Waterlefe bridges road to fairness

WATERLEFE — Residents in Waterlefe didn’t create the community’s governing documents, but they made all the difference in changing them.

On Aug. 5, households voted 474-1 to approve changes to the community’s documents, spelling out a new agreement between the Waterlefe Community Development District, The Shores Homeowners Association and the overall Master Property Owners Association.

The agreement states residents of The Shores, a private, gated community within Waterlefe, will pay the same as other Waterlefe property owners for MPOA fees and equivalent CDD assessments, even though The Shores is not part of the CDD. The MPOA will assume common-area maintenance within The Shores and collect assessments on behalf of itself and the CDD.

The agreement stems, in part, from a related lawsuit. The MPOA filed against seven Shores residents who stopped paying CDD assessments in 2011. Those owners said they should not pay because The Shores is not part of the CDD. The litigation continues, and although the new agreement does not change its outcome, it will clarify the issue going forward.

Of the community’s 617 homes, 412 households had to vote in favor of the proposal, a sizable feat considering about 50% of Waterlefe’s homeowners are away for the summer, said MPOA representative Tom Werner.

Werner, who stepped in to assist MPOA President Franklyn Dickson over the summer with educating Waterlefe residents about proposed changes, said members of the three boards involved held community meetings and sent out a question-and-answer document explaining the issue and the fix about 45 days prior to the vote. A team of about 20 volunteers then each called about 20 households to make sure they received the documents and to answer any questions.

Werner said the main challenges were overcoming apathy and helping Waterlefe homeowners distinguish between the majority of The Shores homeowners, who have paid assessments, and those involved in the lawsuit.

“I was surprised we got it done,” Werner said. “It was a bad proposition for everybody, what the (developer) drafted.”