Well we haven't heard from Pat Green for awhile now.
I for one, miss you Pat.
We all had fun trying to guess your identity and whether you were a man or a woman.
Wherever you are we wish you well and hope you are still tuning into the blog.

Don't be alarmed .

The Emergency is a week from now, when the current board meets.


I don't recall when the last emergency meeting was.......

Recall when..............

RECALL ? WHEN?

IT'S THE LAW

Last week, Gov. Jeb Bush signed SB 1948 into law, requiring sellers of
coastal property located seaward of the coastal construction control line
(CCCL) to make additional disclosures effective this Saturday, July 1.
The disclosure, which must be given before the contract for sale and
purchase is executed, informs buyers of the possibility of coastal erosion
and that certain federal, state or local environmental laws may regulate
the coastal property. You may
view the disclosure language at http://www.flsenate.gov. Search for bill
SB 1948.

''It seems ridiculous to have a new home above $1 [million] or $2 million without a generator,'' said Eric Johnston of Americas Generators, a Doral firm specializing in selling large generators to businesses and luxury homes. ``A lot of builders are calling us.''

ECOTEK Power, a Miami Beach company, reports getting many calls from ''contractors with spec homes in the $7 million range,'' said owner Jan Stanbury. ``A lot of people in the real estate business are saying the first requirement in selling a luxury house is a decent generator.''

By ''decent generator,'' he does not mean a little thing on wheels into which one plugs a TV, four lights and a fan. He means something that will power everything, including air conditioning.

These units are the size of compact cars, set on concrete bases and have a transfer switch for automatic changeover when Florida Power & Light fails. They're usually powered by large propane tanks or connected to a city natural-gas pipeline, if available.

''These people would like to live normal lives [when FPL power dies],'' Stanbury said. ``A lot of these homes have fine wine collections, art collections, which can be damaged by heat and humidity. To protect your personal property, it behooves them to get a generator.''

Stanbury says he is retrofitting large generators to the homes of many celebrities, including singer Ricky Martin.

``I'm finding a place for them that tries to keep them out of sight, away from windows [to avoid ventilation problems] and to conform to local building codes.''

But architects who are custom-designing expensive homes say they're now integrating these large generators into the original concept, frequently grouping them with air-conditioning handlers and pool pumps at the back of the property.

Jorge Esteban of Breakstone Homes says he's now designing an oceanfront home on Golden Beach in which the first-floor living area is raised up on pillars with the generator below.

At Eastshore Architects, Zabaleta is using a number of solutions. For Blank's house, in a flood-prone area east of Old Cutler, the generator and air-conditioning compressor will be placed on a platform 11 feet above the ground.

Blanks' generator will be 140 kilowatts -- more than 20 times larger than the typical home generator -- and, of course, the rest of the house will be designed for hurricane protection, including impact glass windows.

A full-house generator set-up can add $50,000 to the design of the house, but since Eastshore's custom projects generally run $3 million and up, that's still less than 5 percent of the cost.

Where it starts to add up is in the operating costs. For Blank to keep his 9,000 square feet cooled, his generator will burn about 27 gallons of propane an hour, Zabaleta said. At the present rate of $2.85 a gallon for propane, that means a daily fuel cost of $1,846.80.

Still, these large generators have advantages. Most are fueled by propane or natural gas because, unlike regular automobile gasoline or diesel, propane does not degenerate in the tanks and doesn't have to be periodically replaced. Most of Eastshore's homeowners are contracting with supply companies that promise to replenish the tanks as necessary as soon as roads are open after a storm.

Not all of Eastshore's projects involve whole-house service. Jeff Azari, a Miami-Dade businessman who spent weeks at home in the dark after Hurricanes Andrew, Katrina and Wilma, is opting for a moderate approach, which he calls ``camping out in the kitchen.''

Zabaleta, his architect, says that means family room, kitchen, breakfast area, bathroom, laundry room and bar will be linked to a 55-kilowatt generator. ``The generator will be powerful, but if it served the whole house, I'd hate to see the fuel bill.''

