Jamie Dokovna was quoted in the Community Association Management Insider article titled, “Are You Eligible for the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit?” To read the full article, please click here. Jamie Dokovna focuses her practice on business litigation, with an emphasis on employment law and commercial matters as well as condominium and homeowner association […]
Read MoreResults
“3 Tax Traps for Associations and Managers to Avoid” – Community Association Management Insider
Kickbacks might be easy to define, but sometimes in the day-to-day of work transactions, they can be difficult to spot. “It’s generally receiving something of value in exchange for getting a contract or a better deal and pocketing that money or gift,” says Jamie Dokovna, a shareholder in the Florida law firm Becker & Poliakoff […]
Read More“Cornering Kickbacks: How to Help Your Managers Avoid Them” – Community Association Management Insider
Kickbacks might be easy to define, but sometimes in the day-to-day of work transactions, they can be difficult to spot. “It’s generally receiving something of value in exchange for getting a contract or a better deal and pocketing that money or gift,” says Jamie Dokovna, a shareholder in the Florida law firm Becker & Poliakoff […]
Read More“Rising Sea Levels Bring a Wave of Risk — Even in Unexpected Locales,” Community Association Management Insider
For some time now, many community association managers realized that rising sea levels can put their clients at risk. Sea walls are no panacea. “When Hurricane Irma hit Marco Island,” says David Muller, a shareholder and board-certified specialist in condominium and planned development law with the Naples, Fla., office of Becker & Poliakoff, “there were […]
Read More“Avoid the Potential Pitfalls of Sharing Common Areas Among Communities,” Community Association Management Insider
Conflicts can arise when numerous associations share amenities and/or common areas through a master association. David Muller offers his ideas on effective negotiation to prevent this from happening. “When a developer develops a property,” says David Muller, a shareholder and board-certified specialist in condominium and planned development law with the Naples, Fla., office of Becker […]
Read More“Work Opportunity Tax Credit Can Add to the Bottom Line,” Community Association Management Insider
Community association management companies and their clients may not be aware of the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC), which is a useful tool available to them for simultaneously growing their staff and reducing their tax bills. “The credit is very overlooked,” says Jamie Dokovna, a shareholder in the Florida law firm Becker & Poliakoff who practices […]
Read More“3 Critical Issues to Cover in Today’s Board Training,” Community Association Management Insider
It is crucial for associations, board members, and managers to attend comprehensive board training as part of effective risk management, especially during our current climate. According to Jamie Dokovna, a shareholder in the Florida law firm Becker & Poliakoff who practices employment law and works with associations, one role board members frequently overlook is that […]
Read More“Supporting Your Staff’s Mental Health in Trying Times” – Community Association Management Insider
The stress experienced by community association managers can pose serious problems for their employers, including reduced productivity and staff levels. “We’ve had managers quit because they were burned out,” says Paul Grucza, director of education and client development at the Seattle-based management company CWD Group, Inc. Are you taking the steps you should to understand […]
Read More“Sweeping New Association Law Takes Effect in Florida,” Community Association Management Insider
A far-reaching new piece of legislation targeting community associations took effect in Florida on July 1, 2021. “It’s a mixed bag,” says Donna DiMaggio Berger, a shareholder in the Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., office of Becker & Poliakoff. “There’s some good stuff and some not so good stuff.” Good or bad, though, Berger says “there are […]
Read More“Hold Up: 5 Areas to Negotiate on Elevator Maintenance Contracts,” Community Association Management Insider
Properly operating elevators rank near the top of the most important — and most visible —equipment in a community association. Yet some communities sign standard service contracts without giving the terms much thought. “One of the biggest mistakes across the board with associations is not having a lawyer look over the elevator contracts,” says Jennifer […]
Read More“Owner’s Pot-Bellied Pig Leads To Unusual Discrimination Lawsuit,” Community Association Management Insider
An Ohio HOA recently learned the hard way that discrimination lawsuits arising out of pet restrictions aren’t limited to disability-related claims. That’s one lesson from the association’s attempts to remove a pig from its premises; the other is that poorly worded restrictions can backfire. A Pig in a Poke “I’ve seen disputes with atypical pets, […]
Read More“Is That Contractor Really an Employee?” – Community Association Management Insider
The misclassification of an employee as an independent contractor can prove costly for employers — including both community associations and managers. So it was good news when the Trump administration finalized a rule that loosened the test for determining whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor. “Under Trump, the idea was to […]
Read More“Help Your Clients Avoid Stumbling into Fair Housing Problems” – Community Association Management Insider
Community Association Management Insider recently asked several legal practitioners to identify those seemingly innocent practices that could land community associations in court for fair housing violations. David Muller and JoAnn Burnett, members of Becker’s Community Association Team, pointed out that most avoidable disputes were rooted in poor handling of unreasonable accommodation requests, inadvertent familial discrimination, failure to comply […]
Read More“Short-Term Rental Developments: Profits Not Necessary to Violate Residential Use Covenant,” Community Association Management Insider
Short-term rental arrangements continue to plague community associations, with owners and powerful lobbying groups for companies like Airbnb constantly devising new tactics for avoiding restrictions. “With Airbnb and those platforms becoming such a huge percentage of rentals,” says Jennifer Horan, a shareholder in the Naples, Fla., office of Becker & Poliakoff, “we’re going to see […]
Read More“Court Finds Short-Term Rentals Violate Deed Restriction,” Community Association Management Insider
The current economic climate combined with COVID-related migration has many homeowners exploring the revenue generating options of their properties, which can put them at odds with a community association’s mission to cultivate residential harmony and lead to legal proceedings. Becker Shareholder Jennifer Horan strongly advocates for a careful examination of association restrictions before moving forward […]
Read More“What’s New in Rules and Restrictions,” Community Association Management Insider
Shareholder Jennifer Horan weighs in on amending community association governing documents to include restrictions on the use of surveillance cameras. “The Ring doorbell has been a huge issue because the span [of the captured images] is so far that they can really see everything. Especially in connected homes, where you may share a driveway, people […]
Read More“Someone is Sick: Now What?,” Community Association Management Insider
What do you do when one of your community association members is diagnosed with the coronavirus (COVID-19)? Becker Shareholder Jennifer Horan reminds board members to exercise caution when considering privacy rights of residents, while also being transparent. “I tell my boards in condo associations that they don’t necessarily have the duty to inform the owners […]
Read More“In the Crosshairs: Can — and Should — Your Clients Regulate Firearm Possession?,” Community Association Management Insider
The issue of gun violence has become increasingly common in news headlines across the country, and in turn, has become a hot button topic of debate within community associations. Shareholder Jay Roberts discusses the options community associations have in dealing with this issue with Community Association Management Inside. Jay notes that while Florida has no […]
Read More“Associations Confront the Continuing Challenge of Short-Term Rentals,” Community Association Management Insider
Short-term rentals are this season’s hot topic. Many communities are wondering what they can do to overcome the challenge of having things like Airbnbs pop up in their neighborhood. There are ways that homeowners associations can impose regulations and restrictions on short-term rentals, without legislation having to pass. “A majority of my associations have leasing […]
Read More