Cindy Abraham, HLC Secretary, opened the Nov. 7 Hillcrest Leadership Council meeting at 6:01 PM. The first topic concerned Hillcrest condo owners and associations continuing to feel pressure from state laws that mandate more inspections and reserve financial requirements. The meeting was at Clubhouse 2 at 1151 S. Hillcrest Court. 

District 6 Commissioner Idelma Quintana and Jamie Hernandez were the first to address the building leaders. Commissioner Quintana, who was reelected on Nov. 5 to her first full four-year term after completing the two-year remainder of the previous Commissioner’s term, expressed gratitude to the Hillcrest community for their support in her successful reelection. Several building leaders voiced their appreciation for her dedication and quick responses to Hillcrest’s concerns.

Hernandez, the Emergency and Governmental Affairs Manager for the City of Hollywood, encouraged building leaders and residents to attend the Dec. 5 seminar on “Condo Milestone Recertification” hosted by the City of Hollywood. The meeting will run from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm, at the Hollywood Beach Cultural & Community Center. 

A flyer handed out by Quintana read, “Condominium and building owners, along with property managers, are urged to attend this educational seminar to learn about the requirements for the building safety inspection program. State Sen. Jason Pizzo will lead a panel discussion, and experts will be on hand to answer questions and assist participants through the process.” Extra flyers were available for the leaders to post. You will also find a copy on page 5 of this issue. Quintana added that State House Rep. Marie Woodson may be there, time permitting. Woodson has been working in Tallahassee on a bipartisan effort to deliver financial relief to residents, especially those on fixed incomes, who have been negatively impacted by the new state requirements. 

It may be possible the seminar will be covered by Zoom or the City of Hollywood TV Channel. However, all condo leaders and residents were urged to attend the meeting. In other matters, our Hillcrest HPD Neighborhood Team Leader, Officer Josh Grotenhuis revealed that property crime is down 15% in Hillcrest from last year to this year. And only two car-related crimes were reported in October, although it’s possible the incidents occurred earlier but were reported last month. 

Our HPD Hillcrest team leader was joined by Sgt. Larry Van Dusseldorp. They reminded us that the city installed modern technology in school zones to flag drivers who go more than 10 miles per hour above the speed limit.  The device will spit out automated tickets for speeders, which will be sent to the owner of the speeding vehicle. Cameras have been installed by every Hollywood school.

Anyone going more than 10 miles over the speed limit ANY DAY WHEN SCHOOL IS IN SESSION UP TO 6PM depending on when after school activities end, will be automatically mailed a warning. The second offense will result in a ticket with a penalty of over $100.

Sgt. Van Dusseldrop and Officer Grotenhuis stressed it is smart to always drive within the speed limit.  However, they added we should be especially careful in school zones to protect children from harm.  Remember that the new enforcement tool will be on until after-school activities end, usually between 5 pm and 6 pm.

The focus then turned to updating the Hillcrest Condo Preferred Vendor list. Each November, Cindy Abraham, Secretary of the Hillcrest Leadership Council (HLC), reviews this list with building leadership. Leaders unable to attend must send their recommendations or suggested changes in advance so all members can consider them. Recommendations are accepted only at the November meeting.

Guidelines for Vendor Inclusion: Reliability and Quality Over Price: Low cost alone is not a qualification. Reliability, performance, and quality of work are the primary criteria.

Removal for Performance Issues Only: Vendors can only be removed for poor performance. When multiple buildings use the same vendor, any change requires agreement from all recommending buildings if one building wishes to replace the vendor.

Established History with the Building: Vendors must have a proven record with the building. For example, if a building recommends a roofer, it’s best to see how the roof holds up through a storm season before adding them to the list.

Licensing and Insurance: Vendors should be licensed and insured. Each building, however, is responsible for verifying this information in case it has changed.

Building officers are expected to supervise vendor work closely. Issues have arisen in the past where a building raised concerns about the quality of work, but no one had monitored the project as it progressed. In several such cases, other buildings insisted on keeping the vendor on the list.

During the meeting, attendees shared their insights on businesses they believe should remain on, be added to, or be removed from the list. The revised vendor list will be distributed for review by all building leaders. Each vendor’s entry will include the recommending building’s number, so others can reach out for further details if needed.

We aim to host a Town Hall meeting for the entire Hillcrest community in December, featuring State Representative Marie Woodson. Our goal is to discuss her efforts to support condominium communities by advocating for modifications to the recent statutes that have created financial pressures for condo owners.