Category Archives: Apathy of Owners

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.

4 Replies

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

Online Voting at Indian Hammock

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I received an email from Corey Miller (Lot 29), which is too important not to put on record. Here it is in Corry’s own words.

Dear neighbors,
Indian Hammock is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year! Over those years many things have changed, including the ability to vote electronically. I am writing to you about the upcoming On-Line voting decision.I am fully supporting this because

1.       Online voting increases member participation by 75%!

2.       Your Board unanimously voted to have a special membership meeting to vote on this, we need 196 votes to pass this.

3.       You will be able to watch, listen and participate in meetings

4.       You can still vote in person

5.       Proxies are still allowed, but will minimize “Proxy Harvesting” (at our last annual  controlled 4 members controlled approximately 25% of the votes)

6.       Voting is secure and secret – NO ONE can access how you voted!

My wife Lauren and I have been members for over 30 years. We enjoy shotgun shooting sports, Lauren enjoys horseback riding and I enjoy being on the finance committee (fun guy!)

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Please support the motion.

Thank you,

Corey Miller, Lot 29– 

The Club’s BOD thinks it has the EXCLUSIVE Authority on the Owners’ Lots.

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Earlier this month, I contacted the members of our BOD to discuss Rule 1-1. None of the seven BOD members came forward to support my “radical idea” that …The members have the exclusive responsibility and Authority in the management and maintenance of their lots and the club shall have exclusive responsibility and Authority in the management and maintenance of the Common Areas… should replace  Rule 1-1 …The club shall have exclusive responsibility and Authority in the management and maintenance of the Property, including Common Areas…

On the contrary, in her  February 9, 2021  email, the BOD’s President advised me as follow: …“You are proposing that Rule 1-1 be changed to “The members have the exclusive responsibility and authority in the management and maintenance of their lots and the club shall have exclusive responsibility and authority in the management and maintenance of the Common Areas”  You are correct that the Board can change the Rules. However if the rule was changed as you have proposed then it would not be consistent with the Declarations”…

The deafening silence of six BOD members and the President’s response represents the BOD’s wrong and illegal interpretation of the Declaration Of Restrictions.

Unfortunately, the Club’s BOD is under the delusional belief that they, the BOD and not the Owners, have the Exclusive Authority on the 299 residential lots. Or the BOD prefers the “power grab” its illegal interpretation, and Rule 1-1 will allow it. None of these two possibilities is acceptable, and no effort should be spared until Rule 1-1 is changed or removed.

Fellow Owners, your silence is an acceptance that the  BOD, not you, has Exclusive Authority on your lots. Join us in demanding that the BOD relinquish its illegal “power grab” as declared in  Rule 1-1

David Etzion

Lot 246

Apathy – The biggest Danger to Indian Hammock

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A community of apathetic Owners/Members will breed Boards of Directors that will ignore their Fiduciary Duties to the Owners/Members and will overstep their authority, infringing on Owners/Members’ rights.

Unfortunately, that is what happened in the past, and is happening now in Indian Hammock.

In the January 19, 2020 Election of BOD, as per the Hammock Herald:
Voting members in attendance: 81
Proxies voted: 109
Not Voting: 103
Unused proxy: 6
Total voting: 299

Let analyze these numbers:

  • Not voting at all – Zero interest, by 103 of 299 being 34.5% of voting power.
  • Proxies Used and Unused – Leaves to others to decide, 115 of 299 being 38.5% of voting power.
  • In Attendance – 81 of 299 27% of voting power.

These numbers mean:

  • 73% of voting power don’t have a personal interest in choosing the BOD.
  • 27% of voting power has a personal interest in choosing the BOD.
  • A few individuals, being the holders of a large number of Proxies, dictates who will be on the BOD.

This can, used to, and will be, exploited by the BOD, and not for the benefit of the Owners/Members.

Safeguarding and Restoring the Rights of Indian Hammock Owners/Members requires a major increase in Owners/Members participation and input.

The voting system can be updated to include early voting by Owners/Members, this may reduce the number of “Not Voting” and I believe will switch users of the Proxies, especially those who are not full time residents, to personally vote.

Your comments and opinion will be highly appreciated.

BOD (Board of Directors) and Owners/Members

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A Nation of Sheep Breeds a Government of wolves.
It is unavoidable, It is simply the “Nature of the Beast”

Any governing body, be it as big as the USA Government or as small as Indian Hammock’s BOD, must be watched, or it will become renegade and will overstep its authority.

There will also be a power Struggle between “Government” (BOD) and “Citizens” (Owners/Members) where the BOD will try to gain more power and some Owners/Members will resist it.

Apathetic Owners/Members will eventually be ruled by Boards of Directors that will overstep their BOD authority, ignore their Fiduciary Duties to the Owners/Members, and infringe on Owners/Members’ rights.

Each Board Member is, first and always, an Owner/Member.
They are, in most cases, friendly and trustworthy individuals, members of Indian Hammock’s community.

The “Nature of the Beast” comes into being only when these individuals put on their “Board Members’ Hats”.
It is like an “automatic switch” was turned-on and “the beast” reveals itself.

The moment a Board Member is out of his/her seat on the board, in most cases, it is like the “plug was pulled out”, and the friendly trustworthy friend shows himself again.

It is essential for each of the Owners/Members to remember the above, and not to get involved in a personal “account settling” with a Board Member, as tomorrow, this Board Member may be a regular Owner/Member “brother to the cause”.

The same advice goes to any Board Member, as your BOD seat may be taken from you and given to the Owner/Member you are currently tormenting.

It all comes back to two golden rules:

  • Live and let Live.
  • Do unto others as you would have them do unto you

These rules are accepted by all, but unfortunately many times they are not followed.