Happy Thanksgiving! / Send in your budget proxy

I’d like to wish everyone a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving. As a community, we have a lot to be thankful for this year – including surviving a close call with Hurricane Matthew, continued progress on our building renovations, and obtaining approval for a two-year refinance of our Hurricane Wilma loan at a lower interest rate thanks to our strengthening financial picture and reduced delinquency rate.  And to top off a fantastic year, International Village unit owners can now look forward to lower maintenance fees for an unprecedented THIRD year in a row!

To those of you who've already sent in your budget proxy, thank you! If you have not completed one yet, please take a moment to do so now. You can download and print a copy HERE. Copies also are available at the office. For detailed instructions on how to complete the proxy, click HERE.

If you want maintenance fees to go down, you must vote YES to waive reserves and return it as soon as you can. Just print and scan it and email it back to me or to manager@intlvillage.com. You can also drop it off at the association office or mail it to 3700 Inverrary Dr., Suite 101, Lauderhill FL 33319.

If we don’t get your proxy back before the Board’s upcoming budget meeting, we will not be able to reduce maintenance fees, so please return back as soon as possible.

Thank you, and happy Thanksgiving!

John Labriola
International Village President

Reduce your maintenance fees: Send in your budget proxy!

As I announced recently, International Village unit owners can look forward to enjoying a modest cut in their maintenance fees in 2017 for an unprecedented THIRD year in a row. But in order for the Board of Directors to be able to approve the maintenance fee reduction, you will have to fill out and sign the proxy, which you can also download HERE.

If you want maintenance fees to go down, you must vote YES to waive reserves and return it as soon as you can. Just print and scan it and email it back to me or to manager@intlvillage.com. You can also drop it off at the association office or mail it to 3700 Inverrary Dr., Suite 101, Lauderhill FL 33319. For detailed instructions on how to complete the proxy, click HERE.

If we don’t get your proxy back before the Board’s upcoming budget meeting, the budget will revert to what the state defines as “fully funded reserves” – which would mean a 36 percent maintenance fee increase! So please get those proxies back as soon as possible so you can keep more money in your pockets!

Thank you,

John Labriola

International Village President

Welcome back, snowbirds! / 2017 budget preview

I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome all the snowbirds back to International Village. It was a pleasure to see some of your faces again at the last Board of Directors meeting and to personally bring you up to date on what’s new in the Village. For those of you who weren’t there, here's a recap:

First of all, we have a new property manager. Dan Syrlik, who started last month, has a strong background in both condo property management and mechanical and electrical design engineering, as well as a strong commitment to cost savings, and he has been hard at work over the last few weeks on a number of fronts. Please help me welcome him to International Village.

As I first announced two months ago, we also recently obtained approval for a two-year refinance of our Hurricane Wilma loan at a lower interest rate, thanks to the association’s strengthening financials and reduced delinquency rate. And as a result of our improved budget picture, I’m very happy to report International Village unit owners can look forward to a modest cut in maintenance fees for an unprecedented THIRD year in a row! Check your mail in the coming days for your 2017 budget and proxy. Be sure to vote "Yes" in favor of waiving reserves and mail back your proxy or drop it off at the association office as soon as possible, because we’ll need it to approve the maintenance fee reduction.

John Labriola
International Village President

Hurricane Matthew update

International Village owners and residents can breathe a big sigh of relief after Thursday’s close call with Hurricane Matthew. South Florida dodged a major bullet, with the eye of the storm remaining well offshore to the east as it continued moving north. Friday morning we did a complete inspection of the entire property and no damage was reported.

A big thank you to our maintenance, security and office staff for all their hard work preparing for the storm as well as to all the owners and residents who did their part by securing their properties.

Thank God our community was spared once again, but hurricane season isn’t over yet so let’s continue paying attention to the weather and taking official storm warnings seriously, because it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

John Labriola
International Village President

Hurricane Matthew alert

Dear International Village owners and residents:

As South Florida braces for possible impact from Hurricane Matthew, we urge everyone to take all the necessary precautions to protect your own safety and property and that of your neighbors.  

