Board has no members listed on the “Bad Boy” list. Instead, it consists solely of members from the “Good Boys” list.
The B Team controls the new 2025 Board.

During the February 15th Hunting Committee Meeting, the two members of the B Team made strong statements when challenged by members from the floor.

I remember these two statements.
*  Barbara Roberts – The current Board can do whatever it decides.
*  Carla Sapp – You can sue us; we are insured.

I can only hope that the B Team will chill out and realise the slippery slope they are on.

The two members of the B Team and their supporters are upset that the four members of the A Team did not hold a membership meeting to vote on and approve the Quail Barn by a regular majority.

The B Team and its supporters argue that the A Team did not uphold the spirit and tradition of Indian Hammock when approving the Quail Barn.
They might be right, or they might be wrong; it no longer matters.
The election is over, and the B Team and its supporters can relish the glory of victory. Now, we must focus on what is best for Indian Hammock.

The B Team does not assert that the A Team breached the club documents; anyone pursuing this case in court can not succeed on this point.

A board of directors lasts only twelve months, yet its decisions and actions bind the club. Consequently, the club legally approves the Quail Barn.

Any call to re-approve what has already been approved does not make sense and only raises questions about what the B Team is after.

The 2025 Board called for a special members’ meeting, but then someone from the office emailed to advise that it had been canceled.

* The language of the email notice to members regarding the March 2025 Special Members Meeting is lacking.
* The single motion for the March 2025 Special Members Meeting is unclear.
* The wording of the email notice about canceling the March 2025 Members Meeting raises concerns.
* The reasons given for the cancellation make no sense.

I encourage members to request that the B Team be transparent with the club members and end this divisive and dangerous agenda.

Upcoming March 2025 Special Members Meeting.

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Fellow members, I have just sent this email to our Board of Directors.
This is an important meeting for all of us.
Please share your input and opinions with the members of our new board of directors.

My email:
Subject: Upcoming March 2025 Special Members Meeting.

Dear Barbara Roberts and Board Members.
You called for a Members Meeting to vote on a single motion.

Consideration of and vote on an Amendment to Declaration of Restrictions of Indian Hammock Hunt and Riding Club, to approve the construction of the quail barn at its current location, however, would further provide that no new buildings may be constructed on common area lands in the future unless the construction of the building is first approved by a vote of 2/3 of the membership.

I can’t vote on the above motion, as it combines two opposing issues.
I say YES to approving the construction of the quail barn.
I say NO to amending the declaration of restrictions and adding the restriction you are proposing.

Others will have the same problem, including those who disagree with me and wish to say no to approving the construction of the quail barn and yes to amending the declaration of restrictions and adding the restriction you propose.

Please consider splitting the issues on hand into two separate motions.

First motion:
To approve the construction of the quail barn at its current location.
This decision will be made by a simple majority of votes.

Second motion:
An amendment to the Declaration of Restrictions states that no new buildings may be constructed on common area lands unless the construction receives prior approval through a vote of two-thirds of the membership.
This amendment will require 200 votes to pass.

Respectfully.
David Etzion
Lot 246

Barbara Roberts
barbara.roberts@ihammock.net
Carla Sapp
carla.sapp@ihammock.net
Albert Rossodivita
albert.rossodivita@ihammock.net
Max Kolshak
kolshak@ihammock.net
Mary Jo Barkaszi
maryjo.barkaszi@ihammock.net
Babette Gildemeyer
babette.gildemeyer@ihammock.net
Steven Olsen
stevie.olsen@ihammock.net