Verandah View
Another Seabreeze Publication VOL. 8 NO. 12
www.seabreezecommunications.com
DECEMBER 2023
Letter From The Board President Ian Shaffer is serving his third year as the President of the Verandah Community Association Board. In the second VCA Annual Meeting since turnover, President Shaffer reflected on the accomplishments, as well as looking to the future. This year has seen some significant progress in key areas of our community. I’d like to share a few of those successes and will also share areas where we continue to be challenged. First what we have achieved: • We have a solid understanding of expenses. When turnover occurred, we had little data for specifics of spending. • We have a much clearer understanding of what we own and what property is owned by others. We also understand what the VCA is responsible for managing and caring for. • A detailed reserve study has been conducted so we now have a better understanding of what we require in reserves to manage these expenses in years to come. • We have a new Comcast contract that started in June. The contract has already resulted in cost savings for those residents who were paying for certain upgrades under the previous contract. To improve quality and ongoing service Comcast will be replacing our copper cable with fiber-optic cable to every home. More details will be provided in months to come. • We have made great strides in getting unlicensed slow-
speed golf carts off our streets. They are prohibited by our use restrictions and present a safety issue as drivers try to go around them. We now have over 100 low-speed state-licensed and VCA-registered carts in Verandah. • While we have much work yet to do on getting more clarity in our design review guidelines, some solid improvements have occurred. We have developed an expanded exterior color palette that should satisfy everyone’s tastes. We have published an updated and expanded plant list and more specifics on the acceptable replacements of hardwood trees. • We have developed contracts with companies to support our gate management. This means full staffing at the main gate and coming soon 24-hour virtual gate service for residents and their guests at the Tropic gate. • Our website – www.VCALife.com – provides a wealth of information about our community and its management. I encourage everyone to regularly stop by the site and see what is new. • The Verandah View newsletter is now being managed by our Communications Committee and distributed digitally to all residents who are on the VCA email list. (If you receive News You Can Use, you should also be receiving the Verandah View.) Now, what do we need to focus on in 2024? • During this year we will be working with Kolter on a developer settlement. Developer settlement is much like a punch list when you buy a home. We have a newly established committee that will be focusing on those details. • The Traffic and Safety Committee will be working to further our efforts to understand speeding in our community and develop a plan to manage it.
• On Nov. 2 the state held a hearing on its plan to manage the left turn from eastbound 80 to northbound 31. There are several versions of what that plan might look like, so we will be monitoring and attending public meetings to be aware of what impacts, if any, there are to us. • We will continue to refine our understanding of our reserve account and ensure that it is properly funded for future needs. • And we will monitor the installation of the new fiber optics in Verandah. Let me once again offer my thanks to Lorie St. Lawrence, Susan Shields, Luba Grossman, and Gary Dittman (outgoing board members) for their service to the VCA. All of these individuals not only provided countless hours and efforts as members of the board, but for over a year prior to that they all served on the turnover committees that led to the successful turnover of the association from Kolter to the resident members of the association. I applaud their work and thank them for their continued commitment to provide support to the VCA in the coming year. I truly believe that overall this has been a successful year for Verandah. Many communities ran into huge financial or other problems in the early post-turnover year. Lynne and her staff along with your dedicated board members have been doing a tremendous amount of work throughout the year to set a ground floor that will be the support we need as we go forward. We are Verandah Strong. Thank you. Sincerely, Ian A. Shaffer, President, Verandah Community Association
Bright Lights And Holiday Cheer Holiday festivities abound at Verandah in December. Street monuments will be sporting decorative holiday decor along with the colorful lights welcoming residents and visitors at the entrance gates, around the clubhouse and on our homes. Be sure to take a ride around the neighborhoods to enjoy the seasonal artistry. The Club and the VCA offer a full schedule of holiday activities beginning with Verandah’s Annual Holiday Festival, complete with the Christmas tree lighting ceremony, a visit from Santa Claus, complimentary refreshments and a cash bar, on Dec. 4 from 5 to 7 p.m. To cap this special event the Swing Singers will be leading a holiday singalong at the tree lighting. The origin of Christmas lights dates back to a German tradition of hanging candles on evergreen trees and an English tradition of putting candles in windows. Both traditions celebrated the arrival of the Christmas season. Flash forward a few years when Thomas Edison, who wintered right here along the Caloosahatchee River in Fort Myers, introduced the
first outdoor electric Christmas light display to the world, and the rest is history! The origin of lights used during Hanukkah goes deeper. Verandah celebrates Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, with the Menorah lighting. The Festival of Lights is a festival of rededication, meant to honor the victory of the Maccabees, led by Judah, who reclaimed the Holy Temple in Jerusalem from the Syrian Greek army and rededicated it to their God. They had only enough oil to ignite the temple light for one night, and yet the light burned for eight days. Hannukah this year runs from sundown Thursday, Dec. 7 to sundown on Friday, Dec. 15. Everyone is invited for the lighting at 5:30 p.m. each of the eight nights. On the first night the Jewish community will be offering donuts and apple cider to all in attendance. The Menorah will be located outside the pool, near the Christmas tree. On Dec. 17 there is a holiday party and brunch with Santa Claus and, if you don’t want to cook another turkey, order a luscious Christmas dinner for takeout prepared by the Club. If it’s last-minute holiday shopping, plan to attend the Verandah Women’s Social Club Sip, Shop & Socialize on Dec. 5. Tickets can still be purchased online at sewandsews.org for their Holiday Tour of Homes on Dec. 3. The annual event always proves to be a great way to kick off the holiday season and visit five festively decorated homes. The fundraiser raises money for the Sews & Sews so they can continue to do the wonderful charity work they do all through the year.
Giving to charities is never in the background of our residents’ minds at Verandah. The Sugar Plums are working diligently to fulfill the wish lists of deserving families with toys, backpacks, and bags of food to be delivered by residents on Dec. 23. Also, at the tree lighting on Dec. 4, residents have the opportunity to show their generosity by filling a Toys for Tots truck to overflowing with toys helping many children have a brighter holiday. It’s not too late to purchase and bring an unopened toy to the event! At this time of year, residents contribute generously to the employee fund for our hardworking, courteous and friendly staff. Verandah residents love the holidays, and there is some event for all of us to enjoy and be thankful that we live in a Florida paradise. Have a jolly holiday season. Be safe and have a happy and healthy new year!