Heritage Harbour CDD begins transitions

HERITAGE HARBOUR — Supervisors on the Heritage Harbour South Community Development District ushered in a new era as they welcomed their new property manager, Greg Cox, of Rizzetta & Co., during their April 4 meeting.

“We have been through difficult times, and I’m hoping to get resident support,” Board Chairwoman Joyce Sandy said. “(We’re) trying to make this a good transition.”

Sandy said residents could expect higher levels of transparency and disclosure from their property-management company moving forward.

“I have seen very different results with whatever question I asked,” Sandy said. “I think it’s so important we know what’s going on. I think we were a little misguided in the past.”

Cox first led the supervisors through an oath of office, so his company would have it on record, before taking them through a series of transitional resolutions intended to allow Rizzetta & Co. to assume management responsibilities.

Supervisors also voted 4-1 to hire attorney Andy Cohen as their interim legal counsel, after agreeing to use their longtime attorney, Kenza van Assenderp, only on an as-need basis at their March 21 board meeting.
Cohen serves as legal counsel for several Lakewood Ranch Community Development Districts and the Waterlefe and GreyHawk Landing CDDs, among others. He will assist the district until it hires a permanent replacement for van Assenderp.

Van Assenderp is working on a legal dispute between the CDD and Stoneybrook Investors, owner of the Stoneybrook Golf Club, about assessments for the district’s stormwater management system. Attorney John Harllee has been retained as special counsel for the case, as well.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].

In Other Business
• Supervisors agreed to hold a meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 18, at which time they will discuss settlement of pending litigation during a closed session, among other topics.
Stoneybrook Investors, owner of the Stoneybrook Golf Club, has given two options for settlement offers, which would end a dispute with the district over assessments for stormwater management costs if approved by CDD supervisors.
• Supervisors tabled a discussion on a new meeting schedule. Both new District Manager Greg Cox and interim attorney Andy Cohen said they have conflicts with the current meeting time.
• Cox said a CDD website is under construction, as content is being added. The new website will be heritageharboursouthcdd.org.
• Supervisors said they would like to put speeding and potential speed limit changes on a future agenda.
• Supervisor Joseph Jaudon motioned to immediately terminate the district’s field operations management company, Morris-Riley Development Management, but the motion failed.
The district gave 90 days’ notice to Morris-Riley at its March 21 meeting.