PORTSMITH NEWS

Summer is here

Dear Community Members,

Your 2025-2026 Board of Directors has now been in place and working for the community for six months into 2025. And in that time, we have been busy maintaining, reviewing, planning, and thinking about, the operations of the Portsmith Community. We thank you for this opportunity to serve.

Now I would like to do a mid-year review of the community, and what has been accomplished to date, and what needs to be accomplished in the second half of the year.

Community Engagement

Living in Portsmith Community has reminded me of my time spent in the USAF. Just like members of the military, we are a diverse group of people from all over the USA, and in some cases, outside of the USA.

We are essentially a microcosm of our nation and the world. And as such, we should expect our life in Portsmith to be different than what our upbringing was like. We come from many states, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, and more (forgive me if I missed your state, and if I did, come and see me so that I can learn what state you are from). And now we have all decided to spend our “golden years” in a community in Florida.

Now we are in a community where most of our living spaces are only twenty feet apart, and we must share that space using a term, “common element”. We are not used to sharing such things. We come from diOerent faiths. We are teachers, doctors, bankers, financial wizards, engineers, hairstylists, musicians, business owners, para-legals, lawyers, husbands, wives, single, parents, grandparents, widows, widowers, healthy, sick, caregivers, sun lovers, not sun lovers, pet lovers, not pet lovers…and the list goes on and on and on. And I believe that we all try to get along, or we try to tolerate each other because we are in this community together. Either way, your board is dedicated to serving you all to the best of our volunteer-ability. In that vein, I am going to present a half-year review of things that your board has accomplished, or are still working on, to make our community more livable. And it’s ok to not agree with me. As I said, we are adiverse group of people. The Portsmith Newsletter is still on my list of deliverables, with a new one being written every two months. The newsletter is posted to our website, emailed to our residents on file, and hard copies are placed in boxes at the community bulletin board in case you don’t have a printer.

Infrastructure and Maintenance

Building and Architecture

I continue in the role of Building POC this year and it has been busy. I have been able to get volunteers to assist in doing some of the downspout repairs and hope to continue to add to this team. At least fifty

projects have been logged and repaired since the beginning of the year, at a cost of $2700. Most repairs were related to downspout clogs and gutter seam leaks. Some of the items repaired will prevent critter intrusion and potential roof leaks (minor).One project completed was to fix the issue of rainwater intrusion into the entry way of 2025 SGW ($5000). This was an ongoing issue that was addressed many years ago, but the drainpipe that was installed

previously was a constant repair/maintenance issue due to oak tree leaves and roots. This year we regraded the area toward the pond and eliminated the drainpipe. This required new sod and landscaping plants because of the extensive regrading that had to be done. To date, the alteration has been a success, and it has all but eliminated the water in the entry. Another project was the replacement of the meter electrical panel at 2016-2018 SGW ($5400). The 200- Amp main breaker retention system on one of these units was damaged through overheating and it was unable to be replaced again without replacing the whole panel. The board has also approved new carriage lights on the side of the units. The old plastic light fixtures have been deteriorating, and it has been diOicult to find exact replacements. Now, there have been several approved light fixtures to replace the old ones. One approved style light fixture includes motion sensors, and several residents have already had them installed. If you have questions about these replacement lights, contact me. An alteration form is required for replacement of these lights to ensure that the style is approved.

Irrigation

Gary Brian has taken on this role and was assisted by Dave Barrett until Gary was added to the “UpKeep” reporting software. To date Gary has been extremely involved with the Master Association Irrigation team in getting repairs made (over 87 issues logged), and in getting long term issues resolved. The Master Association is very busy all over the Kings Point Community, so it is going to take some time to repair all the issues. Moving forward in 2026 the board has approved installing upgrades to improve the irrigation system, which ultimately should improve the landscape environment.

Landscape

Dave Barrett and his team have been doing an excellent job of keeping up with the ever-growing landscaping, and he is interacting with the new landscape team of “Down to Earth” . With the summer rains, the landscaping has never looked better, although there are still irrigation issues that keep us from

seeing green grass and vibrant plants in all locations. Dave and his team of volunteers tirelessly continue to work on this

.

Rules and Regulations

On March 18, 2025, the Board approved a revised set of rules and regulations for the Portsmith Community. These were essentially the same set of rules that existed, with some recent additions, but they were put in a new format that included references for most of the rules that have been in place. Hopefully you have viewed these rules on the website and that it has been helpful to know where the rules originated, and when they were established.

