PGA Property Owners Association

Palm Beach Gardens, FL

You are here: Home / Archives for Website Administrator

Website Administrator

Property Manager’s Report – April 2021

by

Hi!  I’ve missed you! Hope everyone is staying healthy and continuing to use caution to help prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus. 

Many of the seasonal residents and renters were back this year which is one reason why the POA office continues to work remotely.  We apologize for any inconvenience, but we are trying to protect you (and us) and keep everyone healthy.  We appreciate your continued cooperation.

Directions for getting a vehicle barcode; lease, sale, and ARC applications; and other info and updates can be found here on the POA website and of course you can always call our office at (561) 627-2800 if you have questions or need assistance.

PLEASE UPDATE YOUR INFO:

The POA now has the ability to send PGA property owners notices via email.   It is NOT the Board’s intention to regularly send email blasts but there are sometimes matters that are important to share quickly so please be sure we have your email address(es).   You can drop a note at the POA office with your name, PGA address and your email address or you can email same to me at DawnL@LangManagement.com and please copy JoAnnP@LangManagement.com so we can ensure the information is updated.  Remember to include your PGA Address when you respond.

ANNUAL MEETING AND ELECTIONS:

The PGA POA held the annual meeting (with masks, social distancing, sanitizers, and other protections in place).  In the PGA Resort Ballroom with the potential to seat approximately 1,000 people, we spaced seating to accommodate 300.  There were 73 property owners in attendance so here are some updates for those who did not attend:

Election Results:   Please welcome Ginny Luongo, Jack Hughes, and Sam Boyd back for another two year term and welcome new Board member Bill Health.  It was a good election with nine candidates.  Thank you to all who ran for election – the residents of PGA National are lucky to have so many dedicated and qualified people wanting to serve the community.    Many candidates will be joining POA Committees and will hopefully run again in the future.

Community Improvements:  The POA Board of Governors have tentatively selected an artist to design the sculpture planned at the “ellipse” at the main entry to PGA National.  I’ve mentioned it and some other projects for more than a year but the virus and other factors slowed the process.  Over the next few months, the POA will share the design with all the residents.  Funds for this work and the PGA Blvd enhancements still on the long range plans, have been collected in the annual budget’s Capital Improvements line item.

Playground:  Those in residence probably noted that the playground in Burwick park has been closed for 2 months.  There were some areas of rust and deterioration on the decks and a couple of the spring animals are damaged so please stay away from the play equipment.   The Board is in the process of selecting new equipment for BOTH Marlwood Park and Burwick Park, but it has to be manufactured and installed so it will be a while.   Residents may take children to Marlwood Park until we are able to have both play areas replaced.

Benches:  The POA used to have an “In Honor Of” program where property owners could purchase a tree, plant or bench in Masters Park.  The program was discontinued years ago but the benches and plants remain (of course).  The benches, that were supposed to be all recycled lumber and aluminum had one metal component that failed and cannot be placed so the benches are being replaced within approximately the next 30 days.

ABOUT THE MONEY

The Board is currently working on the budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year.   The new assessment notices will be mailed June 1st and the assessment to PGA POA will be due July 1st.  For the past few years, the annual assessment has remained at $740.00 but at this time it appears there may be a need for a small increase.   The Board deferred this last year due to the pandemic and they are doing their best to prevent an increase this year, but it might be unavoidable.

HAVE A GOOD SUMMER

For seasonal residents who are returning to your ‘northern’ homes, don’t forget to have someone available to secure your property in case of a storm.   It is also critical that you remember to set your alarm (which you should always do but certainly while you are away!).

Security Director’s Report – April 2021

by

In one of my past articles, I made a suggestion about investing in a home surveillance system. I bring this up again because PGA National continues to be a place of interest for those with criminal intent. In the past few months, there has been a residential burglary and a stolen vehicle within PGA National. I am in no way suggesting that a camera system will prevent you from becoming a victim of a crime. It is my belief that a camera system that is visibly able to be observed from the roadway can greatly reduce your chances and provide a greater peace of mind.

Other suggestions that can help reduce your chance of becoming a victim of the previously mentioned crimes are:
• Make sure your home is alarmed and secured when not in use.
• Make sure your vehicle is secured and no valuables are left in sight.
• Minimize the number of people that have access to your home while you are away. If you have plans to travel, please submit a Property Check form before you leave. That form can be obtained at any gatehouse or at www.gateaccess.net.