Certainly, there are plenty of generator alternatives.

Casa Majorca, a small condo development in the Gables, is being planned so that refrigerator, microwave, water heater and selected outlets in each room will be linked to a large generator. An elevator, lights in the common area and swimming pool pump and filter will also be generator-linked.

''It was during Wilma when this project was under design,'' said developer Phillip Yaffa, 'and 98 percent of Miami-Dade was without power. And I said, `You know, I'm building a luxury project with top-of-the-line appliances. Why can't we maintain a certain lifestyle?' South Florida is supposed to be paradise.''

Are more such projects on the way?

There are no generators for Coscan Homes' development under way in Pompano Beach, where homes are going for about $550,000.

''But in a year, we're going to have something in the $1.2 [million] to $2 million range, and for that I think almost everyone is going to want backup power,'' said Coscan's Al Piazza.

Carlos Gonzalez of Lennar Homes says the company has been ''exploring the possibility'' of adding generator-capability into its projects.

And what if we have another year or two of multiple hurricanes knocking out FPL service for days or weeks?

At that point, Zabaleta believes, the built-in backup generator ``will be as ubiquitous as an air conditioner.''

Source-

BY JOHN DORSCHNER

Miami Herald

Friday, June 23, 2006

Treasure Coast & South Florida Victory on Corps Project posted by Surfrider Foundation at 6:46 AM

Check out this property rights fight

Florida property rights fight

A few more days till a Hurricane Free June !!!
Knock on Wood.

Hurricane Blog

Dune construction violations are subject to fines of varying amounts based on the degree of non-compliance, and whether the violations were committed willfully.

- Sarah Williams, a DEP spokesperson.


- Source: Walton Sun 06/24/06

Protecting Property Rights

Click on the above link to read President Bush's complete remarks.

		United States30 May 2006 Court ruling protecting bloggers’ sources hailed as historic Reporters Without Borders today hailed a Californian appeal court’s “historic” decision on 26 May that online journalists and bloggers have the same right to protect their sources as other kinds of journalists. The ruling was issued in a case between the US electronics manufacturer Apple and websites that posted confidential information about some of its products. “We have often had occasion to stress, especially in connection with this case, that online journalists and bloggers whose activity is similar to journalism should enjoy the same protection as professional journalists working for the traditional media,” the press freedom organisation said. “We were very shocked Apple’s attempt to ride roughshod over the principle of the confidentiality of sources by trying to make a distinction between bloggers and journalists,” Reporters Without Borders said. “Its position was all the more astonishing as it uses its community of fans, especially the online ones, to get people talking about its products.” Reporters Without Borders added: “The Californian appeal court’s decision is historic because it gives a new legitimacy to bloggers. Even though they do not have press cards, they will henceforth have right of place in the world of news and information.” In his ruling, the appeal court judge refused to make a distinction between “legitimate and illegitimate” news reports, warning that any attempt to go down this road would jeopardize the goals of the First Amendment (the constitutional amendment that protects free expression). He rejected Apple’s petition on the grounds of California’s so-called shield law, which protects the confidentiality of journalists’ sources. The text of the ruling (“Apple v. Does”) can be downloaded from the Reporters Without Borders website. Apple was concerned about the confidential information about its products that was posted on two websites, Powerpage and Appleinsider, and it was trying to identify the employees responsible for these leaks. It tried to get information from those in charge of the websites, and then from their Internet Service Providers. In December 2004, it asked Nfoc, the company handling Powerpage’s Internet connection, to hand over the e-mail messages received by its editor, Jason O’Grady, as part of the investigation into the leaks about Asteroid, one of the products concerned. Apple then subpoenaed the Electronic Frontier Foundation - a cyber-freedom group that is defending Powerpage and Appleinsider in this case - demanding the same information. When someone refuses to comply with a subpoena under US law, the dispute can be referred to a judge. In this case, Apple’s subpoena was upheld by a lower court, prompting the referral to an appeal court.

