Susan Hoffman has been an owner in Bermuda Bay since 2007, when she and her husband, Ed, bought unit 68-I to serve as her son Mitch’s dorm room when he attended Eckerd College. Visiting him, Susan and Ed fell in love with St. Pete and with Bermuda Bay. So they started spending winters here after Mitch graduated, and traded his dorm room for unit 67-C about five years ago. They are regular tennis players (haven’t gotten into pickleball), and Susan also does laps in the pool and bikes through Clam Bayou on her adult trike.

Susan is a retired employee benefits lawyer, whose last legal position was to head up the various benefits practices at the world’s largest boutique law firm. She now occasionally serves as an expert witness and mediator, and also spends her time co-leading Legal Topics discussions at Eckerd College’s ASPEC (senior learning group) and engaging in other ASPEC activities.

Susan was chair of her condo’s Board (for about five years) when she and Ed first bought property – back in 1976! When they sold their house in 2007, they moved to a condo in downtown Philadelphia, where they spend about seven months of the year. She hopes to bring that varied condo living experience (and her analytical skills) to Bermuda Bay. Even though she is here for less than half the year, the availability of Zoom for meetings makes her active engagement possible. She looks forward to meeting as many of our owners as possible over the next month before she heads north for the summer.

Current Contact information for the Board:

President - Tori Elvir - bermudabaypresident@gmail.com

Vice- President - Vivi Iglesias - bermudabayvicepresident@gmail.com

Treasurer - Adriana Lein - bermudabaytreasurer@gmail.com

Secretary - Chris Boyd - bermudabaysecretary@gmail.com

Director-at-Large - Susan Hoffman - bermudabaydirectoratlarge@gmail.com

Property Manager: Josh McCollum, LCAM - bermudabaymgr@condominiumassociates.com

Administrative Assistant: Christine Dickey - bbboffice@condominiumassociates.com

YES:

Home garbage (paper, food scraps, paper, small to medium cardboard, etc.) glass and plastic containers are also accepted, but should ideally be recycled not far from here.

Small household items such as: broken table lamps, small rugs, old brooms/mops, broken glass and picture frames, small electrical appliances (toaster ovens, blenders, etc.)

Empty containers such as: paint cans, broken, plastic storage bins.

Small plant/bush trimmings in small quantities.

NO:

Renovation and Construction materials such as: lumber, old pavers, old windows, aluminum lanai frames, old carpets, sheetrock, sinks, old tile flooring etc.

Furniture (such as sofas, tables, dressers, etc.)

Mattresses

Cardboard that is large and/or thick (this will not compact easily)

Cardboard containers that have not been flattened.

Barbeque grills

Tires

Car batteries

See the informational below prepared by Jesse Reynolds for complete details and places where you can take things for disposal.

It's important that owners do due diligence in protecting their property. Our security can only do so much. Be sure to LOCK YOUR CAR UP AT NIGHT. Do not leave valuables inside the vehicle in plain sight or otherwise to avoid a potential break in. It is unfortunate, but thieves are on the loose and we need to do everything we can individually to protect ourselves. If you see something suspicious - call Security or call the POLICE.

Bermuda Bay Security - 727-439-1254

Police non emergency - 727-893-7080

Police Emergency - 911

Interested in saving the environment? Are you a party planner? Do you have an eye for Landscaping? Expertise to share? It's never too late to get involved. Contact the chairperson of the committee(s) you are interested in and they will give you more details on meetings and purpose. We have a committee for you! Contact information below:

Environmental Committee - Brad Tison bradtison@tagpartners.org

Review Committee- Patti Brazil brazil.patty@gmail.com

Social Committee: Marcia Montgomery, Gail Oliviera (Summer chair: Mary French)

skeets11@gmail.com gailoliveira61@gmail.com MaryLLLFrench@gmail.com

Beach Restoration Committee - Kerry Morrison Imzchef@comcast.net

Stair Committee - Jesse Reynolds and Tom Shaw jrandl.rey@gmail.com

Racquet Sports Committee - Robin Ward - Rifkasema@gmail.com

Kayak/Trailer and Boat Committee - Barbi Martinson boutfintime101@gmail.com

Security Committee: Gy Lein gyora@me.com

Landscaping Committee- Barbi Martinson boutfintime101@gmail.com

The REVIEW OF DOCUMENTS COMMITTEE - Susan Hoffman susankatzhoffman@gmail.com

ARC COMMITTEE - Roger Daisley hrdaisley@gmail.com

PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE COMMITTEE - Meredith Bordman mrkbdn@yahoo.com

