Attempted Burglaries on Villas East & West 9/13/2017-9/20/2017

We received a couple of reports of attempted break ins on the East & West sides of the community but due to all the hurricane Irma activities both prior and after the storm, we have fallen a little behind on notifying our members.  We apologise for the delay.

On September 13, we received a notification from a member residing on SW 122nd CT that someone attempted to break into the rear of their home.  A combination of the storm panels & pin on the sliding glass door thwarted whoever was attempting to break in.

On September 20th, we received a notification from a member residing on SW 110th ST CIR S that someone had attempted to break into their front door, but the alarm scared the culprit away.  This happened at around 8:40 PM.  Police were not called initially because after an initial inspection of all door and windows, there were no obvious signs as to why the alarm went off, but with the morning sun, it was determined that someone tried to force the front door and police were subsequently called.

Please stay alert for any suspicious activity.  The basic rule of thumb is if you see a possible crime in progress, call 9-1-1.  If you wish to report suspicious activity, please call the non-emergency number at (305) 476-5423.  Please pay particular attention to individuals loitering in the guest parking areas or other parts of the community and if observe anyone circling around the community that should not be there, walking in and around homes or just someone who seems out of place, please contact Police.  Miami Dade Police is now authorized to ask anyone to leave the property that has no business in the community.  After you contact Police, please let us know as well by using our Contact Us page or by calling us at (305) 859-1462 and leaving a message.  Messages left at this number are monitored 7 days a week by all members of the board.

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Post Hurricane Irma

The Association has been busy with cleanup efforts since Irma came and paid our community an unwelcomed visit. Although we still have some post cleanup work happening throughout the community such as signs, bulletin boards, tree stumps on common property, etc.., we do see the light at the end of the tunnel.  The Association would like to take the time to thank members and tenants in the community for their cooperation during this time.  By helping to keep the debris piles free of anything that is not plant material, you are doing your part to help and speed up Miami Dade County's recovery efforts. We do ask members however, if they have regular bulk trash to please refrain from placing it outdoors if possible until such time as Miami Dade County resumes normal bulk trash pickups.  The Association was prepared this time around and had the funds in reserve in order to quickly begin cleanup which means that there will be no need to pass a special assessment to cover the cost of cleanup. The Board of Directors will review the cost of cleanup during Irma and begin to plan on refunding our hurricane reserve fund starting with the 2019 fiscal year.

On a separate topic, this is to remind members that lost roof shingles, suffered roof damage, had fence damage, etc.. an ACC form must be submitted to the Association prior to performing any exterior repairs upon their units.  In particular, it is important to remember that rear and front home fences must be of Shadow Box design.  Any member replacing a rear or front fence which is not of that design will be required to remediate the installation which will end up costing more money.  The same for roof repair or installations.  All roof installs and repairs require an ACC.  If a new roof is being installed, a Miami Dade County permit is also required.  Any roof work that is performed in the community which does not have an approved ACC or a Miami Dade County permit will be stopped by the Association. We are currently working on a wind rated option for the green homes.  Please check with the property manager if you are interested or visit the Architectural Requests on our website. Below are the currently approved shingle for the community as of 9/24/2017:

Should your home be the brown, the shingle color must be either:

1. Three Tab: “Royal Sovereign/Golden Cedar” by GAF.
2. Wind Rated: StormMaster® Shake/Desert Shake by Atlas Roofing Corp.
3. Wind Rated: Timberline HD/Shakewood by GAF

Should your home be the green, the shingle color must be either:

1. Three Tab: “Elite Glass-Seal®/Pastel Green” by Tamko
2. Three Tab:  "XT™ 25/Mint frost" by Certainteed.

If you have any questions regarding repairs, or are experiencing difficulties in performing repairs upon your unit, please Contact Us.

