A Better Way Forward
Don't Let Your HOA Bully You
Allan J. Weltman
Candidate for the Valencia Cove Board of Directors
Our HOA is supposed to work for the homeowners—not the other way around.
I am running for the Valencia Cove Board because I believe homeowners deserve a Board that listens, communicates openly spends our money carefully and treats every homeowner fairly and with respect.
Valencia Cove faces important decisions in the years ahead. Major projects, rising costs, assessments, contract, accessibility, and the future of our community deserve careful consideration and open discussion.
Homeowners should not simply learn about important decisions after they have been made. They should have a voice in making them,
My Commitment
TRANSPARENCY
Homeowners should have meaningful information about the decisions that affect their homes, their community and their money.
ACCOUNTABILITY
The Board represents the homeowners. Board members should be willing to answer questions, explain their decisions, listen to different points of view, and accept responsibility for the decisions they make.
FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY
Every dollar collected from homeowners matters. Contracts and major expenditures should receive careful scrutiny. Alternatives should be considered. Significant financial decisions should be clearly explained before homeowners are asked to pay for them.
RESPECT FOR HOMEOWNERS
Disagreement is not a problem. It is part of a healthy community. No homeowner should be dismissed or treated as a troublemaker simply because he or she asks questions or disagrees with the Board. We can disagree without being disagreeable.
About Allan Weltman
WHY I AM RUNNING
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Three years ago, an issue involving my rights as a homeowner caused me to begin an extensive
study of Florida HOA law, homeowner rights, Board responsibilities, and the obligations that
come with governing a community such as Valencia Cove.
What began as a personal effort to understand the law became something much larger.
I discovered that homeowners throughout Florida were confronting many of the same issues—transparency, elections, access to records, enforcement of rules, disability accommodations,
and the proper balance between the authority of a Board and the rights of the homeowners it
represents.
I eventually turned that research and experience into my book, Dont let your HOA Bully You.
apractical guide intended to help homeowners understand their rights and encourage HOA
Boards to govern fairly, openly, and responsibly.
But I am not running for the Valencia Cove Board to fight yesterday's battles.
I am running because I believe what I have learned can help us govern Valencia Cove better
tomorrow.
Valencia Cove is our home.
A Board should protect our property values, spend our money carefully, plan intelligently for
the future, follow our governing documents and Florida law—and always remember that it
works for the homeowners.
I will not agree with every homeowner, and I do not expect every homeowner to agree with me.
But every homeowner deserves to be heard, treated with respect, and given an honest answer.
That is why I am running for the Board of Directors of Valencia Cove.
EXPERIENCE MATTERS
Serving on a Board requires more than having opinions. It requires judgment, experience, independence, and the ability to work with people who may not always agree.
Throughout my life, I have worked in business, finance, technology, mediation, and problem-solving.
As a Florida Supreme Court Certified Mediator, I learned that difficult problems are rarely solved by refusing to listen to the other side.
As a businessman, I learned that spending decisions have consequences and that every dollar must be accounted for.
As a homeowner, I learned that rules and governing documents matter—but so do fairness, common sense, and respect.
And through my extensive research into HOA governance, I have developed an understanding of the responsibilities that Board members assume when homeowners place their trust in them.
I would bring that experience, independence, and judgment to the Valencia Cove Board.
WHAT WOULD I DO DIFFERENTLY?
Meaningful Homeowner Participation
I believe homeowners should have a meaningful opportunity to participate in the decisions affecting their community.
Technology such as Zoom can make participation easier and should continue to be available.
But technology should expand communication—not become a barrier between homeowners and the people elected to represent them.
I support Board meetings that give homeowners a real opportunity to see their Board, speak directly to their Board, ask appropriate questions, and receive straightforward answers.
Open meetings. Meaningful participation. Straight answers.
Financial Decisions You Can Understand
Valencia Cove is approaching decisions involving substantial amounts of homeowner money.
Before major expenditures are undertaken, homeowners deserve to understand what is being proposed, why it is necessary, what alternatives were considered, and what it is expected to cost.
I will ask questions.
I will examine alternatives.
And when I vote to spend homeowner money, I will be prepared to explain why.
It is your money. You deserve to know how and why it is being spent.
MY PROMISE TO YOU
If elected, I cannot promise that I will always vote the way you want me to.
I cannot promise that every problem will be solved.
And I cannot promise that everyone will agree with me.
But I can promise this:
I will do my homework.
I will ask questions.
I will listen.
I will follow our governing documents and Florida law.
I will treat homeowners with respect.
I will carefully consider how your money is spent.
And I will make every decision based on what I believe is in the best interests of Valencia Cove—not on personalities, friendships, or pressure.
Valencia Cove is our home.
Let's make sure homeowners have a voice in its future.
Allan J. Weltman
Candidate for the Valencia Cove Board of Directors
A Better Way Forward
Your Right to be Heard
Why should a community of 822 homeowners have its Board meetings structured so that homeowners have no practical opportunity for face-to-face participation?
Florida law gives homeowners the right to attend Board meetings and to speak regarding designated agenda items.
At Valencia Cove, Board meetings are conducted exclusively through Zoom. Homeowners who have a question are asked to type it into the Zoom chat, giving up the anonymity that comes with simply standing up and asking a question at an in-person meeting. The Board may answer the question-or may tell you that it will get back to you.
That's not the kind of homeowner participation I believe we should have.
Technology should make it easier for homeowners to participate-not become a substitute for meaningful communication.
A Better Way Forward
I believe homeowners should have a real opportunity to see their Board, speak directly to their Board, ask questions, and receive answers.
Open meetings. Meaningful participation. Straight answers.
Your voice should not disappear into a Zoom chat box.
Accessibility for Our Community
Valencia Cove is a 55+ community. Accessibility should be part of our everyday planning—not simply something addressed when a major renovation takes place.
When legitimate accessibility concerns arise and reasonable solutions are available, I believe they should be considered promptly.
Our community should work for the people who live here today as well as those who will live here tomorrow.
Accessibility isn't simply about complying with a law. It is about neighbors being able to participate in their own community.
Respect and Civility
A community of more than 800 homes will never agree about everything.
Nor should we.
Different opinions can lead to better decisions when people are willing to listen to one another.
I want Valencia Cove to be a community where homeowners feel comfortable asking questions, offering ideas, criticizing a proposal, or supporting the Board without worrying about which "side" they are on.
We are neighbors first.
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