Miscellaneous

In addition to his irrigation responsibilities, Gary Brian took on the initiative to coordinate two major events to assist the residents. One was for the replacement of the main water shutoff valve at each unit, and the other was for dryer vent cleaning.In the water shutoff project, Gary coordinated for over 26 units to get their old-style gate shutoff valve replaced with a single-handle ball valve. It took two days and community water shutoffs to get this accomplished, but the community is in a better position because of it. Now if people have an internal water leak or need to have water fixtures in the unit replaced, they can be sure that the water in their unitcan be turned off completely during the replacement. For the dryer vent cleaning, there were several hiccups due to the rainy weather, but Gary persisted and still managed to coordinate the all-important dryer vent cleaning for over 30 units. This is an important maintenance feature for all residents to prevent dryer vent fires.

Financial Responsibility

Doug Yingling (Treasurer) and Elaine Curtis (Secretary) and I have been working on reviewing the financial documents in anticipation of the upcoming audit being mandated by Florida State law in 2025. Through the Treasurer’s Forum that was recently established, and with input from the Federation (responsible for FSR contract oversight), First Service has stepped up and is now including reports needed by the Association’s Treasurer to be able to continue due diligence regarding the Association budget. Doug and

Elaine continue to work on this so that future boards will have a good handle on how the budget is developed, and where our money is currently being spent. While FSR is responsible for maintaining the accounting documents, the board of directors of Portsmith still has a fiduciary responsibility, per Florida

State Statutes. Elaine is working closely with Doug as this is his last year on the board, and Elaine has agreed to move into the Treasurer position in 2026.

Safety and Security

Disaster Preparedness

A new Disaster Preparedness Committee was established with JeO Taylor heading up the team. So far, the committee has developed a Disaster Preparedness Plan (primarily aimed at Hurricane Preparedness) and communicated it to the community on the Portsmith website, and the First Service Residential.

Connect website.

While each resident is responsible for making their own “stay or go” decision, the Committee, and the Kings Point Disaster Preparedness Committee, have provided key information that you can use to help you make that decision.

Your board has volunteer residents that will do pre-checks and post-checks, before and after an event so that our community can be ready for recovery after the event.

Portable Generator Guidelines

A Generator Committee was established in February 2025. Their goal was to develop a set of rules and guidelines to assist residents who plan to use a portable generator in the event of a power loss. The rules highlighted the safety issues inherent with using this type of equipment, and references were provided from reputable sources such the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association), OSHA, and the Florida Division of Emergency Management. In May 2025, the Committee presented to the board a “Generator Rules” document that was then approved at the May 20, 2025, meeting. These rules are now in effect and posted on the website for your review.

Community Events and Activities

The Social Committee continues to come up with ways to get the community together and they continue to decorate the Portsmith Entry Sign to welcome all who come to our community. There will be another event to bring us together when the snowbirds return. A Pasta Party is being planned. See the latest newsletter for photos and what’s coming next at http://www.portsmithcoa.com

To date, Gary Brian, as Communications Director, has interviewed three board members using the podcast format. Feedback from members has been positive. If you have not listened to these podcasts yet, visit our website at https://portsmithcoa.com. It is my understanding that Gary has three more podcasts lined up, and we may be able to convince Garyto let someone be the moderator for his very own podcast interview. Let’s encourage Gary!

Looking Ahead

Straw Vote Update

You may be wondering what is happening with the three items that you all voted on at our membership meeting in January 2025. You voted, as a straw vote, for the board to investigate:

1. Increasing the allowable number of pets from one to two.

2. Extending the rear Limited Common Element from five feet to eight feet.

3. Replacing concrete driveways and walkways with pavers.

While these three items were approved for investigation, it did not specifically say that the board had to approve them all. But I am pleased to let you know that items one and two were approved by the board, and at the next membership meeting, we will have them presented for membership approval.

Item three is still under investigation. When I asked at the April 2025 meeting for resident volunteers to be on the committee to investigate this, there were none who said yes. Two board members volunteered to begin the investigation, and they have obtained initial costs of installing pavers, but it will require much more input to not only understand the cost (which will be paid by the resident who requests it), but also to develop a standard of style and installation. There also must be clear information about who will bear maintenance responsibility for these items after installation. I have asked these board members to come up with a plan that we can present, along with a list of pros and cons of replacing concrete with pavers. Many other communities have already done it. Portsmith board has tried several times (2017, 2019) to get this approved and each time residents did not pass the resolution. Let’s not do this just to conform, but let’s do this if it’s the right time and the right plan

.

2026 Board of Directors

In 2026, several board members will be retiring from the board. We will be actively seeking someone who will take the Secretary role and one director position. If you have an inclination for any of these positions now is a good time to contact me so that we can prepare in advance for the next year.

New Neighbors

Several units have been sold and will be occupied soon. (1922 SGW, 2071 SGW, and 2078 SGW). Be sure to welcome our new neighbors.

Closing

In closing, we look forward to what’s in store for the remainder of 2025. Let’s work together!

Warm regards,

John Petruch, President

Portsmith Condominium Owners Association (COA)

Kings Point, Sun City Center, Florida