Key Takeaways from Yesterday’s 6.5 Hour Board Meeting
• Fiber Optic Network Sale: The board narrowly voted 4-3 to sell PB’s fiber optic network to Hotwire for $3 million—without obtaining a third-party appraisal. PB members originally paid over $8 million for Summit to build the network and may face additional multimillion-dollar costs for a replacement once Hotwire’s contract expires in 10 years.
• Naples Grande Tennis Court Conversion: Several board members confirmed that information about PB’s consultations with the Naples Grande about converting the eight tennis courts on Seagate Drive into 15 residential units was unknown to them until the PBPOA disclosed this information. The rationale for not sharing this critical information with all board members was not disclosed at the meeting. Converting this commercial property to residential property not only adds to the number of members who use PB’s amenities, but potentially sets a precedent for other commercial members to do the same.
• Community Center & Commons Renovation: The board voted 7-0 to engage an architectural firm to develop preliminary plans and estimated costs for the expansion and renovation of the community center and renovation of the Commons building. The plans are expected to be shared with members before April 30, and the cost is not to exceed $30 million, significantly more than PB’s capital fund will have at the end of FY25.
• Design Review Process Updates: Brian Stevens, chair of the Design Review Committee, presented the committee’s recommendations to address major issues with the current guidelines and process for approving renovations and new construction that primarily affect single family homes. Approval of the recommendations was delayed until the February board meeting because some wanted the suggested changes shown in a redline version of the document before approving it.
• Document Requests: Issues related to requests for PB documents were mentioned a couple of times during the meeting. Florida law requires that certain documents be provided within 10 business days of the request, and PB management is not always complying with this requirement. A recent request has taken more than three months. A board member requested additional information on this topic from PB management.
• Strategic Plan Additions & Governance Concerns: Two goals have been added to PB’s Strategic Plan. One is about resiliency, and the other deals with governance. With a stronger focus on governance, we hope to see increased transparency, keeping both board members and the community well-informed on key topics while fostering more focused and less contentious board meetings. And regarding resiliency, some members felt that resiliency issues should be evaluated both in the short term and long term before any commitment is made to the Community Center/Commons project.
Friday’s six-hour meeting was notably contentious, with some speakers and board members cut off mid-sentence. Many members who came to speak on specific topics had to leave before their issues were even addressed.
From your Friends at the PBPOA,
Serving you since 1984
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