Notices have been posted in all the buildings reminding residents to park their cars away from trees and to remove all unsecured objects from their balconies and patio areas and bring them indoors – including chairs, plants, etc., so that they don’t become dangerous projectiles in the event of high winds. If you are out of town but someone has access to your unit, or if you have a tenant, please ask them to secure your property for you.

Our maintenance crew has been working to secure the common areas, including securing the pool area and tennis courts as well as ensuring that drains and gutters are clear of leaves to allow for proper drainage. But we need all owners and residents to do their part as well. Be responsible by following the above precautions, stay tuned to the forecasts, and stock up on water and batteries. You're also encouraged to check out the Broward County Hurricane Guide at www.broward.org/hurricane/Pages/DefaultEvent.aspx

Just because we haven’t gotten hit in more than 10 years doesn’t mean we are immune. So please get prepared and let’s all stay safe.

Thank you,

John Labriola

International Village President

Good news for International Village

I’m pleased to announce that International Village has been approved for a two-year refinance of our Hurricane Wilma loan, which had been set to balloon this month. Home Federal Bank will be taking over the loan from Wells Fargo at an interest rate of only 4.375 percent. That’s less than the 5 percent interest we were paying Wells Fargo. The loan will run through the term of the existing Wilma special assessment, which ends in August 2018, allowing the association to continue meeting its obligations without having to cut into its operating funds to pay off the loan two years early. This is really good news, and it’s thanks to the association’s strong financials and the current board’s very proactive approach to reducing our delinquency rate, which put us in an excellent position to obtain approval for our loan refinance application.

I’m also very happy to report that Ilan Weiss has lost his latest frivolous lawsuit against the association. As you may recall, Mr. Weiss was beaten badly when he ran for the Board of Directors in 2015, receiving only 20 percent of the vote. Not willing to accept the clear mandate of the owners who overwhelmingly rejected his candidacy, Mr. Weiss sued the association claiming election fraud, earning him the well deserved label of sore loser. The association’s insurance company (as usual) recommended that the board give Mr. Weiss money to drop the case, but the board stood firm and decided to fight instead. The decision paid off.  After losing his case at the lower level, Mr. Weiss appealed it to the circuit court, dragging the case out for well over a year in the hopes that the board would eventually give up and offer him a settlement. It didn’t happen, and Mr. Weiss finally saw the handwriting on the wall and dropped his bogus lawsuit. As the twice-over loser, he will now be required to pay ALL the association's attorney fees in the case. His bill will run in the tens of thousands of dollars. Maybe this will teach him to think twice before filing another frivolous lawsuit.

In other news, the association recently hired a new security manager. Donnahue George, who started early this month, possesses an impressive background in security and emergency management, including working as a corrections officer in New York City. Over the last few weeks he has been hard at work addressing past shortcomings and implementing a number of important improvements to our security system here at International Village, including identifying and evicting unauthorized tenants and working with management to provide the guardhouse with computerized access to resident information. Please join me in welcoming him to the association.

John Labriola
International Village President

First-year rental prohibition notice

In the next few days, International Village unit owners will be receiving a letter from the association reminding them that owners are not permitted to lease or rent out a unit at International Village during the first year after purchasing or acquiring title to the unit. The association’s previous moratorium on enforcement of this provision of our documents has expired. That means that Chapter XIV (A) of the Declaration of Condominium – which prohibits new owners from renting out their units during the first 12 months of ownership – is in full force and effect. If an owner purchased or acquired title to a unit in the last 12 months, they must wait until the one-year anniversary of the purchase or acquisition of title before submitting a lease application to the association. The association will be checking the date of purchase or transfer of each unit before approving any lease applications.

On another important topic, many of you heard about the burglary that took place on the property last month. While the victim was fortunately not hurt and most of her property was recovered, the incident revealed shortcomings in our security system that the Board of Directors is taking steps to address, including major security personnel changes. Maintaining a safe and secure community is our top priority, and we will continue to review and overhaul procedures to protect the safety of our owners and residents.

John Labriola
International Village President