Blogs: The Explosion Of Free Speech

Neville Hobson Expert Author Published: 2005-02-17

Pithy commentary in Business Week on the fall from grace of CNN news head Eason Jordan over his remarks that US troops target journalists in Iraq ...

[Jordan] resigned on Feb. 13 after conservative bloggers feasted on a controversial statement he made in late January at the annual World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland, about the U.S. military. His allegation - that coalition soldiers in Iraq mistook journalists for enemies and killed them - brought down a storm of criticism on him and his network.

Even as Jordan struggled to clarify his statement and affirm his support for the U.S.-led military in Iraq, conservative bloggers labeled him a traitor. The upshot? One observation uttered by a public figure in Davos' supposedly closed setting, and within two weeks the guy was toast.

The Business Week article discusses the 'power of the blogosphere' as a major influencing force in society, and argues that blogs are merely the latest powerful communication tool, an evolution from past centuries where people used handwritten screeds and whispering campaigns to bring down their enemies.

Unlike anything else before, blogs provide more people with a mass communication vehicle to enable them to publish opinions, link to others and thus build literally irrestible forces of opinion, at a speed that's almost breath-taking.

But I think the article's key commentary is this:

[...] With all their clout and reach, bloggers alone can't bring down their enemies. In the end, it's up to society's traditional powers -- the corporate boards, politicians, CEOs -- to rule on these matters. Do they fire an executive for uttering one foolish sentence, ax a reporter for a wrongheaded story, exile a university president for offensive remarks? If the bloggers appear to be censorious, it's only because the rest of society plays along.

In truth, blogging represents an explosion of free speech. While blogs certainly empower lynch mobs, they can also lead to long and open conversations, virtual town meetings. These are the greatest antidote to censorship and secrecy. The Jordan case gave birth to loads of such discussions.

blog

Definition

blog

A frequent, chronological publication of personal thoughts and Web links.

While most of you might have thought that the "ATE" in the G-ATE acronym reference in my May 11th blog meant ATE as in to EAT as in free food ect. , it did not.

Rather, it was a reference to The G-8 summit's held regularly by big powerful world leaders.

Similarily,
Any references to the acronym ECAM as ESCAM meant Every Service Call Adds Money.

These sea oat plantings are in Grayton state park next to watercolor.

This little birdie is having a quiet breakfast
in the retreat .

Looks like a Black-Capped Chickadee

5:am to 7:am is prime time for bird watching
before the construction starts.

and Sundays.

Hey,
anyone who thinks all the crackers are at Publix has not been in my neighborhood lately....

what's the difference between a tornado and a redneck divorce?

There isn't any .

Either way, someone is going to lose a trailer.....

Hey Michael, When you said the retreat had such a narrow beach tuesday I wanted to ask you
when you last had your own two feet and your own two eyeballs on our beach.

Dude, It's not narrow.

Remember the first time in that board meeting that I sat in on, when I asked you if you had been down on the retreat beach and you said not recently after you were speaking for several minutes about what we needed to do......on our beach.....easy money bro.

But I do have to say you always said (when we asked the question just right) that doing nothing
was an option and putting out sand and sea oats, dune fences,etc. was an option as well.

So you told the board and the authorities told the board to put out sand ect. But ....... no sand.......has....been....put......on....the.....retreat......beach.
Sand that THE GULF FRONT LOT OWNERS SHOULD PAY FOR BECAUSE IT"S THEIR PROPERTY. (except for the beach club, walkovers, i.e. common areas).

If you go to an expert doctor and pay good money and he tells you to take a certain medicine to get well and then you don't take that medicine.... what's the point of going to an expert?

Counting every Gulf Front home home in the retreat we find no one that lives in any of these homes as a full time or year round resident (if you do let me know) which makes these Gulf front homes, some of which are currently for sale in the retreat from around $5.7 million dollars to around $8.5 million dollars, second or third homes or the "beach house" etc. for those folks who must be very rich indeed.
Being so rich why do they need their neighbors to help them pay for protection of their private property?
If you are a Gulf Front Property owner and you do not think this is wrong then shame on you.
You give the rich a bad name.

