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November 22, 2024 Dear Friends, On November 19, the VIHA Board convened to discuss the steps necessary to help our community recover from the flooding and devastation caused by two recent hurricanes. While the Board doesn’t have all the answers, we recognize that rebuilding will take time given that so many homes in our neighborhood suffered significant damage. Our focus is on serving as a resource and facilitating a smoother rebuilding process. This includes: 1. Expediting building and renovation approvals through the Architectural Review Committee. 2. Considering amendments to certain Deed Restrictions (DRs) to accommodate updated building techniques requested by property owners who are rebuilding and repairing their homes. Highlights from the November 19 Board Meeting: Annual Meeting Date: The VIHA Annual Meeting is scheduled for January22, 2025. Board Elections will take place at this meeting. If you are interested in joining the Board, please contact me or another Board member for more information about responsibilities and the nomination process. Our new City Councilman, Mike Harting, has been invited to the meeting to introduce himself to the community. Home Elevation Presentation: Modern Movers (www.modernmovers.com), specialists in home elevation, gave a brief presentation. Board member Mark Scribano is currently working with them to raise his own house. Representatives will attend the VIHA Annual Meeting in January to share insights with the community. Aluminum Roofing Materials: A group of residents requested the Board consider amending the DRs to allow aluminum roofing, an alternative to the current metal “barrel tile” products currently permitted. DR Amendments Under Consideration: • Allowing aluminum roofing materials. • Implementing electronic balloting for DR revisions and Board elections. • Revisiting the previously defeated DR amendment to lower the approval threshold for new or amended DRs to 60%. • Other proposed amendments will be presented at the Annual Meeting. Christmas Eve Seawall Candles: This year, candle lighting will be limited to the Grand Canal Boulevard. Unfortunately, the Hospitality Committee will not be selling candles and bags. Annual Dues: Despite increased operating expenses related to storm damage and insurance, annual dues will remain at $200 per property for2025. Debris Removal Updates from the City: • Homeowners must separate debris into appropriate piles without using plastic trash bags (Vegetative Debris, Fencing Material, Electronics, Appliances and building materials /furniture). It will take multiple sweeps for the City to collect everything, however, they are aiming to complete the removal by early January to qualify for FEMA reimbursement. • Debris that fits into a regular trash can will be collected on normal pick-up days. • The City has not yet confirmed how they will handle large numbers of trash bags left at the curb; regular collection will not pick up the bags unless they are placed in a trash can. Drain Fly Infestation: Many homes areexperiencing an issue with persistent “drain flies,” which are likely comingfrom the sewer system. Our exterminator recommends closing drains when not inuse. If anyone has additional solutions, please share them with me and I will communicate them out. We strongly encourage you to attend the Annual Meeting on January 22, 2025, at Lutheran Church of the Cross. A Zoom option will be available for those who cannot attend in person. We need your input, we need your ideas and we need your support of the DR revisions when those get rolled out, especially since they may help your neighbors who need to rebuild. Remember, we need 66.7% approval on any DR addition/amendment so your vote is crucial. Thank you for your support. Together, we will navigate this recovery process. Sincerely, Rich Scanlon VIHA President [email protected]
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Dear Friends:
On October 24 we had a General Meeting for residents of VI at Lutheran Church of the Cross(“LCC”). This meeting was focused on providing information and answering resident questions about the damage caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton and what an uncertain future might hold. About 80 people attended the meeting in person and 35 attended via Zoom. Needless to say, we were very pleased with the turnout. A summary of comments made by the invited guests follows. Ed Montanari – City Councilman
([email protected] or 727-895-4717)
Mark Scribano – VIHA Board Member and long-time VI resident
