Tiny terrorists at home in Florida

As if the love bugs weren’t enough. There’s something a lot more destructive than bugs splattering across car windshields: termites. The winged insects cause an estimated $5 billion damage each year in the United States, and Florida’s warm and humid weather makes the state a prime breeding ground. “The warmer and wetter the climate, the …

Miami’s one-time icon of crisis becomes an icon of the city’s condo turn-around

A year ago, Miami’s Icon Brickell condo complex was a symbol of just about everything that had gone wrong during South Florida’s epic housing bust: Speculators had walked out on sales contracts, the towers were half-empty, and a group of lenders was making moves to foreclose. Now, as Brazilians and Argentineans wage bidding wars for …

Party funds not in the budget

Q. What are the rules governing expenses for condominium associations in Florida? Can an association pay for a party or any planned get-together function from the operating expenses? For condominiums, refer to several sections in FS 718. Also, the state has administrative codes that define budgets. When you think of budgets, you must also include …

For one homeowner, following bank’s advice was bad news

Lindsay Hall took out a $200,000 loan in 2005 on her paid-off beach house with the understanding that her $600 monthly Social Security check would cover the mortgage payments. When her interest rate jumped more than a year ago, it raised her mortgage payments to $1,500. At that point, Hall started the fight to save …

Bank-owned foreclosures account for a third of Palm Beach County’s 2011 home sales

It took less than a week for interested buyers to home in on the two-story, five-bedroom foreclosure on Salt Water Creek Court west of Lantana. Advertised as needing a little TLC – a pressure wash of the roof, fresh paint on the trim – the Savannah Estates home joins the ranks of Palm Beach County’s …

The Georgia Home of Widespread Panic Lead Singer and Guitarist John ‘JB’ Bell

Clad in jeans and cowboy boots, musician John “JB” Bell reclined in a green fabric and metal chair on a Saturday morning, surrounded by 16 computers sitting on shelves about a foot from the ceiling. The computer screens glowed blue behind multicolored static, generating so much heat air-conditioning was needed to cool the room. Mr. …