(E-Mail messages from owners and owners who are running for the board at our April annual meeting April 10, 2000)For dissenting comments Click Here ...
ATTENTION CASA YBEL OWNERS: Election ballots have been mailed to you; This is the opportunity we have been waiting for,.... a chance to change the complexion of the existing Board and possibly even unseat the 'sitting president' [Jackson] who has been vocally opposed to open communication among Owners, particularly with reference to Carl Appelberg's efforts to build an Owner's website www.casaybel.com . Our representatives on this Board need to be just that;...OUR representatives. The Boards primary purpose is to keep the Owners apprised, and to then act in the Owner's best interests. If they don't represent us, then we certainly don't need them. PLEASE VOTE....Show the existing Board and Hilton that we, as Owners, are very concerned about our resort and are determined to be represented. It's about time that Carl Appelberg had some support in his efforts to represent us. Thank you for your attention. Bob Shaffer
ATTENTION CASA YBEL OWNERS:
My name is Bob Shaffer; My Wife Connie and I have owned two weeks at Casa Ybel and have vacationed there yearly, with our children, for the last fourteen years. In July of 1998 I retired from my former position as a Detective Lieutenant with the Nassau County Police Department, on Long Island, New York, after over thirty three years of service. During the last few years Connie and I, as well as other Owners present during our two week stays at Casa Ybel, have come to believe that some members of the presently structured Board have been somewhat lacking in their representation of the unit Owners. Because of that belief, I have put my name forward as a candidate for the Casa Ybel Board of Directors.The primary purpose of an elected Board member is to represent the unit Owners. When management and service personnel disregard or overlook the will of the majority of Unit Owners, and/or create questionable situations or conditions, it is incumbent upon the Board to demonstrate their primary allegiance to the Owners and to exercise their mandate of intercession on behalf of those Owners. After all, a Board member is nothing more than a representative Unit-Owner and therefore should have no problem with misplaced allegiance. There must be open, straightforward, extensive, and ongoing communication between the elected Board and the unit Owners. Toward that end, among other methods, I see the Internet Website, and the E-mail system, as an invaluable tool and communications platform upon which to build a truly informative network among the people who care most about Casa Ybel,....hopefully those are ALL the people involved with Casa Ybel; Owners, management personnel, and all employees alike.
Casa Ybel is a unique resort that we all love; one that continually provides us, and our families and guests, with unsurpassable enjoyment. It deserves our attention. I would like the opportunity to represent Casa Ybel's Owners via our Board of Directors, and hope that you will consider voting for me in the upcoming election. It is definitely time for a change in the present structure of the existing Board. Thank you for your attention.
Sincerely,
Bob Shaffer PS: Please provide a copy of this message to any Casa Ybel Owners, whom you may be in contact with, and who may not have access to an E-mail service. Thank you again.
Have sent note to all members of Real Property Committee in support of bill, specifically pgs 105-106 which effect our ability to communicate with each other. Am very encouraged with email messages from other owners running for Board. My name is also on list and hopefully at least 3 or 4 of us will make it. My recent communications with the Board including the member Mr, D'Alessandro who is a state's attorney have been rebuffed as regards an owner's list. Mr. Jackson must go and next year Mr. Gala, the subcontractor to CYH. Let's get Carl re-elected with 4 new members who support our web site and use of the internet to communicate.
Good Luck to all.
Jack Richardson
ATTENTION CASA YBEL OWNERS!
My
name is Jerry Orsak and I am a candidate for an open position on the Casa Ybel
Board for FGH. I have been an owner at Casa Ybel since 1982 and over the many
years have forged a number of lasting friendships that my family and I cherish
deeply. We have seen the resort grow and develop into one of the most premier
resort properties of its kind--one I am well pleased with.
I have been involved in public education the past 24 years--21 in administration and am currently employed with the Cypress Fairbanks Independent School District one of the State of Texas' outstanding school systems. I have also served on the Board of Directors of the Cy Fair Federal Credit Union for eight years and have held the offices of vice-chairman and secretary. The credit union serves 12,000+ members with assets of 50 million and is one of the top rated in the State of Texas.