Remember we are here with you and together we can make a difference. Report any suspicious person(s) or activity to security at 561-627-1600. For all emergencies dial 911.

Security Directors Report – March 2021

by

Remember to secure all doors and windows before you leave your home. Also, remember
to set you alarm before leaving your home.

If you have any vacation plans, remember to fill out a Property Check form before you
leave. Property Check forms can also be submitted at www.gateaccess.net or picked up
at any gate house.

Report any suspicious person(s) or activity to security at 561-627-1600. For all
emergencies dial 911.

Property Manager’s Report – February 2021

by

JUST THE FACTS, MA’AM:

There are all kinds of rumors about communities and vaccinations. Per Mark Marciano at the City of Palm Beach Gardens, for information regarding the City of Palm Beach Gardens and Covid-19 vaccines, you can visit the City of Palm Beach Gardens’ website at pbgfl.com/COVIDVaccine. You can also go to the County website at vaccine.hcdpbbc.org to schedule an appointment with the Palm Beach County Health Care District. This will place you in a virtual waiting room until vaccines become available.

PGA POA ANNUAL MEETING:

Due to pandemic concerns, the venue for this year’s annual meeting, as well as the date, has been changed. Instead of the usual January meeting, the PGA POA Annual Meeting and Election will be held on Wednesday, March 3, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. in the PGA Resort Grand Ballroom. The room is considerably larger than the regular room and chairs will be adequately spaced. All attendees must wear a mask (covering nose and mouth) while in the sign-in area and/or the meeting room.

The only item on the agenda is the election of Board members so be sure to vote and mail or deliver your ballot and voting certificate to the POA immediately; especially if you won’t be attending the meeting in person. The meeting notice has been mailed so if you don’t receive it by February 20th, please call us.

All owners should cast their ballot for four members to serve on the 9-member PGA POA Board of Governors. This year there are nine candidates for the four positions. The biographies for each candidate can be found here and, of course, they were mailed with the meeting notice.

CAUTION:

Most of the seasonal residents have returned and there are quite a few renters in PGA National again. Please be patient on the roads and sidewalks: there is a lot of extra traffic both in vehicles as well as on foot or bicycles.

The speed limit in PGA National is 25 mph at each end of Ryder Cup Blvd, on Ave of the Champions and on Tournament Blvd. It is 35 mph on Ave of the Masters and in the middle portion of Ryder Cup Blvd.

In addition to human traffic, many of the Sand Hill Cranes (which are hard to see on the street) are finding their mates so please protect the wildlife too! The Florida Sandhill Crane is protected by the U.S. Migratory Bird Treaty Act and is a State-designated Threatened species by Florida’s Endangered and Threatened Species Rule so SLOW DOWN and help keep them safe too.

We have asked the Palm Beach Gardens Police Department for assistance in enforcing speed limits. Please drive carefully!

JUST ONE MORE THING BEFORE CLOSING:

Happy Valentine’s Day….from 6 feet away!

Security Director’s Report – October 2020

by

In the past few years, the number of scams and scammers plaguing our lives has increased. Scammers are very clever and continue to prey on uninformed civilians. The following information was obtained from and provided by ConsumerFraudReporting.org. It lists ten scams that are commonly being attempted everyday across the U.S., scams you all should be aware of. Here is the list.