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Hurricane Irma: Cleanup

South Florida dodged a bullet and were spared the worst of Hurricane Irma, however she did cause an enormous amount of damage to the trees on the property as well as our member's front/rear fences, roofs, cars, etc... Members of the board went through the community on Monday morning to assess the damage and had some crews begin clearing some of the trees blocking roads. Cleanup efforts will continue throughout the next several weeks. Members are asked to place plant debris in community piles.  Miami Dade County has requested that yard trash not be mixed with other household trash such as furniture, carpeting, etc... so please keep it separate to speedup the cleanup process.

If you have a tree in your front yard that suffered damage during the storm and are unable to clear the tree, the Association will be entering those properties to take care of those issues as time permits to assist you. Please be patient as we go about cleanup activities throughout the property and if you have any questions, please Contact Us and we will get back to you. Please stay safe as you go about the cleanup of your properties and let us know if you you encounter any difficulties.

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Hurricane Irma Preparations

Hurricane Irma has South Florida in its crosshairs, with landfall expected sometime between Saturday and Sunday. We hope that our members are taking this storm seriously and have begun preparations to secure their homes.  During preparations, we are asking our members to please NOT place any bulk waste of any kind out in front of their homes. Hurricane Irma is expected to be a Category 4 storm when it reaches Florida and any unsecured debris that is left outdoors could become a projectile. Anyone having any bulk waste will need to take that waste to the Sunset/Kendall Trash & Recycling center which is located at 8000 SW 107th Ave while it is still open.  Any member placing bulk waste in front or rear of their unit from Wednesday, September 6th to Sunday, September 10th will have that bulk waste removed by the Association with the costs of removal charged to their account.  Any member observing any illegal dumping within the community is asked to please Contact Us immediately.  This is a safety concern which Association takes very seriously. Resident having any questions or concerns about issues that relate to the coming storm or need references for individuals that can assists them with storm preparations, please Contact Us.

Members of the Board will be on hand after the storm passes to check for any possible damage on the property and coordinate cleanup efforts in the community where necessary. Please keep a copy of our phone number found on our Contact Us page.  In the event that you no longer have access to email, you may leave us voice mail or text us should you need to reach us after the storm.

This Friday's curbside garbage collection might be cancelled.  Before placing your trash out on Thursday night, please check with the MDC Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to make sure pickup hasn't been canceled. Some local news outlets have reported that it has been suspended. Please keep informed and up to date by periodically checking with Miami Dade County's EOC at: http://www.miamidade.gov/emergency. Miami Dade County Police will also posting updates on Nextdoor.com.

Stay safe and be prepared for Hurricane Irma.
Please visit http://www.miamidade.gov/hurricane and review the Miami Dade County hurricane guide.

Secure Your Home

• Install hurricane shutters over windows and doors.
• Bring in all loose items left outside. Objects that are too big to bring in must be securely anchored. Large planters can be placed right next to the house.
• Fill your car's gas tank as soon as possible if you haven't done so already.
• Take down hanging plants.
• Consider checking your car into a public garage or park the car as close to the front of your home as possible. Avoid parking near trees.
• Close and secure shutters. If you do not have shutters, mount plywood across windows and sliding glass doors.  DO NOT PLACE TAPE ON YOUR WINDOWS as this offers no protection and will be difficult to remove afterwards.
• Bring in or tie down all loose items from your yard, such as toys, bicycles, patio furniture, grills and garbage cans.
• Do not leave debris such as trimmings in the yard or along the street. The storm could turn these into missiles.
• Remove turbine vents on the roof and replace with metal caps.
• Take down satellite dishes and TV antennas that are secured against the fascia as this will tear up your roof if the winds are high enough.  It should not have been secured that way to begin with.
• Bring the pets indoors. They should be wearing identification and have a two-week supply of food.
• By Saturday evening, stay off the roads. It's too late to get supplies by that time, and you'll be competing with people trying evacuate to shelters.
• Conditions will deteriorate rapidly, sometimes hours before landfall, so get inside and be safe.

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