Sugarhill


Property Owners Association
Working to make Sugarhill as sweet as it can be.
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V R B O

Vacation Rental By Owner

Vacation Rental By Owner is the legal term used when lawyers are referencing this issue. What it is in real time is the practice of a home owner to rent out some or all of their property for a short term mostly days or maybe a week. Most renters are vacationers but not all of them.

The Internet is what has caused this to become an issue. Companies like airbnb.com, vrbo.com or homeaway.com now take over all the booking, billing and basic control of the financial and advertising ends of this type of rental. These brokering companies relentlessly lobby our state legislators to keep any opposition stopped. HOAs are still successful in keeping these mini-motels out of their neighborhoods but it takes a covenant change to do it.

So why would anybody want to stop something like AirB&B? Based on my own experiences, I can certainly understand why. Living for eight years on an open ocean canal in North River Shores we had the unfortunate reality of an AirB&B across the canal. It was an insane nuisance to all the neighbors in proximity. We never thought such a thing would ever exist in North River Shores when we moved in.

So what's the issue with Sugarhill? Well, you may not be aware but Sugarhill has had 1 AirB&B for a few of years. Most people haven't been bothered by it (with the exception of the next door neighbors), but wait until there are 6 or 10 peppered throughout Sugarhill. That is the potential direction and should the strong real estate market change, as we all have seen, this can become a major issue in our family-oriented neighborhood.

Once there are multiple homes in Sugarhill being rented out for short term stays it's very possible they will begin to become competitive with each other. The prices will go down and the number of listings will go up. It will all get much worse.

Homeowners associations all across the state are being overrun to the point where the only option has been to change bylaws to 4 - 6 month minimum rental duration. The brokering companies have now gone so far as to lobby legislators to present bills to stop HOAs from using the 4 - 6 month bylaw change. So far these efforts to block HOAs from controlling their own neighborhood have failed.

One thing for certain, this is a serious issue that will inevitably get much worse and the only people benefiting from it are the ones making money on it. The vast majority of these owners won't even be living in Sugarhill. This board is unanimous in our belief that commercial short-term rentals in Sugarhill will be a detriment to the quality of our neighborhood lifestyle. We hope the community agrees with us. Soon you will see a special meeting with the same election process you are familiar with designed to change the covenant to stop short term rentals.
   by John Doty ©2019 updated 4-2021


We have developed a Pro & Con list in PDF. Please give it a viewing.


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We catch more flies with honey than vinegar.
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Who Want's to Catch Flies?

So this is a very old expression. Dates back to the 1500s. It's literal meaning refers to how flies will get stuck in honey and stay away from you (a good thing).

The human relationship meaning refers to how you treat people. Treat them with sweetness (kindness, compassion, consideration) and you don't have as many problems (flies bothering you). Treat them nasty (vinegar) and your problems will never go away.

We believe in this motto and try to live by it.


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Here is what electionbuddy.com told us
in a recent correspondence

Specifically for Florida, suffice it to say that the specifics of the statutes as they relate to electronic voting are 718.128 for Condominiums and 720.317 for HOA's. The highlights of these are addressed by the following:
  • We authenticate with 2 factor authentication, and unique keys to ensure the member is who they say they are.
  • For communication, we have been told that because of the ability to be on the internet, and the multi-channel capabilities of mobile browser, text message, email, postcard with QR code, email, internet, we comply with the communication statute.
  • We use 256 KB SSL to maintain a secure connection (to ensure the vote is authentic and not altered in transit).
  • We issue voting receipts (both email and downloadable).
  • We separate the voters choices from whether the voter voted, such that ballots are not tied to the unit holder.
  • Our vote by vote report allows the process to be recounted and ensures the election process is observable. And you have access to these results on an ongoing basis.
  • We can distribute notice both electronically and in print to support the notice requirements.