We are planning the next resident meeting for January 23, 2025 at LCC and will provide updates on all storm related topics as well as hold elections for the 2025 VIHA Board. Please consider serving on the Board or one of the numerous committees to assist in the efforts to help our neighborhood recover. Nomination forms can be found at www.ourvi.org. Finally, Brooke Palmer is coordinating a Halloween Party to allow kids to “trick or treat” on Carolina Circle. Please see the attached and feel free to donate candy or other related Halloween items to make this event a great success. Please scroll down for more information. Thank you for your attention and let’s get through this together. Rich Scanlon VIHA President [email protected] Dear VI Property Owner:
While we have faced storms in VI before, we have never before experienced flooding caused by an unprecedented level of storm surge of last Thursday night. Those whose homes were fortunate not to have been flooded still feel the pain of our neighbors who experienced property damage. Together, we will undertake the overwhelming task of repairing and rebuilding our homes, businesses and our community. We will all be looking for answers and solutions over the upcoming months in an attempt to put our lives back together. Communities have rebuilt themselves stronger in the past after tragic events and I know we can do so as well in response to Helene. Let’s do everything we can to assist those in VI whose losses were greater than our own. I’m struggling to find ways that the VIHA can provide support to the community in the face of such an unexpected and unprecedented storm. I’m happy to take any suggestions from VI residents as to how we can help the community recover. So far, what we have come up with is: October 12 – We are postponing Oktoberfest so I’d suggest we have a “Community Clean Up Day.” We can focus volunteer efforts on the VI streets and canals as well as the properties of those who do not have the resources or “muscle” to do so themselves. Obviously, volunteers will be the key to making this effort a success. October 24 –The focus of the VIHA General Meeting will now be on insurance issues and questions residents may have about filing claims and the process of receiving insurance proceeds. Neighborhood insurance experts will be on hand to answer your questions and provide support. Finally, please disregard the deadlines in the Deed Restriction violation letters that were mailed on September 23. Obviously, repairing our homes, not remedying DR violations is the focus now. As a reminder, all outdoor construction projects, including patios, pools, docks, seawalls and roofs require approval from the Architectural Review Committee (“ARC”). Please go to the VIHA website at http://www.ourvi.org/architectural-review.html for details on the approval process and documentation requirements. Please email [email protected] if you have any questions. Other communities have recovered and so will we, let’s be “VI Strong!!!!” Rich Scanlon VIHA President [email protected] Dear Friends: It is hard to know where to even start. Venetian Isles has been struck by two hurricanes and suffered significant damage which would have been even more severe if Milton had not made a last minute shift away from Tampa Bay. Never in my 31 years of living in VI have I seen such destruction. While we may have seen flooding in other neighborhoods such as Shore Acres, we never thought it could happen here!!! Unfortunately, it did and the task of rebuilding will be onerous and will take time. I did an informal “drive-by” survey through VI to see how many homes had been damaged by flooding from Helene by counting houses that had belongings and drywall piled on the curb and found that at least 64% of the homes in VI appear to have been damaged. As many residents have yet to return to VI after Helene, there could be more homes that were impacted. Regardless, the statistics below are staggering. In addition to damage to the interior of people’s homes from the flooding, we have been made aware of failure or damage to numerous sea walls and roofs within VI   CITY OF ST. PETERSBURG MULTI AGENCY RESOURCE CENTER (MARC)
In the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, the City of St. Petersburg has taken steps to make the permitting process faster, more accessible, and more convenient for homeowners who need to file permits for repairs to their homes due to storm and flood damage. The City is waiving the application and inspection fees for permits to perform demolition and repair of properties damaged by the hurricane. While permits are still required, affected residents can remediate storm damage to their property without permitting fees over the next six months. Mobile Permitting Sites will reopen on Wednesday (10/16) morning. Locations will be the same as they were post-Helene:
REBUILDING AFTER FLOOD & STORM DAMAGE Where to start
When you need a permit
Why you need to verify your contractor
Dear VI Property Owner:
Every week our Community Policing Officer, James Fuchs, sends me a report detailing reported criminal activity in VI over the prior week. We had been doing really well for several months until I received the following report of two vehicle burglaries in the 2000 block of Michigan Ave. between 10 pm and11:30 am on April 21: One victim reported a firearm was stolen out of an unlocked vehicle. The second victim reported cash was stolen from an unlocked vehicle. This is the second firearm reported stolen from a car in VI in the last 2 years. I implore VI residents to remove valuables from your cars and lock car doors when parked in the driveway. These thefts are crimes of opportunity, mostly committed by youths coming into our neighborhood to see what they can find. I have yet to hear of a “smash and grab” from a locked vehicle in VI so let’s not make it so easy for them!!! As I’ve noted in prior Presidents’ Letters, there are 532 homes located in Venetian Isles on relatively small pieces of real estate. Literally, we are living almost on “top of each other” with on average 15 feet between houses. In addition to assuring some uniformity and maintaining / increasing property values, the goal of the Deed Restrictions (“DRs”) is to ensure that homeowners don’t negatively impact their neighbors by blocking views, failing to maintain their yards, not cleaning/repairing their seawall, etc. The Deed Restriction Committee (“DRC”), made up of residents of VI, recently completed a waterside review of all the homes in VI. The team identified a total of 75 DR violations, mostly for items such as a dirty roof, dead or weed infested lawns which are relatively easy to fix. To be certain, they also noted more serious violations such as general disrepair of homes, docks and seawalls. Upon receipt of a DR violation letter most property owners respond something to the effect that “I know my seawall needs repair but I can’t get on the contractor’s schedule for a couple more months,” or “I didn’t realize my roof was dirty but I’ll get working on a solution.” Generally, that is all the DRC members need to hear and the issues are addressed by homeowners in a reasonable time frame. There are only a small number of properties in VI that are in “perpetual disrepair” or blatant disregard for the DRs. I frequently hear from property owners who are frustrated that their neighbors’ houses are in a state of neglect, sometimes for years. The VIHA has two options for dealing with property owners who refuse to comply with the DRs despite repeated notices:
The members of the VIHA and all the committees are doing their best to maintain the safety and high-quality of life in VI that we’ve all come to appreciate. Let’s see if we can remember that all 532 properties of VI are in this together and show a little kindness and appreciation of our neighbors. Anne Barrins, who was heading the Hospitality Committee is turning over her duties to Sue Cooper as Anne and her husband, Ken Slaby, are moving to North Carolina. We want to thank Anne for her contributions to VI. If you are interested in volunteering on the Hospitality Committee, or any of the other committees that make VI A special place to live, please contact me. Stay well and let’s enjoy the good fortune we have of living in VI!!! Rich Scanlon VIHA President [email protected] Dear VI Property Owner:
Spring has “sprung” in Venetian Isles and the neighborhood looks spectacular. I hope everyone is able to take advantage of the fabulous place we are able to call home!!! As beautiful as VI is, it is never too early to begin preparing for the upcoming hurricane season by trimming bushes and trees because we know what is coming. Over the holidays, there were two golf cart parades through VI in addition to the annual Seawall Luminary Lighting on December 24th . The Board would like to thank Janice Drinkwine who has coordinated the candle sale efforts of the past several years and is relocating from VI. We also would like to thank Amy Bridgmon for volunteering to step into Janice’s role. At the VIHA Annual Meeting on January 18, the officers and directors of the VIHA were elected, as was posted to the website. Subsequent to the annual meeting, Sue Cooper from Kentucky Ave. volunteered for one of the remaining open positions on the Board. It is great to have Sue join us and also to have Randy Havey back on the Board after a couple year hiatus. Please contact any of the Board members, who are listed at http://www.ourvi.org/board-members.html with any comments or questions about the neighborhood. The Annual Meeting also provided the opportunity to update attendees on:
As a reminder, any changes that you are planning to make to the exterior of your property need to be approved by the Architectural Review Committee (“ARC”). ARC approved 97 projects in 2023 and is on pace to approve 160 projects in 2024 which would be far in excess of the totals for any of the past 5 years. ARC’s average review time is 10 days but can be longer than that when insufficient information is provided with the initial request. If you are uncertain whether a project is subject to ARC approval feel free to review the checklist on our website at http://www.ourvi.org/architectural-review.html or reach out to one of the Committee members listed on the same webpage. I continue to receive complaints of dog walkers not picking up after their dogs and leaving bags of dog waste discarded on the street, on residents’ lawns and utility boxes. Please be considerate and dispose of your dog waste in trash bins. We all know that our homes in VI are located close together and that sound travels across the water and the canals. DR 41 requires homeowners to control their pets, including minimizing barking, so as not to infringe upon their neighbors. Regardless of the DR, this is just part of being a good neighbor. Please try and control your dog’s barking, especially during this time of year when windows and doors are wide open to take advantage of the pleasant temperatures. The Beautification Committee is working with the city to coordinate new landscaping along Grand Canal. We sustained massive damage after Hurricane Idalia and subsequent storms. The Committee is now doing its best to get the plantings back on track. We are looking for a volunteer to coordinate the neighborhood garage sale. If you are interested, let me know or send an email to [email protected]. Thanks to all the volunteers who help keep VI a truly special place to live. We are always looking for more volunteers. If you are interested in serving on a committee, please let me know or contact the committee chair. The 2024 Venetian Isles Homeowners Directory will be distributed to all dues payers in late March. If you have not yet paid your 2024 Dues, please do so now to ensure you receive your copy of the directory. If you have any corrections or changes to your directory listing please send them to [email protected] by March 8th. The VIHA Board would love to hear of any ideas to improve the quality of life in VI. Please let me know if you have any ideas via email at [email protected] or 727-560-3655. Stay well and let’s enjoy the good fortune we have of living in VI!!! Rich Scanlon VIHA President November 21, 2023
Dear VI Property Owner: This is a beautiful time of the year in St. Petersburg and I hope you are all enjoying all that Venetian Isles has to offer. Oktoberfest was a great success with over 300 people attending. Photos of the event can be found at http://www.ourvi.org/latest-news Thanks again to our generous sponsors - many of whom are VI residents - for making the event possible. Halloween night was a busy time in VI as kids enjoyed the trick-or-treating and adults enjoyed the opportunity to do some socializing!! With Thanksgiving approaching, holiday decorations are popping up all around VI. Our annual Seawall Luminary Lighting will take place at 6 pm on December 24th. Once again, the Candle Committee will be selling candles and bags. The Candle Seller for your block will be contacting you in the next week or so with information about purchasing candles and bags. If you’d like to volunteer to sell candles or to light candles along a section of Grand Canal Boulevard, please contact Janice Drinkwine at [email protected]. The Nominations period for the 2024 VIHA Board closes on November 30. Nominations Forms may be downloaded from our website home page at http://www.ourvi.org/ . If you are considering joining the Board, please feel free to reach out to me or any other current Board member for more information. Some other upcoming dates to mark on your calendar include:
We have recently received several complaints about bags of dog waste discarded on the street, on residents’ lawns and on top of utility boxes. Please be considerate and dispose of your dog waste in trash bins. The VIHA Board would love to hear of any ideas to improve the quality of life in VI. Please let me know if you have any ideas via email at [email protected] or 727-560-3655. Have a great Thanksgiving and be safe!!! Rich Scanlon VIHA President Dear VI Property Owner:
Thank you to all those who voted on the 6 proposed revisions to the Deed Restrictions (“DRs”) and to all the volunteers who helped collect ballots from property owners over the past few months. The following revisions to the Deed Restrictions (“DRs”) have been approved by more than 66.67% of VI property owners:
The following DRs did not receive sufficient votes and will NOT be changed:
The Deed Restriction Revision Committee (“DRRC”) will continue to advance additional DR’s to be updated or deleted to reflect the current needs and views of our community. Information on the DR’s can be found on our website: http://www.ourvi.org/deed-restrictions.html. There is a video titled Deed Restriction Basics, as well as other info, that is a helpful reference for all property owners. I’d like to address some comments that I have heard from Property Owners about certain properties in VI that are clearly in violation of one, or a number of, DR’s. There are numerous steps involved with remediating a DR violation, starting with a DR violation letter and follow-up phone call to determine a plan and timeline to resolve the issue, all the way up to legal action if there is still no compliance after multiple attempts at resolution. Therefore, if you see a property within VI that has clearly been in violation of a DR for a significant period of time, it is likely involved in the legal process and awaiting hearings within the judiciary system. This process can often take months or even years. Although we dislike having to go to this step, it is the only way to seek resolution of a situation that clearly impacts adjacent property owners and often the entire community. Please be aware that the VIHA is working hard to address the longstanding DR violations; however, VIHA does NOT have the ability fine or assess property owners for DR violations and, in essence, relies upon their good faith efforts to address the issue. If you see something within VI that needs attention from the City, please call Saint Petersburg’s Service Center at 727-893-7111, report it on the See / Click / Fix App (available from the Apple & Android app stores) or visit the City’s See / Click / Fix website at https://seeclickfix.com/web_portal/ToSSvrAG97kMGQQjvyonSxZY/issues/map?lat=27.773177615866242&lng=-82.63980388641079&max_lat=27.787226149833668&max_lng=-82.61903285979947&min_lat=27.759127267590852&min_lng=-82.66057491302209&zoom=14 Please “save the date” for the following VI events next month:
The Nominations Period for VIHA’s 2024 Board opens October 15 and runs through November 30. We encourage all residents to consider giving back to our community by running for a Board position. Nomination Forms will be posted on the website no later than October 15. If you have any questions about responsibilities, time commitment etc. please reach out to me or any other current Board Member. While we were extremely fortunate compared to our neighbors in Shore Acres, VI experienced unprecedented flooding from Idalia. Please continue to be vigilant in your preparations as we are not out of hurricane season yet. The VIHA Board would love to hear of any ideas to improve the quality of life in VI. Please let me know if you have any ideas via email at [email protected] or727-560-3655. Rich Scanlon VIHA President April 24, 2023
Dear VI Residents: This is a quick update to the Presidents’ Letter which was sent via two weeks ago. I would like to address some comments that I have received about the proposed revision to Deed Restriction (“DR”) 50 to reduce the number of votes to change or add from the current 348 to 315 “yes” votes. Based upon 522 properties in VI that are subject to the DRs, this represents a reduction from 66.6% required for a change to 60.0%. If the revision passes, a large majority of homeowners will still need to approve any DR modifications. It is hardly an attempt to impose unwanted changes on property owners. The main driver behind this proposed reduction is the significant amount work required to obtain the necessary 348 “yes” votes. Many residents agree that current the DRs are outdated and have requested changes such as those being proposed on the current ballot for DRs 8,9,30 and 34. However, in the 58 days since the DR ballots were sent to VI property owners only 244 ballots have been returned. - fewer than half! Our next step will be the very “labor intensive” effort of “knocking on doors.” to obtain unreturned ballots. This requires a significant effort by the small number of volunteers willing to assist time we send out a ballot. The change to DR 50 was suggested by the VIHA Board to reduce the amount of manpower required to accomplish a DR change while still maintaining an appropriate margin of approval from property owners. Please note that the proposed change to DR 51 is necessary if DR 50 changes because it references the percentage of homeowners needed to make a DR change. Please feel free to contact me or any members of the DRRC if you have any questions or concerns or if you need a new ballot. I’d like to thank Brooke Palmer and Craig Kuhl for another fun-filled Food Truck Friday on April 14 which benefitted Feeding Tampa Bay / News Channel 10’s Cereal for Summer program. VI residents were extremely generous and donated 250 boxes of cereal plus $2,000 in cash donations. Unfortunately, school meals are sometimes the only meals that many children have each day. Feeding Tampa Bay, Pack-a-Sack and other organizations attempt to meet the need on weekends and holidays, but the need is even greater during the summer months when school is not in session. All social events in Venetian Isles are funded through sponsorships and generous donations so we greatly appreciate Brooke and Craig’s efforts to give back to Venetian Isles and the St. Petersburg community with the Cereal for Summer event. I am happy to share that based on the weekly reports I receive from our Community Police Officer, there have been few instances of criminal activity in Venetian Isles since the beginning of the year. Let’s continue to stay vigilant by removing any valuables from vehicles, especially firearms, and keeping vehicles locked if left in the driveway. Finally, please extend a warm welcome to Savat, the new mail carrier from Overlook Drive to Carolina Ave. Sincerely, Rich Scanlon, VIHA President [email protected] Dear VI Residents:
We have been blessed with some superb spring weather and I hope everyone has been able to enjoy the great outdoors in VI. Some updates with respect to happening in VI are set forth below. DEED RESTRICTION REVISION UPDATE: A couple of months ago, all homeowners received packets by mail outlining proposed changes to the Deed Restrictions (“DRs”) along with a postage-paid post card ballot. The proposed changes are based on input from VI residents. We have received 212 completed ballots, under the threshold of 348 ‘yes” votes required to pass. Below are the number of “yes” votes for each proposed revision through the first 40 days of voting: DR-8: Clarifies that tile is not required on flat roofs, and defines the types of tiles that can be used on sloped roofs (204); DR-9: Makes the permitted height of structures consistent with the city’s building code, and permits flat roofs at the rear of dwellings (200); DR-30: Clarifies prohibiting advertising signage on the property except “For Sale” signs and contractor signs related to construction (193); DR-34: Defines the word “overnight” used in the existing DR (173); DR-50: Reduces the number of votes in favor of changing a DR or issuing a new DR from the present 348 to 315 (179); and, DR-51: Makes the number of “For” votes required for DR changes consistent with the requirement of DR-50 (175). The Board recommends a “yes” vote for all six of these proposed DR revisions.
The community on the whole has requested that the DRs be brought up to a more current status. We need your help in trying to accomplish this objective. If you have any questions pertaining to these proposed DR revisions or need another copy of the ballot please feel free to call me at 727-560-3655 or contact any other member of the DRRC. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! As I have written many times in the past, VI continues to be highly desirable community that it is largely due to the efforts of a small number of volunteers. Most of these volunteers have been serving in their roles for years and we need some new people to get involved so we can maintain the high quality standards that we all enjoy. Please consider volunteering for one of the committees that operate within VI and are listed on our website at http://www.ourvi.org/viha-committees.html. Particularly, if you are a recent resident of VI this is an excellent way to meet some of your new neighbors. DEED RESTRICTION COMMITTEE UPDATE: In 2022 the Board terminated the engagement of the property management company to assist with identification and notification of DR violations. Subsequent to that date, those roles have reverted fully back to the Deed Restriction Committee (“DRC”). A review of properties within VI was completed by members of the DRC in February/March. As a result of this review, a total of 47 “initial” DR violation letters were sent along with 11 letters to property owners who had not corrected the DR violation since the last property review in September. The violations were for the following DRs (some property owners were notified of multiple violations): DR-19: 19 (violations of house maintenance) DR-20: 24 (violations of the yard maintenance-flora) DR-25: 2 (trash can violations) DR-26: 15 (violations of equipment storage on the property) DR-34: 1 (violation of trailer storage on driveway) Most property owners who receive a letter from the DRC understand that there was a DR violation and resolve the situation quickly. The Board has reacted to comments regarding the manner of communicating DR violations and we are trying hard to strike a balance between being “neighborly” and “factual” in the DR violation letters. I would be happy to accept any suggestions on the approach that we have taken but, be advised, that any potential change must be approved by our attorney. UPCOMING EVENTS:
Finally, the 2023 Homeowner Directory has been printed and will be distributed to property owners who have paid their 2023 VIHA dues. If you haven’t paid yet, it is not too late! Your dues are vitally needed to support the community initiatives that maintain the high standards expected by property owners for VI. Go to www.ourvi.org and the instructions will be right at the top of the page. Thank you. Rich Scanlon, VIHA President [email protected] |
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