TREE COMMITTEE - Bob McNally - rjmc810@aol.com

The City has approved the next phase of pool construction. Concrete is being poured as we speak! Night lighting has been approved and landscaping is being discussed and planned. It is taking shape. We will replace the fencing with what we had until we find a more appropriate substitute. It is looking more like an April opening at this point (of this year...LOL), but patience should reward us with a great usable pool for years to come.

March 6 - Wine and Cheese - 4:00 pm

March 12 - Tag Sale - More information coming

March 19 - CanAm Games - (more info to follow)

WKM is now starting on the rear stairs. . Please be aware of the schedule and be diligent in watching each week for WKM updates to keep the project moving and timely. Questions for WKM need to be submitted no later than Tuesdays to be brought forward at the meetings. Submit your questions to our property manager, Josh McCollum at bermudabaymgr@condonminiumassociates.com

A big "thanks" to Adriana Lein, Bob McNally, Victor Vena, and our Mgr. Josh McCollum, as they continue to make an inventory of trees that are damaging the property. Below is a summary of their findings so far. When completed - it will be researched for costs, etc. and then brought to the Board for action.

The “Mexican Petunia”

Over the years, many condo owners have done their own gardening, adding a variety of plants and flowers. Unfortunately, many invasive species have inadvertently been planted, which then take over, destroying other species. In some cases, the invasive species grows so large that it affects building foundations or other structures. (See below for how to get an ARC form before planting.)

Case in point: Mexican petunia (Ruellia simplex), Mexican bluebell or Britton's wild petunia. This plant is a native of Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America. It has become a widespread invasive plant in Florida, where it was likely introduced as an ornamental before 1933. This plant is so aggressive, it's banned in some states. It spreads very quickly through self-seeding and rhizomes (underground stems). If you’re going to plant them, plant them in containers! Better yet – don’t plant them!

Invasive Plants in Florida

According to the U.S. Forest Services, a plant is invasive if it is non-native to the ecosystem, and its introduction causes, or is likely to cause, economic or environmental harm, or harm to human health. For more information about invasive plants, see the Florida Invasive Plant Directory: https://www.fnai.org/species-communities/invasives/invasives

OWNERS: Please File ARC before Planting and Gardening

Unless you are planning to plant in pots, or just annuals, be sure to fill out an ARC form to inform the association and the landscaping committee of your plans. This is one way that we can head off the planting of additional invasive plants at Bermuda Bay. ARC forms are available:

• from the office
• on the Bermuda Bay web site: file:///C:/Users/mdais/AppData/Local/Temp/MicrosoftEdgeDownloads/87bab576-3290-45ce-9e1d-8118e5f36503/299%20BBB%20ARC%20Formpdf%20(1).pdf (Note that this is an older form and the email address is wrong).
• on the Condominium Associates website - https://condo.cincwebaxis.com/cinc/documents/ . (You will have to have an account set up with CA in order to access documents)

Our new pool furniture is less than two months old and people are already abusing them. It is important to remember to NOT pick up the lounge chairs by the straps when you want to move them. Please pick them up by their frames to move. DO NOT DRAG THEM ON THE CONCRETE. We want everyone to enjoy the new furniture and move it where you wish - BUT IT IS IMPORTANT TO MOVE THE FURNITURE BACK TO WHERE YOU GOT IT...when you leave for the day! The disarray takes over 30 minutes for maintenance to move back in the morning when they actually have more pressing items to attend to.

It's also important to remember that we do have rules around the pool. They are posted clearly for everyone to see. Please note: NO GLASS IS ALLOWED AROUND THE POOL AREA. We have always been tolerate of those who want to listen to music if they keep the volume low. Our rules DO STATE...Personal listening devices if you want to listen to music. It's common sense to ask those around you if it is "okay to play your music out loud". You need to be conscientious of those who want to read, talk, or just relax. No one wants to listen to music with curse words or of a controversial matter. We do have families that live here - and we want to be courteous ad respectful. Please don't test the limits of this. We would not want to have to shut down playing music around the pool area. Use common sense. PLEASE COMMUNITY - take care of our belongings and be considerate of others.