  1. Debt Collection: Most of the complaints under this category involve debt collectors. Consumers tell of receiving calls from harassing collectors who are threatening and will repeatedly call attempting to collect a debt. Other complaints that fall under this category involved credit/debit card fees, pay day loans, credit repair companies and unauthorized use of credit/debit cards. Some of these complaints involved hidden fees and billing disputes as well.
  2. Fake Government Officials: If you received an email, letter or phone call from a government agency (typically the IRS or FBI) and it instructs you to wire, Western Union or MoneyGram money someplace, or follow a link and enter information – don’t believe it! The U.S. government would never instruct anyone to use those methods to pay any bill or carry out a financial transaction, particularly with an overseas bank or agency.
  3. Identity Theft, Phishing and Pharming: Scammers gain access to your confidential information, like social security numbers, date of birth and then use it to apply for credit cards, loans, and financial accounts. Typically, the victim receives an email that appears to be from a credible, real bank or credit card company, with links to a website and a request to update account information. But the website and email are fakes, made to look like the real website.
  4. Phone scams: This includes telemarketers violating the Do Not Call list, Robodialers, scammers calling up pretending to be from a bank or credit card company. The National Do Not Call Registry (U.S.) or the National Do Not Call List (Canada) offer consumers a free way to reduce telemarketing calls. Scammers call anyway, of course, and they’ve even found a way to scam consumers by pretending to be a government official calling to sign you up or confirming your previous participation on the Dot Not call list! A good example of this is the “Your Microsoft license key has expired” scam call – which you can hear and read about on this page.
  5. Loans scams / Credit Fixers: False promises of business or personal loans, even if credit is bad, for a fee upfront. Or a scam that promises to repair your credit for a fee.
  6. Fake Prizes, Sweepstakes, Free Gifts, Lottery scams: You receive an email claiming you won a prize, lottery, or gift, and you only must pay a “small fee” to claim it or cover “handling costs”. These include scams which can go under the name of genuine lotteries like the UK National Lottery and the El Gordo Spanish lottery. Unsolicited email or telephone calls tell people they are being entered or have already been entered into a prize draw. Later, they receive a call congratulating them on winning a substantial prize in a national lottery. But before they can claim their prize, they are told they must send money to pay for administration fees and taxes. The prize, of course, does not exist. No genuine lottery asks for money to pay fees or notifies its winner’s via an email.
  7. Internet merchandise scams: You purchase something online, but it is either never delivered or it is not what they claimed it was or is defective. Online shopping, and other shop from home, such as catalog, mail and phone shopping scams are on the rise.
  8. Automobile-Related Complaints: Car loans, car buying, car sales, auto repair, fake or useless extended warranties. Some of the complaints alleged consumers paid for repairs and that services provided were shoddy. Consumers reported repair companies that return vehicles to the consumer in a worse condition than how it was initially given to them. Other complaints involved consumers not receiving title to their vehicles at the time of sale.
  9. Credit Bureaus and related credit scams: Credit/debit card fees, pay day loans, credit repair companies and unauthorized use of credit/debit cards. Some of these complaints involved hidden fees and billing disputes as well.
  10. Phishing/Spoofing Emails: Emails that pretend to be from a company, organization or government agency but ask you to enter or confirm your personal information.

Authorities estimate that scamming is a billion-dollar industry. An industry where most of its victims do not recover any of their funds. Scammers success is predicated on our lack of knowledge and some scams are easier to detect than others. I say trust your gut feeling, if it does not feel right, then it’s probably not. Trust your instincts and be careful out there.

As always, never hesitate to call security at 561-627-1600, if you see something, say something. Report all suspicious people, activities, and vehicles. For all emergencies dial 911.

Security Directors Report – August 2020

by

I hope this article finds you all in good spirits and in good health. As we all continue to make adjustments in our lives because of COVID-19, we must continue to be vigilant within our community. Criminals and their activities continue to play a role in our everyday life, even during a pandemic.

Over the past few months, security has received and responded to service calls for packages missing after being delivered, burglarized vehicles, stolen vehicles, and suspicious people within the community. Not in large numbers or anything to panic over. However, it is a reminder that PGA National is a place of interest for those with criminal intent. To reduce your chance of becoming the next victim, make sure your home is alarmed and secured when not in use. Make sure your vehicle is secured and no valuables are left in sight. If you do not already have them, consider adding surveillance cameras to our home.

We are here with you and together we can make a difference

Never hesitate to call security at 561-627-1600, if you see something, say something. Report all suspicious people and activities.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to all that have been personally affected by this virus. You are encouraged to avoid “the Three C’s” to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Avoid closed spaces with poor ventilation, crowed places, and close-contact settings.

Bicycles !

by

BICYCLES

Drivers may believe that bicycles riding single file are unlawfully impeding traffic – they are not. That law only applies to motor vehicles (ref 316.183(5)). In PGA National, bicycles must share the street or ride on the sidewalk so excerpts have been taken from the Florida Statues.

316.2065 can be viewed in its entirety at www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes.

The following information was taken from this site:

If there is no lane marked for bicycles, any cyclist traveling on the road at less than the normal speed of traffic should ride as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway except when passing another bicycle; when preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or drive; when necessary to avoid a conflict such as an object or situation that makes it unsafe to continue along the right hand curb or edge.