I see by agenda(posted by the beach club)that it has been over a month since the current board met.

reminds me of a saying .....

No man's fortune or freedom are safe as long as Congress is in session.
-Will Rogers

Although I will not go into the details of nor quote directly from the legal Depositions given by Mr. Dave Lovell (President of the current retreat board) and Mr. Michael Dumbrowski who works for the current board as a Coastal Engineer , I would give you a first observation.

I did not attend the Lovell deposition in person but have recently read the transcript of that deposition. I did attend the Dumbrowski deposition yesterday.

The first observation is that in the case of Mr. Dumbrowski, you have someone who sounds like a very qualified expert in his chosen profession while Mr. Lovell sounds very much like someone " in over their head" as president of the current board.

Above we see a sign on Lot 9 that does not conform to our look in several ways

Below we see were Ms. Feige has now updated her sign from the picture on the left to the new look and color in the picture on the right.



Below, we have one of two signs that does not have the right color.

The beach in front of Lots 1,2 & 3 is now in regular use in the retreat
by folks overflowing from the Walkover next to
the Inn at Blue Mountain.
There is no sign telling them where the retreat beach begins.

The West side is calm .
Draper Lake serves as a good Visual dividing line .

However,
we still do not have signs telling people to stay off of the dunes in front of the preserve area and people continue to stomp all over them.

yes, that is a Sunbeam Tiger .

Happy fathers day ya'll.

The Carroll Shelby design team removed the Sunbeam Alpine1.7 liter four cylinder engine and replaced it with a small block 4.2 liter Ford V-8, similar to the way he transformed the AC roadster into the Shelby Cobra, and production began in England in 1964. When Chrysler acquired the Rootes Group, later, they were dismayed to find one of their most popular cars, the Sunbeam Tiger, was "Powered by Ford". This low-budget, high performance sport car captured the hearts, and pocketbooks of enthusiasts. Although production ceased in 1967, with less than 7,000 total made, the Sunbeam Tiger sports car is still sought today as one of Hemming's top 10 collectibles. The power of the Ford V-8, along with many performance options offered by Rootes, still burns up the street and tracks today, winning the SCCA GT2 class in 2000.

Emergency vehicles begin to show up.
The Rupture was near the blue port a potty in the foreground in the picture on the right.

Pictures to follow......
While walking Indy the wonder dog and Jester the wonder pup this morning around 9:30 am I noticed a very strong smell like commercial Gas coming from a large hole next to a backhoe digger at the Hogans house (under construction)at the corner of Bermuda drive and Tortola.
The volume of gas was hissing and was as loud as a small leaf blower .

All of a sudden from behind some stacks of paving stones a tall white man with brown hair mabye late 30's early 40's comes running toward me telling me to leave in words that cannot be repeated in polite company. Although thanks to Indy he kept his distance. I identified myself as a person who lives here and asked the man if he had called 911.

He replied that he "had it covered" which I took to mean that he had not.
He drives a Gold Chevy pickup truck which is about 10 years old.

I then quickly proceeded to the top of Bermuda drive in the Boat dock area and called 911 from my cellphone.
A cellphone can cause an explosion if you are at a gas pump or near open gas ....

I asked the 911 operator if they had received a call from the retreat and he said he had not.
I gave them directions to the Hogans house and waited at the top of the hill.

Since I had my camera with me I have some pictures which I will post later.

After the police and Fireman arrived and the gas company had been called I spoke to one of the fireman (after me and the dogs went down the preserve path along the waterline at Draper and then came back up the west walkover to stay clear of the gas leak)

I told him the above details and he told me that the same man had called and given the 911 operator a bunch of choice words as well and that they did not want to leave the site when first informed of the danger by the Firemen.

A cellphone is the most important safety device you can have. When you see trouble do NOT assume that someone else "has it covered". Get on your cellphone and make sure.

What goes around , comes around.

Life is a carousel .

