(WSVN) - Palm trees were blocking her view of the property. She asked the board to trim some fronds, and then the board fined her. It’s why she contacted Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
Twenty-two years ago, Lillian walked onto the property, strolled into a condo and was sold.
Lillian Ferraro: “Everybody would love to buy a place with the beautiful view of a pool.”
When Lillian looked out her kitchen window, she saw the property and the pool, and she is in the kitchen a lot.
Lillian Ferraro: “I love to cook.”
Then in 2019, the association decided to plant three palm trees below her 4th-floor condo.
Lillian Ferraro: “It’s right in front of my kitchen window. It’s going to grow. So he said, ‘No, it’s not. Don’t worry about it. It’ll take 20 years.'”
Mother Nature said, “You wanna bet?”
Lillian Ferraro: “I can even pull it, as you can see.”
It took the palms just six years to grow even with her kitchen window.
Lillian Ferraro: “You can’t even see out your window. You can’t even see the view.”
For a while, Lillian said the board would allow the landscapers to trim the palm fronds to give her a partial view.
Then they got a new board, and Lillian had the same request.
Lillian Ferraro: “Would they help me cut a few fronds from the palm tree? And the answer was no, again.”
When Lillian saw the landscapers on the property, she asked them to cut some palm fronds.
Lillian Ferraro: “So he said, ‘No problem. You know, I’ll come over sometime today.'”
But they didn’t cut any fronds, and instead, Lillian got a warning letter from the condo board saying, “No resident or member may contact a vendor directly to request services.”
So Lillian said she contacted the board president.
Lillian Ferraro: “He was like, ‘Listen, if it’s about the tree, I don’t want to hear it. It’s closed case.’ ‘I just have a question.’ ‘No questions.'”
But Lillian wanted answers and said she contacted the manager’s office.
Lillian Ferraro: “I went there three times. I couldn’t get a hold of our manager.”
A few days later, the board got in touch with her, though, fining her “$100 for harassing not just one, but two board members.”
Lillian Ferraro: “And I never harassed anybody, believe me. That is not harassment, just to inquire.”
Even more aggravating to Lillian, the latest letter said, if she brings up the palm frond issue again, she will be hit with another violation and a fine of $100 per day per occurrence.
Lillian Ferraro: “And I feel I need that $100 to buy food. So, it just seems like they’re trying to push me out of here.”
We always tell people to be the squeaky wheel. So, Howard, can a condo resident be fined for being that squeaky wheel?
Howard Finkelstein: “It’s legal to be a squeaky wheel, and it can be a violation of the rules to harass a board member. If they feel it’s harassment, they can fine you. So what is the line separating a squeaky wheel from harrassment? The people on either side can’t determine that, so it would take a judge to decide.”
I contacted the property manager at Deer Creek Condominium. She said it costs $12,000 to trim all the palms on the property, and because of that, they can only do it once a year.
She said they believe nothing short of cutting the trees down will make Lillian happy, that the trees are trimmed to code, that Lillian badgers them about trimming and “we have told her in a kind but firm way to stop it.” The property manager then said the board was going to waive the $100 fine, so Lillian doesn’t have to pay anything.
Lillian Ferraro: “And you all have helped me tremendously.”
The board waived the fine goodbye, but I am not sure they can wave goodbye to Lillian’s efforts to get some palm fronds removed.
Lillian Ferraro: “I’m not going to stop, and I can ask questions as long as I want.”
All right, Lillian. So, to avoid the board considering it harassment, put your questions or requests about the palms in writing: an email or a letter. That way, it’s clear what was said, and it avoids the face-to-face confrontation that might bother a board member or property manager.
A problem uprooting your life? Questioning what you should do? Don’t put your palms up and give up. Let’s see if we can find a solution that’ll grow on you. With this Help Me Howard, I’m Patrick Fraser, 7News.
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