FCAP Community

Published August 2022

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     Florida Community Association Professionals’ (FCAP) training is offered on two levels. Level one consists of courses meeting Florida’s continuing education requirements for CAMs, and level two is the Florida Advanced CAM Studies (FACS) course. For further information about the more than 38 online continuing education classes available or to pursue the Certified Florida Community Association Manager (CFCAM) designation, please visit www.fcapgroup.com/membership/education-training/.

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Because You Asked
By Betsy Barbieux, CAM, CFCAM, CMCA

Betsy,
     I don’t know if this is a unique situation or not, but it is to us. Our association terminated its management contract with one company and signed a contract with another management company. While we were transitioning to the new management company, our board self-managed; we did it all. Now, it seems the new management company is not interested in doing its job because we were doing it all. We need their help, plus we pay them. There are no personality issues; our board likes the new management company and the staff. However, the new company is not responsive. Many issues are not resolved; emails are not returned. What do you recommend? We recently did a Zoom with our new manager and were satisfied with his approach but have had little to no follow-up after three weeks.
– Tim

Tim,
     Personality and promises mean nothing. This relationship is business. The management agreement likely has a list of the services to be provided. It probably has a paragraph regarding non-performance and a time to cure. I would list in bullet points the non-performance issues you are experiencing and give them xx number of days to comply/cure. After that date, should you not be satisfied, send in your written xx number of days termination notice.
– Betsy

Betsy,
     Could you give more information on what your CAM CE course on meetings would cover? I understand a lot of the meeting requirements; it’s the nuances that I am looking for. Some are as follows:
     Courses that zero in on every part of different meetings. Special assessment meetings posting and notices. 

     Any board meeting whether stated as special or a board meeting that requires a 14-day posting or longer will require an affidavit. Correct?

     Can a board meeting held for the purpose of discussing a special assessment have other things on the agenda, or must it be the only thing on the agenda?

     Do special meetings and annual meetings allow for members to make a motion or only board members? 
– Allen 

Allen,
     Other than the distinct differences in room setup and purposes for a board meeting and a membership meeting, there aren’t any other different types of meetings. 
     There are differences in the posting time frames for several board meetings, with some being a 48-hour posted notice/agenda and others being mailed 14 days in advance to the membership.
     Board meetings that impose a special assessment must specifically state the purpose for the special assessment and the estimated amount on the meeting notice/agenda. The statute does not say that a board meeting to impose special assessments cannot have other items on the agenda. Personally, I don’t see why you can’t add other items to the agenda so long as they are specifically identified.
     All membership meeting notices and agendas must be mailed/delivered to the membership 14 days prior to the meeting.
     Yes, any meeting that requires a 14-day notice, whether a board meeting or a membership meeting, must have proof of mailing, hand delivery, or email using the affidavit of mailing or certificate of mailing.
     Board meetings are for the board members. Owners may not make motions or vote. They may make comments to designated agenda items only. There are no open comments or owners’ forums at a board meeting.
     At a membership meeting, all voting should be on a limited proxy or other written form. Other than the motion to approve the previous annual meeting minutes, motions are pre-planned for membership meetings. There are no spontaneous motions. Members may make comments to designated agenda items only. There should be no open forum or Q&A.
     Also note that there is no board of directors seated at the front of the room at a membership meeting. Board members have no collective authority at a membership meeting, so they need not sit together or look like they are a panel giving information or taking questions. Only the chair or president needs to be at the front of the room.
     There are several courses available on meetings at our website “Store.” There are also many articles on the “Free Articles” section of our website. But your best resource for meetings will likely be our YouTube channel, CAM Matters. 
– Betsy

Betsy,
     I was at your BOD training this spring, and you may remember that I live in a mobile home cooperative. When there is a lack of any adopted rules or regulations concerning site plan requirements for mobile home installations, other than state and county codes, what can board members base their decisions on? It does not seem that personal taste should be the only criteria.
– Tom

Tom,
     You’re correct; personal opinion is inadequate. The board of directors could create and approve at a board meeting written criteria that would give them a basis for approval or denial. I know of nothing that prevents the board from creating policies and approval criteria including application forms.
– Betsy

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CAM to CAM 

Electric Vehicle Charging Stations, Part II

An Inside Look with Danny Kaddoch, Senior Account Manager, Hypower Inc.