The association may defend actions in eminent domain or bring inverse condemnation actions. Before commencing litigation against any party in the name of the association involving amounts in controversy in excess of $100,000, the association must obtain the affirmative approval of a majority of the voting interests at a meeting of the membership at which a quorum has been attained. This subsection does not limit any statutory or common-law right of any individual member or class of members to bring any action without participation by the association.


Source: Florida Statutes
720.303 Association powers and duties; meetings of board; official records; budgets; financial reporting; association funds; recalls.--

Well hello again. Mr. smiley gets around. What DO YOU think about all this talk about talking
more about what no one wanted to talk about at all until it's getting real close to being talked about in court? Very Interestering.....

I spoke with Sharon Maxwell with the South Walton Turtle Watch yesterday and Sharon told me that she has now received a donation from the Retreat for the Turtles.

That's a good Thing. I'm not sure that the association has the authority to make donations of this sort or not but the turtles don't mind either way....

Original post on this Below:

Retreat Turtle Watch Donation

When coming from St. Lucia downhill on Tortola to the corner of Bermuda drive heading out of the neighborhood you will need to swing wide as you make that right turn to stay out of the sand trap causing you to end up closer to the oncoming lane on Bermuda if you are going to fast. So ... be careful.
The insurance premium you save could be your own.

I heard that Mr. Jim and Miss Charlene were in my building today and didn't stop by to say hello.
They might have been over at Pantsari's office a few doors down , an outfit that the association writes checks to on a fairly regular basis.

Any way , ya'll tell them to stop in next time and see me for a free starbucks coffee card.

You never know, they might be one cup away from waking up.

As you can see the sign on the left and the one on the right are "not authorized" according to C. Smith. The one in the middle is supposed to be
the authorized version.










More wierd facts on Retreat signage coming soon...

Hi ! I'm mister happy face and I live in the cement (see-Ment) for you deep southerners outside of the beach flub, I mean beach club. I wish you silly people in the retreat could relax.

Think about it. Life is short and getting shorter every day.......

And just remember, What doesn't kill you just makes you more pissed off.
-Mister happy face.

I got my MOJO workin ya'll .

This Hoo Doo's for YOU.

If you love birds check out Kevin's ( my 12 year old Son's) New web blog about birds at:
Birds Rock

I am now officially declaring today the end of the beginning of the Retreat saga.

Chapter One is now over.

Now we can begin Chapter two. I have a feeling that it only gets more interesting from here on out. So stay tuned cause the best is yet to come.

Moving right along, let's get on with Sing-a-long Sunday with this weeks song by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Well I won't back down No I won't back down You could stand me up at the gates of Hell But I won't back down No I'll stand my ground Won't be turned around And I'll keep this world from draggin' me down Gonna stand my ground And I won't back down. Hey, baby. There ain't no easy way out. Hey, I will stand my ground. And I won't back down. Well I know what's right I got just one life In a world that keeps on pushin' me around But I'll stand my ground And I won't back down. Hey, baby. There ain't no easy way out. Hey, I will stand my ground. And I won't back down. Hey, baby. There ain't no easy way out. Hey, I won't back down Hey, baby. There ain't no easy way out. Hey, I will stand my ground And I won't back down.

With the current board posturing to sue the Great State of Florida etc. etc., because they have been wronged etc. etc., can talk of secession from the state be far behind?

Just in case we need to be ready to run our own little nation here I've started putting together some suggested unofficial offical symbols of power and distinction for us to be known by.

U.S.S.R.

United Socialist Sovereignty of the Retreat

Flag: A red field sporting a Green sea turtle with a red trident on it's back

Flower: Cactus Flower

Bird: Crow

Insect: Yellow Fly

Reptile: Pygmy Rattlesnake

Animal: Fox

Please tell your Kids and watch those pets.
I just spotted a new crop of Pygmy Rattlesnakes this morning.
They can blend in quite well with the surface of the street.

Evening

Some of ya'll like to chew the fat...about this and that and what not.

Me, I just like to sit and watch the pond. Why does the scum always end up on top?

I heard tell we might have a "profiles in mostly lip " series coming soon were we profile the background and history of some of our very own local citizens.