You can use a small screwdriver that comes in an eyeglass repair kit to remove the 3 screws that hold the back on. The battery (size 2032 ) is easy to access once the back has been removed. Thanks Christina Stokes for sharing the information.

If you have not replaced your Spectrum modem you will notice that your service will be interrupted on or after 2/25/2022. The modem will be sent to you at no cost and replaces the old equipment. Once you install your new modem, simply return your old one by following the instructions provided in the box. You can also go to Spectrum.net/easyinstall if you need assistance with installing or call Spectrum.

We have been warning owners for some time about this switch over - so we sure that you have the latest equipment. Thank you Jeff Grande for a picture of what the latest modem looks like.

The Review of Documents Committee has begun the overhaul of our old and outdated documents. The 75% vote is one of the items to be reviewed and changed. It is too difficult to get a 75% vote on material alterations from our owners. Something as simple as pool lap lines, pickleball lines, or a fence around the compactor is an arduous journey to successfully get an owner vote. As we update, please be on the look out for communication on how things are being changed. We will need EVERYONE'S PARTICIPATION - as it will take a 75% vote to change the 75% vote! Stay tuned for further information on this topic.

A new store in Gulfport is bringing bright color, big energy and quirky fun to town. Bakes and Wakes Fat Lenny’s World Headquarters is a combo ice cream parlor, bubble tea and espresso café, and toy and candy store opening soon at 2148 49th Street South.

The new restaurant and store will be a haven for oddities and eats, and will host a regular lineup of food trucks, live music and other community-centric events. Self-described as “welcoming to families while being a bit alternative and edgy,” Fat Lenny’s is an evolved version of the owners’ original concept in Erie, Pennsylvania. This iteration will also be family-friendly, along with a bit of Cheech-and-Chong vibe that adds some extra funk and color. The store will also feature their popular rolled ice cream and bubble teas.

The South St. Petersburg mall, known for being an indoor flea market, closed Feb. 13 to make way for new developments that will rise in its place. The 112,000-square-foot facility on 34th Street, formerly known as Maximo Mall and Maximo Plaza, housed over 30 small businesses and a storage unit facility. California-based Maximo Plaza Inc. is currently under contract to sell the shopping center this month to developer Jack Dougherty, who is planning to develop an apartment complex on the site.

His project, Marina Beach, will be an eight-story mixed-use development with 400 residential units.
Dougherty previously received city approval to develop the apartment building, a 2,400-square-foot bank, a fast-casual restaurant and a 95,000-square-foot self-storage LifeStorage facility.
The proposed bank with a drive-thru will be on the northeast corner of the property. The self-storage building will be located along the southern side, and the proposed restaurant will be situated between the bank and self-storage building.

The mall’s tenants were reportedly notified they had to exit by Feb. 13.
“I received calls from two of the tenants asking for assistance,” said Misty Bottorff, Director of the Skyway Marina District.
Bottorff explained she then reached out to the City of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County staff to help direct the affected business owners.
The majority of vendors who spoke with county officials and others said they will either kill off their business entirely or keep their business alive by completely pivoting to selling products solely online.
“We just don’t have the retail activity for the mall,” Bottorff said, citing the need for more residential development to spur greater foot traffic for retail. A spokesperson for The Greenhouse said the business assistance source is aware of the situation unfolding at the Skyway Mall and “have been working on a variety of components to be of assistance to all of the impacted businesses.”
In addition to the apartment complex, Dougherty is also planning to build an eight-story, 154-unit senior living to the south of the property. Last year, Dougherty’s company, Allied Group Holdings II LLC, paid a total of $5.7 million for two parcels that made up the southern and middle half of the Skyway Mall for the planned senior living development.

Article excerpt from The Daily Spark via the internet.

The office will now be open 9am to 4pm Monday- Friday and 9am to 1pm Saturday.

Email: bermudabaymgr@condominiumassociates.com
Website: https://condo.cincwebaxis.com/cinc/home/
Location: Bermuda Bay Beach Condominium Association, Inc. 4201 38th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL 33711
Phone: 727-864-0735