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FAQ - Frequently-asked Questions about Responsibilities of 282
Homeowners at Coral Trace
Table of Contents
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What is the Coral Trace Homeowners' Association?
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The Coral Trace community is incorporated as a
Homeowners Association (HOA), which differs
significantly from condominium or cooperative
arrangements. The HOA is charged with overall
management of our community and assets. It is run
by an elected Board of Directors, composed of
homeowners, and volunteer Committees. These
Committees provide guidance to the Board related to common interests
and areas: landscaping & architecture standards, pool,
security, welcoming residents, social events, etc.
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At Coral Trace, even our homes are shared
structures; each building houses two or four villas with
a common
roof, connected at the garages. Guidelines from
the HOA facilitate cooperation among neighbors sharing
resources and common maintenance expenses.
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What is the HOA Board of Directors, and what do they do?
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The Board is made up of seven (7) elected Owners
who volunteer their time and expertise to represent
the community for a term of one (1) year unless
reelected. These members
vote on items before the Board and those items are
acted upon. If there is not a majority to pass an
item then it does not pass. According to our
Documents, the Board runs the community, creates the
budget, spends the money, collects delinquent
accounts, and levies any needed assessments. This all
can be done without any owners' input, so when you
vote for Directors, be sure that you are comfortable
that the candidate will represent the best interest of
the entire community.
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There are also several Committees that implement
various approved plans or programs on behalf of the community.
Volunteers are always needed for these Committees.
The Board listens to the Committees for input as to
how to improve this community and what improvements
need to be completed. Please contact the
Chairperson of any Committee on which you are
interested in serving.
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Current Board Members and Committee Chairs are
listed on the Contact page of our website.
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The Board meets the 3rd Monday of each month at
7 pm in the Clubhouse. These meetings are open
to interested residents, and residents are given a
question and answer period with the Board prior to the
general business meeting.
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The current Board approves almost every expense
that is incurred by this Association. Not
everything is voted on by even the Board; some
responsibilities and duties are entrusted to
individual Committees and Directors. The Board meets once a month, and sometimes
maintenance items need to be taken care of before the
Board meeting so as not to interrupt important
community services. It takes about 60 days for a
legal vote by the community Owners. Absentee
ballots must be mailed out, and the cost is around
$500 every time there is a vote. The HOA
documents outline the procedures for the Board to
follow in conducting votes, elections, and changing
the HOA documents themselves.
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Coral Trace Directors have performed due diligence
to keep HOA dues as low as possible. Our Board
watches the pennies, and we rely on volunteers to do a
lot of the work. This benefits the entire
community.
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Who is our Management Company and Property Manager?
How do I register as a new owner?
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Coral Trace HOA hires a management company who run
both the business and maintenance aspects of our
community; the more resident involvement the lower our
management fee will be. Our management company is currently Seacrest Services. Seacrest
Services assigns one of their employees to be
responsible for each community; our community's
property manager is Chuck Linder.
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When a new homeowner arrives at Coral Trace, the
Welcoming Committee meets with them to verify they
have received their copy of HOA Documents, the Rules &
Regulation Handbook, and to provide the appropriate
guidance and information needed as a new resident of
Coral Trace and Delray Beach.
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To be added to the official owner registry of the
HOA, the management company must receive either a copy
of the warranty deed or the HUD statement. This
is normally provided by the closing company to
Seacrest Services,
but it has become a common problem that Seacrest
Services never
receives the warranty deed or HUD closing statement,
and the new homeowner account becomes delinquent.
Since the HOA does not know there is a new owner, all
the correspondence goes to the old owners on file. Each new homeowner should contact Seacrest Services in writing to
register as a Coral Trace resident and include one of
the above documents.
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Contact information for Seacrest
Services:
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Seacrest Services, Inc., 2400 Centrepark
W. Drive, Suite 175, West Palm Beach, FL 33409
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Seacrest office telephone # 561-697-4990.
FAX (561) 697-4779
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CUSTOMER SERVICE PHONE # -
FOR ALL REQUESTS: To submit a service request
regarding landscaping, irrigation, or should you
have an after hour emergency, dial us toll-free at
1-888-828-6464.
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For your convenience you can also
submit work requests online at
www.seacrestservices.com
by selecting the work order request icon on the main
page.
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How, when, and to whom do I pay my HOA dues?
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Seacrest Services sends out a
coupon payment book for the quarterly maintenance dues
payments, along with envelopes, for an annual period.