I can tell you this. If I take the Mojo off that's workin to keep this place safe ya'll gonna be surf fishin on the Guff in Freeport.

As images of possible tropical weather activity blaze across the screen I am reminded to measure the distance from the structures to the edge of the dune just in case we need some base line data of an independent nature. We have a complete set of reference photos if needed .

You might find this site Flhurricane useful during hurricane season

'World Ocean Day' Is June 8
The 13th Annual World Ocean Day is this Thursday, June 8th. Created at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, World Ocean Day was established as a day to celebrate the oceans and to encourage each and every one of us to help protect the ocean for future generations. Both World Ocean Day and the United States' National Oceans Week are happening this week. More info on World Ocean Day.

Dr. Grey world's foremost Hurricane expert
speaks about the latest "the sky is falling" or is that Warming? scheme.

In case you missed this in the Northwest Florida Daily News on May 28th.

I know many of you read the current Retreat Boards recent letter and may have read Counter Points I & II to that letter from the "minorty" group of owners.

I have added a few points and suggestions to/for the board .
The last point/suggestion is for you other owners.

POINT:
I see no one has signed the letter as spokesman or leader. Less liability no doubt. Or they have a ghost writer. Yes , that fellow.

Any who, I can tell you that having the current board "working steadily on issues" in such a fool hardy manner is of no benefit to this association.
A lazy fool is much preferred in this situation over an active fool hardy fellow.
The lazy fool does far less damage and at much less cost in terms of reputation and money.

Suggestion #1
Stop trying to run this association as an experimental testing ground for your misguided notions
of utopia and start acting like the majority of well run associations.


POINT:
In trademark fashion there is no apology from the current board to the association membership for not having gotten anything accomplished since November of 2004 when Ivan struck us .
They blame the agencies involved and the minority group of owners.


Suggestion #2
Down South we have a saying, " Don't get above your raising," which translates to
"You're an ass if you think you're better than the rest of us."


POINT:
The minority group of owners are described by the current board as being " agressively opposed to the dune restoration efforts that were approved and directed by the owners."
This is a damn lie.
We agressively oppose PAYING for any work done on another persons private property.
A lawsuit has been filed to dispute the very vote that led to this assessment to begin with.

Suggestion #3
Admit that other associations and property owners have been successful in protecting their beach property mainly through the owners working together and within the law to protect THEIR PRIVATE PROPERTY. You insult other residents of this county when you state that "other beach front properties that ignored the rules benefited with storm protection" without mentioning those properties and owners that have followed the rules.

POINT:
Ignorance of the law is no excuse.

Suggestion #4
If you can't understand the law and become "frustrated", if you are uncertain about how to proceed because the issues appear to be complex and incoherent.
Step aside and let others lead before you become a total laughing stock.


POINT: To Owners
The current board/association still has your money and is making a lot of interest on that money every month.

Suggestion: To Owners
Ask the current board or you might decide to have an attorney ask them for you, for a formal statement from the current board/association as to why the current board/association continues to keep your money when they have not been able to perform the work for which you gave them your money. Ask them why they have spent monies collected when they had no permits.

A kind reminder to all residents and visitors :

Please fill in any large holes and pick up all beach chairs and beach equipment
before leaving the each day. Nesting sea turtles come on to the beach at night
and may become disoriented or hurt themselves by falling into holes or bumping into unfamiliar items.

From weather underground

If you can't find your original association documents, Take it from
our attorney who is quite sane.
According to the Retreat Association documents a 75% vote of the
entire membership is required before the association can
begin litigation .
Like a lawsuit against the State of Florida for example.
This language is in the section of the Declaration
entitled "Litigation" towards the end of the document.

May 31, 2006

Dear Board Members,

I have read your letter of May 22 and must respond due to its inaccurate and

misleading statements and because The Board continues to demonstrate an
ability to create more problems than it solves.