As Casa Ybel enters the 21st Century, I would like to see it continue to grow and prosper in even greater proportions. With advances in technology of today, as a member of the board, I would work together with the owners, in bringing to Casa Ybel the same technological resources available to those of us in the workplace of the 21st Century. As owners, our interst and our investment in the property is of foremost importance and I am willing to work together with you in protecting our ownership rights.
If you have not yet cast your ballots for the
election, I ask that you please consider a vote for "Jerry Orsak" as
one of your new directors for a new direction in Casa Ybel's future in the
marketplace of today!
Sincerely,
Jerry Orsak
Post Election note from Jerry:
Dear Owners,
Although I was not elected to one of the board positions at Casa Ybel, I would like to thank all of you who may have voted for me. I look forward to the many good and great things our current board of directors at Casa Ybel will be doing for all of us. I have not given up the thought of running again, so please keep me in mind for any future election.
May all of you have a blessed holiday season!
Sincerely,
Jerry Orsak
Which (other four) candidates do you feel
most share your views, that are more for the benefit of the owners and less
for the "lets make money for the management team"? Good idea
about using the web for owners communications......after all, we do own the
condo's (at least our week), don't we? The key word here is
"own". This should determine who works for whom.
Anyway....you've done a good job at trying to open the links for all
owners....I'll back you all the way. I would have loved to been at the
meeting where Mr. Jackson made his move towards an owner. It would
have been like my old navy days.....bar brawl time....not really....but
sounds like we was way out of line in that kind of gesture. Good
Luck.....Keep it going....thanks....
Rich Williams, Indianapolis, IN
Owners of Casa Ybel:
Please help with the candidates that have stated their desire to expand the
use of the internet for communication between owners. Your input is also
needed to contact the Department of Business & Professional Regulation
concerning case # 20000211TC40109 Re: Casa Ybel Beach& Racquet Club
. This Bureau has contacted the current developer and management at the
resort , Hilton Vacations. The managing entity's position at this time is that
it is not inclined to initiate a mailing to provide information about
timeshare resales or related internet web-sites. Currently the law
is in transition but any input to change the thinking of the legislators
as well as the resort management will benefit all.
Division of Florida Land Sales, Condominiums and Mobile Homes ,
Orlando Field Office
R Ferris
400 W. Robinson Street
Suite N-509
Orlando FL 32801
Dear Carl: Congratulations on your
success for all of the owners at Cas Ybel, you deserve a lot of credit for
your determination. I have been a board member at other properties we own like
South Seas on Captiva and have never encountered the problems that you have
been experiencing. In Canada, being a board member or director of any company
or organization, means you are there REPRESENTING the owners or
shareholders, not self interest groups. >From what I have been
reading, this does not seem to be the case a Casa Ybel. I own week 17 at
Casa Ybel and have since 1980, I am sorry I can't make it this year, I would
like to look into this situation and see for myself what is going on and
hopefully have a chance to meet you. I have written on several occasions as
you requested and I hoped it helped. I think the Web site is a natural in
this day and age, and can not believe anyone could not be in favor of
it. In fact, since I can not using my week this year is there anyway I
can advertise this on the Website, if there is a fee, please let me know. I am
another owner who refuses to pay Casa Ybel their exorbitant commission
fees
Frank Sword
Hon. Representatives:
We are residents of New Jersey and 20-year owners of a "time-share" (interval ownership) at Casa Ybel Resort on Sanibel Island. We have a great affection for the resort and are committed to its long term place in our vacation plans. Current Florida law permits our managing entities, Hilton Grand Vacations and Casa Ybel Resort Partnership, to prevent us from communicating with, or even knowing of, our fellow-owners at the resort, unless we "stumble" across each other on the grounds. Herewith, our true 1999 story which we believe illustrates the egregious effect of that law:
We have always wanted to purchase an additional week in the same unit, and contiguous to the ones we own (Weeks #13 and #14). Last year we heard that week #12 in our very unit was to become available for sale. All attempts to discover who the owner was failed. The management company simply would not give us that information. Eventually, the week was listed at the resort sales office for $24,000. Having no access to the owner, we called the sales office and offered $19,500. It was turned down, we believe because the owner would have to pay a 20-25% commission on the sale, and would net (best case) $15,600. Bear in mind, if we had found each other, the owner would have netted the entire $19,500! The unit did sell for $22,000 finally, netting the owner (best case) $17,600! Once again, the owner could have had all of $19,500! We did not get the unit we so wanted, and the owner got less money for it than we offered. As we see it, the sole reason for keeping us apart, is so a third party can skim $4400-5500 from a transaction that rightfully belongs solely between adjacent property owners, neighbors, if you will.
