Publisher’s Notes

by Michael Hamline, Editor / Published March 2023

     Greetings, Florida Community Association Journal readers. I can tell when the next migration period begins as our phones begin receiving calls from readers who are returning north for the summer season. By now and through the next several months, a lot of the winter residents in Florida will have made the trek back to their summer homes. I wish those returning to their summer homes safe travels.

     In 2022 FLCAJ turned 36 years old. Last March we set a record with the largest FLCAJ issue ever printed, at 184 pages. The issue you are holding in your hands is a new record at 192 pages. Normally our printer saddle stitches the magazine together each month. Since this issue is so large, we are having it perfect bound, where glue holds the pages to the spine.  

     Why is this issue so large? This issue is our annual Readers’ Choice Awards, which is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. Page 8 explains the selection process. I am pleased that once a year we can give kudos to the service providers that work to make our community association better places to live. Most likely everyone who reads this issue has worked closely and developed some very positive relationships with service providers through the years. Our service providers have had some unique challenges these last several years. First there was COVID; then supply chain issues, inflation, and worker shortages. Fortunately, they have been resilient in continuing to provide needed services to our communities. I want to take this opportunity to tell them “thank you” for their continued support of our publication each month.

     I wrote this last year, and I believe it fits again. As you open this issue, I encourage you to put your phone away, cut the television off, or turn the radio down, and close your office door, go sit out on your balcony, or find a quiet place where you can reflect on your impact to the community association you serve. If you are a manager, then you know the unique and difficult challenges of your position. If you are a board member, how can you serve your community better? If you are a service provider, how can you improve your services to your clients?

     Our art director, Chris Ragan, has nicknamed this issue the “beast,” primarily because of the vast amount of work that goes into publishing it. Normally the magazine runs around 100 pages, so this month’s issue is literally like publishing two magazines.  Have a great March and enjoy your time with the “beast”, the 192-page March edition of FLCAJ.

Publisher