By Marcy L. Kravit, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, CFCAM
Director of Community Association Relations
Hotwire Communications
FCAP Program Coordinator

     Editor’s Note: This is part two of a three-part series. Part three will be published in an upcoming issue of FLCAJ. Part one can be read at www.fcapgroup.com.

Types of Electrical Charging

     There are multiple chargers to choose from. In a single-family home community, it is advised that each owner purchase a charger for their individual home and pay for their own electricity. A NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association) connection is a power plug receptacle adapter for Tesla. It does not apply to commercial chargers. NEMA 6-30 and NEMA 6-50, correctly and safely installed, are well-suited to charging an electric vehicle. These sockets will charge a modern EV in around 7 to 10 hours, depending on which current is used. 

     According to EVchargers.com, in terms of what to look for with EV chargers, third-party sellers on the marketplace exchanges are commonly making two major mistakes:

1. Selling level 1 and level 2 portable or wall EV chargers for single-family homes with NEMA 10-30 and NEMA 10-50 plug types. These are no longer up to code as current national code requires a ground line. These older outlets are not safe for use to charge an electric vehicle. These plugs do not have a ground wire, and if a neutral is used instead, then this can create an electrical charge on the body of the vehicle, which is a significant safety hazard during or after charging. A licensed electrician should be used to replace these types of receptacles.
2. Supplying level 1 and level 2 EV chargers with circuit board amps (in the charger) that do not match the amps of the electrical circuit in your home.  In practice, this means they should supply, for example, an EV charger with a 50-amp electrical charge and run it through a 50-amp plug. A 50-amp breaker is designed to cut off at 50 amps, creating inconvenience when the breaker trips (too much power).  Most industry specialists recommend that you use 80 percent of the breaker’s capacity.

     In a condominium community, different vehicle models with various manufacturers are charging, and who is going to pay for the FPL bill? Kaddoch advises the community to install a charger as an amenity in the building and under house power; then all are sharing in paying for the electricity. Chargers now come with an app that accepts a credit card and will send a notification to allow that person to charge her car and be billed accordingly. Simply pull the handle to charge and use the building’s power. The cost is amortized and initially paid at approximately $1.50 –$2.00 per kw hour. 

Three Types of Chargers

     Level 1—If you are on empty, it will take three days to fill it up full, assuming a domestic plug with approximately 1400–1900 watts. (Watts are the unit of measure for power consumption while the product is in use.)

     Level 2—General chargers, 208/220 volts, 40-amp rated, only use 30 amps and take five to eight hours to charge. They notify the driver when it gets to 30 percent; pick where you want to go and can charge in three to four hours. These are domestic/commercial rated at approximately 6200–7200 watts.

     Level 3—DC Fastchargers take 80-250 amps at 480 volts (approximately seven full houses of power) and take 20 minutes to charge one car from zero to full. These are designed for heavy commercial/industrial application and use approximately 35,200–110,500 watts.

     There are also 208V 3Ph Level 3 chargers, but these are not the same as what you see at all the convenience charge stations around, we are specifically talking about the LEVEL 3 DC fast chargers in gas stations and other plazas. 

     Over the last 20 years, the United States has been trying to reduce our carbon footprint and the power our nation is using… 

1. Every unit owner of every condominium by Florida law has the right and must have the capability to plug in their car if they choose to.
2. If the building has 200 residents, you can’t install 200 level 2 chargers as the building does not likely have that kind of power, nor is that needed in the foreseeable future. No building can allow that much power. Can you bring extra power to the building? FPL does not just give you the power; you need to provide an engineer’s drawing to justify how much power you are asking them to bring and need to bring in.
3. A receptacle can be installed in every parking spot like a household receptacle. It will take up to three days to charge. If you need a full charge, you can go to WaWa or Home Depot. Many shopping venues now have electrical charging stations installed in the parking lots.
4. When you have a resident who wants their own and there are several spots—335 outlets will cost approximately $230K and a digital submeter for every parking spot is $730 per submeter x 335 spots. It may not be feasible!

     Not everybody would need the plugs; the infrastructure would be built with a box for everyone. It would also require underground trenching and installation of the wiring. Buildings should all have a licensed and insured contracted electrician; however, it is important to check to ensure their electrician has the means to get it done properly as per city permitting, and they understand how to make the proper decisions in doing what is best for the association.

Key Factors

     Does the association have the ability to obtain adequate power from FPL? 

