April President's Letter

Dear Friends,

April is such a beautiful time of the year to be in VI, and this year is no exception!!! However, it is clear that our community is still in recovery mode. I’d estimate that 30% of the homes in VI are still unoccupied or under construction/renovation. While our community will be attractive and more resilient to storms after all these projects are completed, we still have a way to go. Please be patient with your neighbors as they deal with permitting, hiring contractors and rebuilding.

The Architectural Review Committee (“ARC”) is ready to assist you with timely review and approval of your plans or suggesting changes to ensure compliance with current Deed Restrictions. Please contact any of the ARC members if you have a question regarding your projects after reviewing the materials posted on our website at http://www.ourvi.org/architectural-review.html

Update:

In summary, 313 (60%) of the ballots have been returned to date so there are 209 still outstanding.  At this point, none of the 5 proposed DRRs have received the required 349 (66.7%) votes for approval. So your vote is crucial. We understand that many of you have still not moved back into your homes so if you have not yet received a ballot, please let me know IMMEDIATELY and we will have one sent to your current location.

The Board believes 60% of the property owners voting is not yet representative of our community, so we extended the voting period until September 30, 2025.  This gives us more time to receive ballots during the summer months.

Also, the Deed Restriction Committee continues to enforce the Deed Restrictions within VI.  However, after consulting with our counsel, the Board approved a temporary suspension of the Deed Restrictions pertaining to the maintenance of the exterior of properties, specifically Deed Restrictions 19, 20 and 34.  ARC continues to review projects that require their approval in an expedited manner. Many thanks to Bob Brett and his team for keeping up with all the requests.

Thanks to the 294 property owners who have paid their $200.00 annual VIHA dues as of March 31.  As a reminder, we did not increase the annual dues in 2025. The 2025 VI Homeowners Directory has been delivered to dues paying members. We have a number of new directory advertisers this year, many of whom are VI residents, so please try to patronize these companies to thank them for supporting the VIHA. I’ll feature one, or a number, of these advertisers with each President’s Letter that I send out for 2025.

Also, if you are on social media, I’d encourage you to “like” the “Venetian Isles of St. Petersburg, FL” page on Facebook.  This page is supported by VI residents Jeff and Claire Copeland.

We really NEED more volunteers for VIHA Committee positions, particularly on the Deed Restrictions Committee.   This is a great way to meet your neighbors, work for the betterment of our community and have a little bit of fun while you are at it!!!  
The Committees within VI can be found on our website at:
http://www.ourvi.org/viha-committees.html

As evidenced by the 2024 Hurricane Season, it is never too early to start preparing for 2025. Let’s hope for the best but prepare for the worst.  Lastly, as our community continues its recovery, please continue to show your neighbors a little kindness, that can go a long way!!!


Sincerely,
Rich Scanlon
VIHA President

[email protected]g