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Community associations and the actions of their boards of directors are often featured in local TV newscasts and newspapers, but unfortunately, it is typically for negative stories. That is why a recent report by News 6 in Orlando (www.clickorlando.com) about an HOA vice president who was nominated for the station’s “Getting Results” award caught the eyes of our firm’s attorneys.
Kellie Beck, the VP of the Greens at Forest Lake Homeowners Association in Ocoee, Fla., is called the “heartbeat of this HOA” by the community’s president, and the station’s report makes it plain to see why.
“It’s fun. I’m an operations manager for work, so the HOA was kind of just like another project for me,” she tells the station’s reporter. “You hear all of these horror stories about living in an HOA, and I was like, well I know if I joined the board, I could help mitigate some of that. I can protect the experience for homeowners.”
Her fellow neighbors and homeowners say she is doing just that, and several of them wrote to the station to nominate her for the award.
“I think it’s hard to find a community that communicates as much as we do, and I really think it’s because of Kellie,” says one resident.
HOA president Julian Delgado explains that Beck has been responsible for many of the community’s initiatives, which include a recently completed dog park. She notes that Beck is always ready to respond to residents seeking information, and she even created a handbook to inform them about everything from garbage pick-up to the contact info for their government representatives. Beck also started a food truck night, along with social media accounts and a helpful flyer on hurricane preparations.
“I’m doing this to help people, help my community and really have an impact” she says. “You know, there are parts of being on an HOA board that can be a little thankless sometimes, even though I feel like our community does do a really good job of sending us feedback and expressing their appreciation. To get nominated for something like this, and to know that people really do value it, it just reinforces that we are moving in the right direction and we’re having the desired impact.”
It is easy to see from the news report and Beck’s comments how personally fulfilling she finds serving on her board and going the extra mile for her community. In truth, while it can sometimes be a thankless job as she points out, association directors do typically feel a great deal of personal fulfillment from doing their part for their community by volunteering to serve. They understand how important it is for their association to benefit from dedicated leaders with impeccable integrity, and like Beck they deserve to be proud for stepping up and helping to make their community the best it can be.
Click here to watch the report on the News 6 website.
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