Bicyclists may not ride more than two abreast except on paths or parts of roadways set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles. Persons riding two abreast may not impede traffic when traveling at less than the normal speed of traffic.

Every bicycle being used between sunset and sunrise must have a lamp on the front with a white light visible from at least 500 feet to the front and a lamp and reflector on the rear each with a red light visible from a distance of 600 feet to the rear. A bicycle or its rider may have additional lights or reflectors in addition to those required.

In PGA there are no bicycle lanes. 316.2065(9) states, “A person propelling a vehicle by human power upon and along a sidewalk, or across a roadway upon and along a crosswalk, has all the rights and duties applicable to a pedestrian under the same circumstances.” and Section 10 states that a person riding on a sidewalk or across a roadway upon and along a crosswalk, shall yield the right-of-way to any pedestrian and shall give an audible signal before overtaking and passing such pedestrian.

Please be courteous. Please be patient. Please abide by the above laws.

Security Director’s Report – January 2020

by

It seems like the more technology invades our lives. The more we must do to safeguard ourselves in order to enjoy the benefits of it. Criminals are becoming ever so crafty and using the same technology we enjoy, to commit crimes against us. One of the crime trends that seems to be on a rise is keyless car thefts.
 
Keyless car theft is where the signal from your key fob is captured by someone standing outside your home using a signal capturing device. The device transmits the signal to somebody else standing by your car. This tricks your car into thinking the key is near it, which will disable your factory alarm, unlock the doors and allow for the “push button” ignition to be started. I know, if it isn’t one thing it’s another.

Like any crime of opportunity, criminals are depending on our assistance. The success of this crime depends on the location of your key fob. Based on some of the articles I’ve read and news videos. There are a few simple steps that you can take to prevent this occurrence. Such as keeping your keys away from the front door and windows of your home. Placing your keys in a signal blocking pouch aka Faraday Bag or utilizing a wheel lock. I’m sure there are more steps you can take to not become a victim of this crime, but these steps seemed to be a common method of prevention.

As your security provider, we are always ready to lend a hand and together we can make a difference. Never hesitate to call security at 561-627-1600, if you see something, say something. Report all suspicious people and activities. Remember to close your garage door when not in use and always set your alarm when you leave your home.

One last thing. If your bar code is more then five years old or looks a little worn and faded, head over to the POA Office for a replacement. This will save you time at the gate.

Security Director’s Report – December 2019

by

I would like to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season.

Remember to submit a Property Check form if you have plans to travel out of town. Make sure all your doors and windows are secure when you leave your home. Your peace of mind is what’s important.

As your security provider, we are always ready to lend a hand and together we can make a difference. Never hesitate to call security at (561) 627-1600.

If you see something, say something. Report all suspicious people and activities. Remember to close your garage door when not in use and always set your alarm when you leave your home.

Happy Holiday Season from Allied Universal!!!

Security Director’s Report – November 2019

by

As you all know, PGA National is vastly unique compared to the surrounding gated communities. Not being a 24-hour gated community makes us susceptible to the threat of crime. Criminals are actively seeking communities to target. Groups of thieves are traveling from other counties to commit residential and vehicle burglaries. In the past two months, we’ve had one vehicle stolen and one home burglarized within PGA National.

This isn’t an attempt to scare anyone, but rather a time to remind you that crime does happen here. So far this year we have experienced eleven residential burglaries and several vehicle burglaries in our commercial areas. When criminals are canvassing an area in search of their next target, open garage doors and leaving valuables in plain sight in your vehicles increases your chances of becoming the victim of a crime.

As homeowners and board members there are a few counter measures that you can subscribe to that will increase the level of safety in your community as well as at your home. Surveillance systems are one of the biggest deterrence to crime and a great asset to a community. Installing cameras that will capture vehicles entering and exiting your community along with signage, will greatly reduce the likelihood of your community becoming the next target of criminals. Communities could also install cameras around the pool area that would monitor activity throughout the community. Installing a home security camera system is another great idea. These added tools could greatly assist the police department with their investigation.

Your peace of mind is what’s important and the previously mentioned measures can help immensely. As your security provider, we are always ready to lend a hand and together we can make a difference. Never hesitate to call security at 561-627-1600, if you see something, say something. Report all suspicious people and activities. Remember to close your garage door when not in use and always set your alarm and lock your doors when you leave your home.