The Problems:

1.  Initially, The Board contended that the Common Use Recreation Easement
had moved on to what was formerly private beachfront property due to a
hurricane and that it was now the responsibility of The Association to armor

that property.  That "myth" having been exposed, The Board now contends
that

the government can be sued  for this same private property by deeming it
"public" land requiring the government's compensation to private property
owners of $200,000 to $250,000 per month for up to ten years.  If the
property is deemed public land, what authority does The Board have to place
geotubes on it?  Better still, why would the government want geotubes
installed on it?  Realistically speaking, who believes the government is
going to pay individual beachfront owners up to $24,000,000 to $30,000,000
for this property? More importantly, just who does The Board expect to pay
the costs of attempting such an extraction? Suing the government is very
difficult, time consuming, and expensive.  Usually only the attorneys
benefit in such cases.  Besides, The Declarations require 75% approval of
the entire Association to engage in any lawsuit.  The Association is also
bound by the Bylaws which require beachfront owners to maintain their own
property to the Mean High Tide Line.  Consequently, the responsibility of
pursuing such "public land" claims is that of the beachfront owners and
their attorneys, not that of the Association and its attorney.

2.  Why is The Board insisting on placing the geotubes in the Conservation
Area?  It is a major hindrance to the ability to acquire permits, especially

from Fish and Wildlife.  Lot 24 can easily direct the geotubes to the north
and west, as in Lot 1, to minimize end scouring.

3.  Deflecting your inability to "aggressively armor the dunes without
proper permits" by trying to place blame on other property owners through
your injurious comments needs to be substantiated.  If you have such proof
that any group has "threatened to sue the County" and is responsible for
geotubes not being installed, present that proof; otherwise, you are to
retract such libelous statements and inform the entire Membership of this
retraction.  You were stopped from installing the geotubes because the
County saw it as a violation of its laws.  It is also a violation of The
Retreat's Bylaws, which require adherence to the permitting process.  As a
Walton County Code Enforcement Board Member, Mr. Lovell is well familiar
with the fines, costs for removal, etc. resulting in such irresponsible
actions.

The Solutions:

1.
a.)  Instruct the 24 Beachfront owners that, according to the Bylaws, the
maintenance of their private property is their responsibility to the Mean
High Tide Line.  Advise them to organize some type of LLC (Limited Liability

Corporation).  Tell them that they should hire an engineer, obtain permits,
take construction bids, etc. to determine how much to assess each of its
members.

b.) The LLC then can ask The Association to pay the per footage cost for
armoring the Pool Building and the dune walkovers; this cost to be equally
divided among its 90 members.  THERE WILL NOT BE THE QUALITATIVE
"GUESSTIMATE" THAT MR. LOVELL ADMITTED, UNDER OATH, THAT THE BOARD USED
FOR
THE PRESENT ASSESSMENT.

2.  A vote, according to the Bylaws, put before the entire Association for
its consideration/approval to pay The Association's share of the cost for
the installation of the geotubes/dune armoring.

3.  All monies collected for the present Assessment returned to each
property owner, with interest earned, until another Assessment is "properly"

determined and passed according to the Bylaws.

4.  All liens on properties as to the present Assessment nullified.

5.  Seek legal counsel that tries to avoid rather than incite litigation;
that works within rather than around the laws of The Retreat and the
governmental agencies, in an effort create a more cohesive community and a
better working relationship with local authorities.

Doing the above will not only achieve greater success but will probably get
you greater support from the Membership in the future.


Respectfully,

William G. Foss
58 Tortola

many of you have asked me for information about the 1/2 % of the purchase price paid by buyers of property in the Retreat.

It goes to The St. Joe Community Foundation formerly the Northwest Florida Improvement Foundation founded by the St. Joe corporation.

The Foundation Website


Ms. Sue Joffe at the foundation has informed me that
The Retreat has so far contributed $625,904 dollars to the fund.

To put this in perspective, according to the foundation website grants to date for 2005 exceeded $650,000.

Interesting Note: This chart does not show New Orleans which was ranked by another study of 28 coastal cities as most likely to be hit by another hurricane in 2006 at a 30% chance.