05/14/2026
UPDATE ON AMENDMENTS FOR SUB METERING & RENTING
Hi folks. I apologize for being less communicative than normal. Having a 2 month old is a hell of a lot of work. However, I did want to make a post to remind everyone that voting has begun on the amendments for sub-metering and renting.
I encourage everyone to vote ASAP on this.
Now for the wall of text as I want to share as much information as possible.
MEETING TONIGHT
Feel free to attend tonight's meeting at 7pm to discuss the amendments and answer all questions. This is not an official Board meeting, it is just an informal discussion.
Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84117147825?pwd=CDtwyGLaMnMOvmoe4jwRCVLAIRXj77.1
Meeting ID: 841 1714 7825
Passcode: 548621
HOW TO VOTE - SUPER IMPORTANT
First, everyone should've received a paper ballot in your mailbox. If you wish to vote using this paper ballot, fill it out and mail it back in.
For electronic voting, there have been some changes since the last time. The Pilera Votes program we signed up for has changed, it was split off into its own company, Ballot Bliss. Sadly this means you cannot find the voting link directly in Pilera, which is frustrating. However, electronic voting is still super easy to do.
In short, check your email. Look in all your inbox folders or spam just in case, and you'll find an email from "Eagle Palms Phase 3 HOA" with the subject "Voting is now open!". This email will contain both a link and a security code for accessing your ballot.
For more information, see this link for the official documentation: https://ballotbliss.zohodesk.com/portal/en/kb/articles/how-residents-voters-can-cast-their-vote
WHEN IS THE VOTING DEADLINE
Officially it is 1 week from today, May 21 at 7:15pm. All the official notices, including letters and emails, were sent out weeks ago, but I do know we haven't exactly been shouting from the rooftops about this like before. I take responsibility for that, again my life has been a bit insane with the new baby.
We do have the option of extending the deadline in order to collect more votes. I can say that we only have about half the votes we need right now, but votes cast are overwhelmingly in favor of the amendments. We just need everyone to cast their vote.
SUB METERING FINANCIAL IMPACT
Just want to remind everyone of both sides of the sub-metering coin.
- Up Front Costs: I apologize for not having my notes on this available, but those who were at the last board meeting know that there will be a several hundred dollar up front per-house bill for this. We will be breaking that up over a period of time so it's not all billed at once, the details of which we will decide going forward this year. There are a LOT of options for how we do this, but most important: we will not be billing for this until after the painting assessment is done.
- Monthly Savings: Once sub-metering is implemented, the HOA bill will be reduced by $110/month. Combined with the end of the painting assesment later this year, and the HOA assessment will be just $133/month. You will then be responsible for your own personal water consumption and the bill associated with it on top of that, but it will be YOURS and completely under your own control based on your own usage.
WHAT ARE THE AMENDMENTS
The amendments cover a few key areas, and I wanted to provide a summary here. Folks who have been attending the board meetings this year should find 0 surprises in what I'm about to say. The full text for the amendments has been posted here, mailed out to everyone, and will be visible when you cast your electronic ballot.
Amendment 1 - Authorization for Sub-Metering
This is a multi-part amendment that authorizes the HOA to implement sub-metering for water usage. It covers the following areas:
- The HOA can bill residents differently for community resources residents use in different amounts.
- Water is a community resource but the HOA has the option to enter into a contract to sub-meter water usage by resident.
- An easement to install and maintain the meters on everyone's homes. The meter will be on the outside of the home, so no entry will ever be needed.
- The HOA has the power to shut off water to a home that does not pay their water bill after a reasonable period of time and repeated attempts to contact them.
That last point I want to speak about briefly. It's not something I am thrilled with, but it is something we cannot proceed without. The reason is that sub-metering is effectively residents reimbursing the HOA for their water expenses after the fact, the HOA is still billed by Hillsborough County for the full water bill every month. If any resident doesn't pay their water bill, the HOA is still responsible for that expense. In this kind of situation, the end result if we can't shut off their water would end up being a special assessment on everyone to cover the difference, which is deeply unfair to the residents who are paying their bills properly.
Amendment 2 - Restrictions on Rentals
This amendment requires an owner to have owned their home for at least 12 months prior to renting it out. The reason for this is to prevent the houses in this community from being bought up by big corporate rental firms, while still offering regular residents the ability to rent their homes out if they choose to do so.
When a community has too large a percentage of rentals, problems can emerge. This isn't just an abstract concept, and it's more than just "renters don't care about maintaining the community as much as owners". Mortgage finance companies can have stricter terms or flat out refuse to lend to people trying to buy homes in a community with a high rental percentage (exact numbers vary by institution).
Anyone looking to buy a home just for the purpose of renting it won't want to hold onto it (paying all expenses) for a year before being able to rent, so this will effectively scare off the big rental companies. However, because the sole requirement for renting is owning the home for at least 12 months, regular owners will still have the option of renting their homes if they choose to do so.
OTHER BALLOT MEASURE
There is a third measure on the ballot, an annual item that the state requires. It is whether or not we are allowed to keep the extra money in our operating account or if we need to pay it to the state. The extra money in our operating account is used to cover our expenses. It is the reason why unplanned or irregular expenses can be handled without needing to perform immediate assessments (outside of extreme cases like last year's water usage crisis).
Sub-metering makes this even more important, since we need the cash on hand to pay the water bill ahead of time prior to being reimbursed by the sub-metering company. I strongly encourage everyone to vote in favor of this.
