CDD will assume additional operations

HERITAGE HARBOUR — Supervisors of the Heritage Harbour South Community Development District are pushing forward to bring assets back under the CDD’s control.

During their meeting March 3, supervisors voted 3-1 to move landscaping and gate operations back into district control for the 2012 fiscal year budget. Although district-owned, those assets currently are maintained by the developer-controlled Heritage Harbour Master Association and paid for through homeowners association dues.

Under the new scenario, costs for those items would shift to the CDD from the HOA, and contracts and services currently in place would continue as is, supervisors said.

“There’s no intent to holistically change the way it’s operated,” Community Manager Jim Ward said. “I think it provides a more cohesive way to manage the (district’s assets). I think we should try to keep (what the HOA is doing). We’re only changing who pays the bills.”

CDD supervisors have been working to transition the district’s assets back into the management of the CDD for the last two years.

Residents who attended the meeting said the changes were premature because residents currently are working with the Master Association on issues relating to those two items.

“It’s working very well,” resident Dick Weiss said of how landscaping, in particular, is handled. “(In regard to landscaping) there are a few cases where we are getting more than we paid for. It’s happening in the hands of relationships. I would suggest — not forever, but for the time being — (to) take more time.”

Klaus Offermann agreed.

“I don’t see a need for a rush,” he said, noting the CDD should wait until Lennar turns over control of Stoneybrook to residents. “We can wait another year.”

Residents said they felt supervisors did not understand the complexities of the Stoneybrook gatehouse operations, which utilizes several HOA-employed personnel for maintenance and other issues, and for which a new security contract currently is being negotiated. They also noted the Master Association’s landscape committee has been working with contractors to improve service and has developed a five-year plan, among other issues.

Taking resident feedback into consideration, supervisors agreed to alter the timing of proposed changes so landscaping would be assumed by the CDD in January 2012, while the guardhouse operations likely would be assumed in May 2012, after the HOA has had a full year under its new security contract.

“We’re simply trying to find the best solution for the overall community,” Supervisor Lee Bettes said. “Neither side has a perfect solution to this. At the end of the day, the CDD owns this. We have to build up a reserve (to care for it properly).

“Everyone in this room has worked too hard (to foster a good relationship between the CDD and HOA) to get hung up on who pays the bills,” he said. “We’re one community.”

Supervisors said they want residents to continue being involved in landscaping and other issues just as they have while the developer maintained those items.

“This does not represent a takeover,” Supervisor Joe Jaudon said. “This board would embrace members of the landscape committee. We’re trying to (manage) the assets in a more efficient manner because at the end of the day, the district owns (these assets).

“This is not the board versus you,” he said, motioning around the room. “This is all of us. We own this property.”

Under the change, assessment allocations for landscaping and gate house operations would be assessed as they are currently, meaning Stoneybrook residents alone would continue paying for the operations and maintenance of their gatehouse, for example.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].

IN OTHER NEWS
• District engineers followed up on the board’s recommendation to determine if any private facilities owned by Aquaterra, the district’s developer-owned irrigation utility, can be included in the procedures and formula for allocating costs associated with the storm water management system for the Fiscal Year 2012 budget.
Engineers determined lake 71 and the adjacent pump station are not located within the boundaries of the district, but lake 52 and the adjacent pump station are. However, neither pump stations nor lakes are connected to the district’s storm water system, so no costs can be assigned to them.

• District Attorney Kenza vanAssenderp said he, Ward and CDD Chairman Charles Faust met with representatives of Aquaterra last month. VanAssenderp expects to present an agreement between the CDD and Aquaterra about their relationship and other issues to the board at next month’s meeting for approval, he said.