If you use the coupons, there is a special bank
address to send the coupon and payment to (use the
address labels at the end of the book):
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Quarterly maintenance payments are due on the 1st
of the first month of each quarter: January,
April, July, and October. Late fees of $25 are assessed
starting on the 11th of the month and the account is
sent to the attorney's office for collection after
the 15th of that month.
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2024 Quarterly Dues are $972.
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See different instructions below if you use an
online bank payment process.
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Can I use an automated Bill Payer from my bank?
If
you are using an online bill pay service to pay your
maintenance fees, send the
check made out to Coral Trace HOA directly to:
Seacrest
Services, Inc.
PO Box 30037
Tampa, FL 33630-3037
Seacrest
office telephone # 561-697-4990
PAYEE: CORAL TRACE HOA,
INC.
ACCT # this is
your 3-digit lot or gate number (001-282)
write this on your check
Please allow enough time when scheduling your online
bill pay. Please note your payment may be mailed from a bank
processing center and could take up to 10
days to be received so adjust your schedule accordingly.
Fees are due on the 1st of each quarter (Jan
1st, April 1st, July 1st and Oct. 1st). A $25 late fee
is added if not received by the 11th of each month.
After the 15th the account is set to the attorney for
collection.
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What types of home maintenance are covered by my HOA
dues payments?
The HOA hires the management
company to maintain all premises regularly. Work
covered by the Coral Trace maintenance fees includes:
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Original Builder-installed landscaping (trees and
plants) for all areas of the community
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Lawn mowing, tree trimming, outside pest control,
fertilization, mulching and watering by common
irrigation system for both common areas and
individually-owned lots
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Replacement of trees and plants if destroyed by
natural causes
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Maintenance of common areas, such as the
Clubhouse, its contents, the Pool and Spa, and
surroundings and electric for street lights
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Provision and maintenance of a unmanned security
gate and related equipment (e.g., gate remotes and
cards)
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Basic cable TV and alarm monitoring (You must
register with Comcast and ADT to receive these services. The
HOA pays for your home security whether you are
registered or not.)
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Cleaning of waterways and removal of visiting
alligators
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What kind of insurance do I need for my home?
You
need a homeowners policy which covers the building
interior and exterior. You're responsible to insure the roof and four walls in addition to
contents and any liability protection you desire.
(The HOA is NOT a condominium, where the master
insurance policy protects the individual structures and
the common areas.)
If you want flood insurance, that is separate from
home insurance, and can be purchased from FEMA.
The
HOA has insurance for our Common areas (Common property
would be tennis courts, clubhouse, pool etc.). Our
agent is Mack Mack & Waltz - contact them for detailed
information on what you will need and either use them or
an agent of your choice.
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What are my home repair responsibilities?
You as
the homeowner are responsible for all repairs of your
home. You own the entire building, sidewalks,
driveways, grass, plants and trees.
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If you paint your home (must be repainted
in the original color), the whole building must be
painted, not just your villa. Please coordinate
with your villa-mates.
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If the roof needs cleaning, you must work
with your neighbor so you both split the cost of the
entire roof being cleaned, not just half. If the roof
needs repair, it is a shared expense for owners of the
whole building.
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If the mailbox of an Angel Wing Unit is
damaged (just the box), it would be the individual
owner's expense as just one box can be replaced; but
if the pole is bad, then it is a shared expense, as it
affects an item shared by both owners. The mailbox is
a original design by a local company and is the only
approved box for use. Their address and phone number
is: The Mail Box Company, phone [954] 792-6245 or Fax
[954]792-6830.
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If an owner is notified by the HOA to clean or
repair an item, and it is not done within a reasonable
amount of time as covered in the HOA Documents, then
the HOA can correct the item and bill the owner for
the service + 10%.
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What happens after an emergency, such as a hurricane?
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As you know, 2004 was been an unprecedented year
for hurricanes in Florida. The Board decided to wait for the City to remove the
tree debris. The City picked-up one round of
bagged debris from Hurricane Frances and then were
told FEMA would not reimburse for hurricane pick-ups.
The president of our HOA called our landscaping
company to continue with the debris pick-up,
straightening of trees from both hurricanes, and the
removal of dead trees. The straightening
and/or replacing of trees and plants was an additional
cost to the HOA, and the owners all share in these
expenses via their HOA dues.
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With this experience under our belts, the Board
has asked the Budget Committee to add a line item for
Disaster Relief under Reserves for the annual budget.
This will start a contingency fund and allow us to
better respond to an emergency like this.
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Click on this link to see an article from the
Sun-Sentinel about the impact of hurricanes on HOA
finances.
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Where do I find the Coral Trace TV channel?