A similar condition exists on
rentals at the resort, though the commissions are an astounding 35% on
rentals! We urge you to alter the language in the law to allow us free
and open communication with our fellow owners. We should be free not
only to sell and rent to each other unencumbered, but free, as well, to openly
discuss and plan the affairs of the resort we have all come to love so much.
Thank You,
Garry O. Wilbor
One Westview Drive
Flemington, NJ 08822
(908) 782-8642
dear carl,
keep at them! we like your style! what about producing an internet manifesto
for us all to consider? we have 4 weeks, and have been to casa ybel every year
since 1987.
jeremy kane( email: kanej@ergo-c.com)
Good
luck with your efforts - we will spend 3 weeks in late October
at Casa Ybel and will certainly spread the word while we are there - we
totally support you all - even though we are totally amazed that in the US
such a restriction could be imposed. Kind regards,
Blanaid Colley and Jeremy Kane,
London, UK
Generally I am for open communication and I
can appreciate some of your frustration. So far as I know, I would have been
supportive to most of your positions and believe that competition in general
will be best both for condo owners and for the resort management. It is
difficult because of the three cornered relationship that the original
developers created to be able to balance all of the issues. But we do need to
try and be responsive to the needs of a majority of our fellow owners. the
problem is how to find out exactly just what their individual and collective
needs are. If elected to the Board, I will work on open communication and
efforts to improve the situation.
You can use my E mail address:
John T. Schiffman, CPA
j.schiffman@schiffman.com
Schiffman & Company, P.C. http://www.schiffman.com
Dear Carl: Congratulations on your success for all of the owners at Cas Ybel, you deserve a lot of credit for your determination. I have been a board member at other properties we own like South Seas on Captiva and have never encountered the problems that you have been experiencing. In Canada, being a board member or director of any company or organization, means you are there REPRESENTING the owners or shareholders, not self interest groups. >From what I have been reading, this does not seem to be the case a Casa Ybel. I own week 17 at Casa Ybel and have since 1980, I am sorry I can't make it this year, I would like to look into this situation and see for myself what is going on and hopefully have a chance to meet you. I have written on several occassions as you requested and I hoped it helped. I think the Web site is a natural in this day and age, and can not believe anyone could not be in favour of it. In fact, since I can not using my week this year is there anyway I can advertise this on the Website, if there is a fee, please let me know. I am another owner who refuses to pay Casa Ybel their exorbitant commission fees.
Frank Sword
Please let us know the results of this very important vote for the owners. WE are very supportive of your efforts and appreciate all you have done on our behalf. Thank you.
Dear Pasquale
Can we help - we own 4 weeks in Casa Ybel but we live in the UK. We are totally supportive of Carl Appleberg's single handed efforts - is there anyway we have any votes as we are outside of the US? Kind regards and keep up the good work.
Blanaid Colley and Jeremy Kane
First of of...I paid for my two time-share units; not the state nor time-share managing companies paid anything towards my two units. I feel that I paid for the units and became an owner of something of value. I do not feel that anyone has the right to dictate who I can or can not talk to concerning any matter about my time-share units. After all, I paid for the units...no-one else paid for them but me. Where are my rights as an owner? The Florida state law prohibits me, the owner, from seeking out and communicating with other owners at the same resort? Why? The law should be in place to protect me, the owner, from outside others from dictating how and who I can communicate with. If those who are dictating rules to owners like me, want to pay me a fair market value for my ownership of my unit....then they can have the right to dictate who communicates with whom....but, until then, they do not have the right, nor my permission to dictate anything on my behalf...especially who I can or can not communicate with and how...If they have paid anyone else for such a right...the money certainly did not get to me. I am completely against a board of directors, or anyone trying to block my communication with another owner in any manner. I am the owner...they are the employee/outsider.
Thank you for your assistance.
Richard Williams - Indianapolis, In
(owner of two time-share weeks at Casa Ybel, Sanibel, FL)
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