president’ s letter
West Florida Chapter Community Associations Institute
2025 Board of Directors
OFFICERS: President Janet Fernandez, CMCA, AMS, PCAM C & S Community Management Services, Inc., AAMC
Vice President Nicole Price, esq. Icard Merrill, Cullis, Timm, Furen & ginsburg, P. A.
President-Elect Cindi Bass-Bell Florida Southern Roofing & Sheet Metal, Inc.
Treasurer Craig Finck, CMCA Centennial Bank
Secretary Connie Morrow Homeowner leader
Immediate Past President Jason Hamilton, CMCA Pinnacle Community Association Management
Frank Anastasi, CMCA, AMS Community Association Manager
Kevin edwards, esq. Becker
Susan guenther WrightWay emergency Services
Alex Rydel Homeowner leader
Mathew Wilson, CMCA, AMS, PCAM AMI- Advanced Management, Inc., AAMC
Spring is BLOOMING!
A great start to the season as we head to the Annual Conference to accept a National excellence Award for the Best " Out of the Box " category for last year ' s Mindful Maintenance program. Kudos to our 2024 Business Partner, Homeowner Education and Manager Education Committees for working with our neighboring chapters to present this fantastic program! Our own Scott Gilbert will also be receiving one of the two National“ Rising Star” awards for his exemplary leadership and outstanding chapter management in his first few years as CeD. Cheers to all! governance seeds have been planted by our hard-working Florida legislative Alliance in conjunction with both House and Senate representatives. Our CAI lobbyist, Travis Moore, offers weekly session updates on the YouTube channel,“ CAI Florida legislative Alliance” so that you can stay informed about how the bills are doing in the Fl Senate and Fl House of Representatives and which bill versions are headed to the floor for vote. If you have not already subscribed to this channel, please do so for up-to-date recaps as proposed bills are submitted, edited and voted on each year. All bills, in their most recent versions, can be downloaded at both flsenate. gov and flhouse. gov should you wish to follow along as they move through the current session. Both sites also offer a list of your local representatives as well as information on how to contact them. We all both anticipate and dread the July 1st changes to our governing statutes … Knowledge is power, stay informed and avoid the surprises.
Speaking of blooming … Have you attended the monthly breakfast yet? If not, don’ t be shy, grab your best“ bud” and sign up at caiwestflorida. org for good food, good friends, educational opportunities and a chance to win prizes. We love to see new faces! The breakfast is held the first Wednesday of each month and advance registration is required.
Cultivating growth within the Chapter is always a priority for the staff, Board of Directors and the committees. Watch for updates in the coming months as we work toward increasing our membership in all categories( Business Partners, Homeowner leaders and Managers) and educating our current Homeowner leaders with a Florida Friendly version of the Board Member Toolkit. Florida is a unique garden“ bed” and requires specialty fertilizer to reach its full potential. We will do our best to provide what our members need to bloom. If you have questions, concerns or suggestions, we want to hear from you!
Having used up all terms in my repertoire of gardening( I am so far from a“ green thumb” that the color is most likely referred as“ artificial”) I will sign off for the season.
Your local upside-down garden gnome,
Janet
Janet Fernandez, CMCA, AMS, PCAM
WWW. CAIWeSTFlORIDA. ORg community • June 2025 7