Bermuda Beach

Residents & Guests please respect private property when accessing the beach. Everyone should use the roads or walkways. This is a residential community that happens to be located on the coast. In the City you wouldn't think of crossing through some ones front or backyard to get where you are going. The same "code of conduct" that you use in your home neighborhood should apply at Bermuda Beach. Respect for private property is greatly appreciated.

The Bermuda Beach Improvement Committee, feels that our obligation is to the property owner and neighbors first. If there is a problem with someone renting your home, we will first call GARM (if your house is being handled by a member of the GIVRMA or the police. If GARM cannot resolve the problem we will be calling you. If it's 3:00 AM and we're awake, you'll be awake too. We will not contact the rental manager, mainly because at various times we may not want to go to the beach to see who is handling your house. We do not keep a list of homes being rented or who their managers are. These change so quickly we would never be able to keep up, nor do we feel policing your property is our responsibility. People that rent their properties need to take a stand with agencies that take their money but fail to keep properties in a neat and tidy way. Spanish Grant on the Bay side had so much trouble getting owners to take the responsibility they finally changed their Deed Restrictions so that weekend/weekly rentals were no longer possible. They only allow long term rentals. We certainly don't want to have to do that. But, drastic changes must be made before the next season.

Issues to discuss with your agency:

MAINTENANCE is becoming more and more a problem for homes owned by people out of town. I don't think it's out of sight out of mind but have your agency tell you if you need to paint or if a door is sprung or a window screen is hanging by a thread. Maintenance issues brought to the boards attention will be sent directly to you the property owner.

CONDUCT: We expect all homes being rented to respect the Code of Conduct and Renters' Agreement that was diligently drawn up by GIVRMA. This was compiled from interviews of home owner associations, renters, and realtors. If this is followed, we should no longer have any problems. But if we do, the buck stops with the home owner. It is you that we will look to in getting situations resolved if we have not been able to accomplish it through GARM or the police.

TRASH is our biggest problem. Please order more trash cans. All rental homes that sleep over 4 people should have no less than two of the 96 gal. containers. Please have them ordered before the next season. There is a shortage of trash containers. If you cannot get one from the City, purchase several at Wal-Mart. The City has agreed to pick them up. We simply cannot go through another season of trash blowing from the rental homes. This is a hazard to health, and safety of marine life. (see the marine mammal stranding network, plastic is one of the biggest killers of dolphins).

PARKING too many cars for the driveway. Parking on other peoples driveways, vacant lots without permission, parking under the NO Parking signs. This coming year we will be instructing our security officer to simply have the cars towed.

NOISE - This is a City Ordinance, not our regulation. All music turned off outside by 10:00 PM - Police will be called.

PETS - Must be kept on a leash. This goes for homeowners too.

MOW the grass more regularly. MOW the grass more regularly. MOW the grass more regularly. Almost all the homes being handled by rental associations let the grass grow long after the tourist season ends. Now, the cockleburs, that we all fight, have gone to seed. That seed is thrown into all of our yards when the mowers go over them now. This is very disheartening for those that try to maintain a lawn.

We know that you rely on the rental associations to handle these matters for you and pay them to do so, but there is a breakdown and it isn't getting done. This is truly your responsibility. The BBIC will e-mail the rental agency once but if it isn't done in a timely manner you will be getting a notice. Please review the Deed Restrictions. We will start mowing and billing you for the service if this continues to be a problem. Please stress to whoever manages your property that you want it watched, and mowed regularly. The same schedule you have at home should apply to the beach. Weekly but no less than every other week in the summer, and every other week during the off season except for Dec., Jan., & Feb. We have a long growing season here with plenty of moisture.

HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS & SECURITY: Hurricane/security shutters are not being closed even when the owner calls some of the rental managers (this happened next door to me) and even when an evacuation for a cat 5 had been ordered by the City. We were appalled to see all of the storm shutter open on rental homes. Please stress that if you cannot be in town you depend on them to put all things in that aren't nailed down and your shutters are closed and secured. Everyone should make sure their hurricane shutters or plywood are ready to be used in the event an evacuation is called. This is not IF, this is WHEN. It will come. Many homes are just being used for rental and the people have commented to me, oh well it's insured. Things in your yards that blow cause major damage to the house next to you. In homes that are vacant much of the time security is a problem. Storm shutters are a great deterrent. Ask them to be closed at least over the doors when not being rented. During this type of emergency the BBIC board members and directors have their own homes to secure we cannot go around check on rental properties.

We are very pleased with the formation of the new GIVRMA and have already seen a great difference in communicating between rental managers and the home owners association. We need the cooperation of the owners that rent their homes to help us keep the neighborhood in shape or no one will want to rent your house and all of our property values will decrease. We are asking all owners to please stress these points with their agencies and apply whatever pressure you need to accomplish a solution so that we can all co-exist in harmony.

The board is open for suggestions and comments from all property owners. Please feel free to telephone us or e-mail: bbicboard@aol.com