Becker’s Take It To The Board podcast, hosted by shareholder Donna DiMaggio Berger, explores the reality of life in a community association. Among many special guests, nine Becker attorneys from across the firm, have appeared and discussed their area of expertise as it relates to community living. Tune in for these candid discussions which just might address one or more challenges currently confronting your community!
Take It To The Board episodes also showcase a variety of guests including association leaders, experts, and vendors to discuss the challenges and benefits of the community association lifestyle.
To listen to an episode with Donna DiMaggio Berger featuring a Becker attorney, simply click on the buttons below.
If you’ve got questions, Take It To The Board with Donna DiMaggio Berger has the answers – Tune In Today!
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The Impact of Construction Next Door with Katie O. Berkey, AICP
Becker Shareholder Kathleen “Katie” Berkey, AICP, sits down with Donna DiMaggio Berger and explains how she helps clients deal with all sorts of issues related to their property. As Mark Twain once said, “Buy land, they’re not making it anymore,” and truer words have never been spoken. Land remains invaluable and there is often a developer looking to build, renovate, or demolish any given property. When a project like this commences, it can bring a host of headaches and trouble to those living next door.
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Are “55 and Older” Communities Still In Demand? An Engaging Discussion with Mark Friedman
Becker Shareholder Mark D. Friedman, who provides legal counsel to condominium, homeowner and cooperative associations, sits down with Donna DiMaggio Berger to discuss “Housing for Older Persons” communities including their legal requirements for establishment and whether these communities have the same appeal today as they did in the past.
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Assessing Collections with Joy Mattingly
In this episode of Take It To the Board, host Donna DiMaggio Berger speaks with Becker Shareholder Joy Mattingly, who oversees Becker’s collection and foreclosure practice. Joy is an experienced litigator who represents all types of associations in collecting the delinquent assessments needed to fund the community’s essential services. Donna and Joy discuss the mechanics of a successful foreclosure practice, what boards need to know about “creative” debt collection companies, and how collection attorneys cope with such a demanding practice area.
2022 Legislative Session in Florida Wrap Up with Yeline Goin
Many task forces were convened in the aftermath of the Surfside tragedy, including one by the Florida Bar. All of those task forces urged the passage of new laws pertaining to reserve funding and engineering. However, the 2022 Legislative Session in Florida concluded on March 11 with none of those reforms being passed. Host Donna DiMaggio Berger and Senior Attorney Yeline Goin walk us through a typical day in the life of a lobbyist in the Florida legislature. They discuss whether proposed requirements for funded reserves were just a legislative squabble, what the Florida Clean Indoor Acts can tell us about community association legislation, and the importance of lobbying in establishing clarity in bills.
Building Basics with Construction Counsel Patrick Howell
Shoddy workmanship, whether in a new build or a retrofit, is the bane of any shared ownership community. And trying to avoid or recover from a bad construction job is one of the most important responsibilities a community association board can shoulder. Host, Donna DiMaggio Berger, and seasoned construction attorney, Patrick Howell, swap in-the-trench anecdotes about renovations gone wrong and offer insight into the simple ways every HOA or condo board can improve a construction project from the beginning – or survive the necessary legal action when facing the aftermath of defective construction in their community.
HR Hacks with Jamie Dokovna (Parts I and II)
Does your community association hire people? If so, you’ll definitely want to listen in as Donna and Jamie discuss the complicated network of federal, state, and, in some cases, municipal laws that protect both employers and employees – and outline the consequences of mistakenly thinking those laws don’t apply to you. From the clarity of applying the salary test to the murkiness of how “interstate commerce” can impact your daily operations, this conversation dives deep into some of the biggest employment issues facing community, condo, and homeowner association today.
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Rules and Refereeing with Howard Perl
Even as children, enforcing the rules that kept games playful didn’t always make you very popular with your peers. Association board members and managers will tell you that, when it comes to maintaining a community of adult homeowners, not much has changed since those playground days. Donna and Howard help association leaders embrace this unpopular segment of their service and outline best practices to successfully establish enough – but not too many – guidelines, enforce rules consistently despite a violator’s outrage or board position, and know how and when to escalate enforcement proceedings beyond the informal hallway/poolside chat.
Community Immunity: Examining COVID-19 Shield Laws with David Ramsey
Think COVID-19 Shield Laws will safeguard your community association from claims of negligence? Host Donna DiMaggio Berger and featured guest David Ramsey aren’t so sure. This special episode emphasizes that the only real protection against pandemic-related liability is to consistently uphold the highest standard of care – even in the face of owners’ fury – and reminds board members that they, unlike their neighbors, owe a fiduciary duty to the entire community.
Nuisance or Necessary: Solving the “Pet” Problem with JoAnn Nesta Burnett
Although intended to empower people with physical or emotional disabilities, service animals can create quite the conundrum for no-pet and pet restricted communities. If your board is struggling to provide reasonable accommodations for all community members – those with disabilities requiring service/support animals and those with animal phobias or allergies – and balance these competing interests in communal spaces – pools, elevators, and lobbies – this is the episode for you! Donna and JoAnn outline why no-pet or pet restricted communities MUST have an enforceable clause in their governing documents and enforce it equally and objectively.
The Take It To The Board with Donna DiMaggio Berger podcast can be found on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, and YouTube. Subscribe to never miss out on new episodes and make sure to leave us a rating and comment – we love to hear from our audience!