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Can I speak at a monthly Board Meeting? How about
the Annual Meeting?
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We're glad you asked.
We WANT you to participate!
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There is a Florida law that states that members
of a Homeowner Association do not have the right to
speak on any matters at monthly Board Meetings without
prior approval. Florida law requires that if an owner
places a matter on the agenda by petition, members may
speak on that matter for up to 3 minutes. Those who wish
to speak must submit their request in writing before the
board meeting. This applies to both the monthly
Board Meetings and to the Annual Homeowners' Meeting.
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Our Coral Trace practice has been that the President
has addressed questions and concerns from the floor
early on during a monthly Board Meeting. It is
preferable that you notify the President by email or in
writing ahead of time if you have a matter to discuss.
By email you can send a note to the President with your agenda item.
As long as inquiries and matters are presented in a
non-confrontational and professional manner, this
practice will no doubt continue. If it becomes
time-consuming or too difficult to manage the discussion
during a meeting, the President will no doubt choose to
require prior approval for meeting discussions so that
they can be scheduled and dealt with appropriately.
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So, bottom line, right now, it's up to you:
Formally request ahead of time to be sure you are heard,
or go and take a chance that you can speak at a monthly
meeting, if you prefer. For the Annual Meeting,
the Board asks that you make your request in writing
ahead of time, to the HOA President.
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Here is the official statute:
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The amended statute to which the article refers is
section 720.303(2). The amended statute, which was
effective October 1, 2004, provides that the members
can petition to place something on the agenda, and the
board can include a sign-up sheet for members wishing
to speak. It's an informal procedure that can be
modified by rules adopted by the association, so long
as those rules don't take away the rights of members
that the statute otherwise provides. The applicable
portion of subsection (2) is copied below.
(2) Board Meetings
(a) A meeting of the board of directors of an
association occurs whenever a quorum of the board
gathers to conduct association business. All meetings
of the board must be open to all members except for
meetings between the board and its attorney with
respect to proposed or pending litigation where the
contents of the discussion would otherwise be governed
by the attorney-client privilege.
(b) Members have the right to attend all meetings of
the board and to speak on any matter placed on the
agenda by petition of the voting interests for at
least 3 minutes. The association may adopt written
reasonable rules expanding the right of members to
speak and governing the frequency, duration, and other
manner of member statements, which rules must be
consistent with this paragraph and may include a
sign-up sheet for members wishing to speak.
Notwithstanding any other law, the requirement that
board meetings and committee meetings be open to the
members is inapplicable to meetings between the board
or a committee and the association's attorney, with
respect to meetings of the board held for the purpose
of discussing personnel matters.
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How do I get my new phone number into the front gate
system?
You can enter a work order with Seacrest
to get into the gate system. Just tell them your name,
lot #, and your street address, and new phone number.
You can call 1-888-828-6464 or (561) 697-4990 or go
online at www.seacrestservices.com to enter a work
order.
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What if I lose my access fob, exercise room key, or need
a new transponder for my car?
Replacement access devices
are available in the clubhouse Office from our property manager. The fob and
key cost $50 each, and the transponder $12. Make
check out to Coral Trace HOA.
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How do I arrange access during the workday for service
personnel?
If you
have service people coming in during the weekdays
while you are at work, you have 2 choices:
1) give them your key and buy a $50
key fob for
them; or, put your cell phone # at the gate so whenever
you are called you can always open the gate.
2) if from a licensed company, FAX a letter on
their corporate letterhead requesting a
code to HOA at 561-330-8089, and the Board will
assign a specific gate code for their use. You
still have to give them a key.
Note that service personnel are allowed to park in
the street for only 2 hours. Tell them to park in
your driveway - or they might be towed. |
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I am buying a unit, or I own a unit and rent it out.
What forms must be submitted by a new purchaser or
renter?
A resale or
lease packet is obtained through the website, completed
by the applicant or realtor and then forwarded to
Seacrest for processing along with the check for the
processing fee, $100. Once Seacrest completes their
portion the Board schedules the interview. The
Association needs 30 days from start to finish.
All docs are
to be sent to Seacrest, they make sure the folder is
complete before sending it to the Board. The
president or designee will make the appointment and do the face to face
interview, and give them the Certificate of Approval
needed for the closing and/or leasing of the property.
We can
arrange for an interview date closer to the final
closing/or rental move in, when the parties involved are
not in this state. We do this only if all the necessary
docs are in the hands of Seacrest, and the interview is
just a formality.
Instructions for Sale or Lease of Home
Here is a link to the
online Application for Residency.
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This page last updated
02/01/2024. |
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