Message from the President
Don McCormick fdmcc39@embarqmail.com or 575-9543
July, 2008
It seems like June became Spring cleaning month. Long dormant issues decided to come to the fore and a few new ones cropped up as well. Luckily our association is blessed with people who volunteer and dig into problems.
The long simmering discontent with real estate open house signs finally worked its way through the City Council and back down to PGICA for a review on June 10th. Our membership read the proposed ordinance carefully when it appeared as an insert in the June Commentator and decided that a big meeting wasn’t warranted. A few concerned members heard Bill Dryburgh, President of the Punta Gorda Port Charlotte North Port Board of Realtors confirm what Teri Tubbs Zoning Supervisor presented. Our new ordinance will permit two signs, each 3sq/ft in area to be permitted for an ‘Open House.’ One sign could be placed at a major intersection on private property and one sign could be placed in front of the home being presented. With luck, we have seen the last of “Burma Shave” serial signs festooned with balloons on PGI streets.
The ‘surprise issue’ of the month was insurance policy cancellations. First our primary carrier State Farm cancelled our primary liability and loss policy effective in August, and then our excess flood policy was cancelled, too. Quick action by your Board of Director and Association Manager Beth Magnin led to new policies being obtained. Those of you who follow Florida vs. The Insurance Industry will not be astonished to learn that our premium took a 30% increase in the process of changing carriers.
The other long standing issue made its way to the top of the Association’s Agenda thanks to the Sun Herald Headline that suggested Punta Gorda Isles does not have deed restrictions. Fortunately, Dave Brower, Ray Rose, Bill Folchi, Carl Parsons, Richard Greenwald and Kate Albers stepped up and agreed to serve on a committee that is charged with evaluating the impact of new legislation on our Association’s present situation. We all understand that a large number of the restrictions incorporated in the PGI deeds when first recorded in the 1970’s or earlier have outlived their enforceable life. In addition, we know that the Land Development Regulations [LDR’s] of the City of Punta Gorda protect us under a designated Special Overlay District. We are now entitled to enforce community standards through the City’s Code enforcement department. We now have the ability to keep up our neighborhoods through code compliance. Those of you with an institutional memory of the 1990’s know that your Association had to seek enforcement through court action and those occasions were not always pleasant or successful.
Nonetheless, it is important that our membership examine this issue carefully in light of these new developments. Perhaps we’ll have a preliminary report from David Brower’s committee in the September Commentator.
A new marketing strategy has captivated our banking community and it can certainly benefit the Punta Gorda Isles Civic Association. Numerous banks, including but not limited to SunTrust and Charlotte State Bank, offer to make cash contributions to PGICA or any other qualified 501 (c) 3 non profit when you open a new account or add features to existing accounts. Those of you who are comfortable with computers can log on to these bank web sites from anywhere in the U.S. and do your Association a big favor. PGICA gets some cash and who knows, you might even find a beneficial banking relationship.