     Can the electrical contractor install high tech equipment professionally utilizing a logging meter or existing building drawings?

     Does the electrical contractor have the ability to analyze the service coming into the building directly on the house panel and have the proper equipment to record the data to determine how much power is being used and record voltage spikes? 

     Is it a calibrated meter and rented or owned? 

     There are companies that will say you can do this or that, but afterward the association finds that FPL cannot service the building. A licensed journeyman must know how to calculate and read the building’s as-built drawings to show the load on the panel. If your association is going to install EV chargers, you need to find a reputable company. 

Services Required for Parking Garages

     Years ago, Wi-Fi was required to install EV chargers. This is old school!  EV chargers needed a network cable to be run to them to be connected to the internet and then connected to Wi-Fi to see who is charging and how much it costs.  Today, EV chargers work off cell phone sim cards; however, you will need cell phone service and a strong signal to the building. 

     You cannot install the EV chargers if there is no cell phone service unless you go backwards to the old Wi-Fi ways. You may need a cellular booster/extender for a parking garage that does not have a strong signal. Kaddoch advised that AT&T and Verizon did not have a signal in a parking garage of a building he was bidding on, but there is a recommended company that can provide cell boosters or extenders. He advises associations to get three quotes for all associated work. As an electrician, he advises that he is not affiliated with these companies and says, “I do not care about the car charger guy or the cell booster guy. I am not subbing it out, and I cannot force them to show up.  I do not want to be blamed when they do not show up; I am the electrician. I do care that you did your research and pay a fair price.”

Electrical Panel, Drawings & Permitting

     The typical panel schedule on a drawing shows the riser and what power is coming in. Kaddoch reviews the existing panel load calculations for an EV charger, the total connected load on a panel, and the demand load to determine amps to avoid exceeding 80 percent of the max capacity of the panel. Kaddoch says that the association may need to install an additional panel on the main, depending upon the load, and that the approach should be for the long term. 

     Here is an example load panel where Kaddoch explained how it works: Total connected load = 1,210 amps. 

     With a total demand load (average of what they think they will be using) of 1078 amps/ 1500-amp panel, there would be 290 amps of buffer.  The total load should not exceed 80 percent of the maximum capacity of the panel. An association may need another panel installed off the main one. When the electrician visits your building, he will determine if you need to put a meter on it. Two or four chargers are good to start with, as Kaddoch advises clients to assess the brand, product, and how people are using it. 

     The electrical information is required by the city for permitting.  The city requires an electrician to approve that the load is not overloaded and to map out the power load. Without that, they will not issue the permit. Inspectors will make sure the wire size and conduit size are correct, and that the electrician is following the proper calculations as per the EV charger specifications. 

What to Look for in an Electrical Contractor

     Kaddoch explains that he gets a lot of the questions. The electrician will be essential in ensuring that your project is done safely, for the best price, and in a manner that prepares your community for future needs. Changes during (or after) the project are a very expensive route, so it is important to choose wisely on the front end. It is important to hire an electrician that specializes in the following:

• Engineering
• Design
• Procurement
• Installation

Simple Process

     Hire an electrician who will facilitate all phases of your EV charger project, from the initial consultation checklist through an established operation

Value

     Hire state-licensed electricians that provide professional and reliable service at an affordable rate.

Experience

     Hire reliable, licensed, bonded, and insured contractors with years of experience that will provide the following:

• Details on how many chargers it would be best to start off with.
• The best locations suitable for your property that would be the most efficient for now and in the future.
• Different options of chargers to determine what is best suited for you to provide new revenue or as a free amenity.
• The EV charger representative that will work for you in the interim and future based on the type of chargers you would like.
• All the information the city will need from you to move forward should you wish to install the chargers.
• The turnkey plan of the project and what all the steps moving forward would be.

     Marcy Kravit has 20-plus years’ experience managing community associations in South Florida. She has established a reputation as being passionate about service, driven by challenges, and undeterred by obstacles. Marcy is committed to providing five-star service and educating others in raising the level of professionalism in the industry. She works for Hotwire as Director of Community Association Relations. Marcy has earned every higher education credential offered by CAI and is recognized by Florida Community Association Professionals (FCAP) as a CFCAM. Marcy is a contributing writer to the Florida Community Association Journal (FLCAJ) and serves FCAP as their Education Program Director.