In sunny South Florida, where tropical fruit trees flourish, rodents can lurk around the corner.
Iguanas, raccoons, mice, squirrels and other animals find your juicy fruits and leafy branches just as tempting as you do, making pest control a crucial part of enjoying your bountiful harvest.
Fruit tree problems:
When you plant a fruit tree in Garden Patio Villas, we ask you to pick the fruit during harvest. If the fruit falls to the ground, it is your responsibility to pick it up every day!
Fighting Back:
Garden Patio Villas does allow Members to plant fruit trees! Our Governing Documents require Members to complete a Planting form and submit it to the Board for review. Please note any plantings are allowed only within your own property boundaries. Requirements and measurements in preparing for the fruit tree is a MUST!
Planting Requirements include:
Remember, protecting your tropical fruit trees from rodents is an ongoing battle. By combining preventative measures with targeted control methods, you can enjoy the fruits of your labor without unwanted rodents sharing your harvest.
Living in Garden Patio Villas we allow the enjoyment of growing fruit trees. Members must first be aware of the fruit tree problems in South Florida and follow all the requirements before you pursue planting your tropical fruit tree!
Any tree planted on a Member’s property must be maintained at the Member’s own expense. Fruit trees and plantings must be kept free from fruits collecting on the grounds. Any irrigation, utility lines or sewer pipes, broken by plantings, will be the Member’s sole responsibility and expense.
Having a tropical fruit tree is great but it is also a lot of hard work and effort. Enjoy your mangos, avocados, coconuts, bananas, papayas and many other such wonderful tropical fruits in our HOA!
Garden Patio Villas is located in Margate, Florida.
This is a friendly reminder about the proper procedure for addressing HOA maintenance problems within our community, Garden Patio Villas. To ensure prompt and efficient resolution of any issues, we kindly request that all Members direct their HOA maintenance problems to Maintenance, and not to the Board of Directors.
The Board of Directors is composed of five Members who dedicate their time to managing the overall affairs of our community. Their primary focus is on long-term planning, financial management, policy enforcement, and verbal and written communication. They do not handle day-to-day maintenance tasks.
Our Maintenance Coordinator, Jeff, is specifically in this position to coordinate the following types of HOA maintenance problems:
By directing your maintenance problems to Maintenance, you ensure that:
How to Report a Maintenance Problem:
Please be sure to include the following information in your maintenance report:
We appreciate your cooperation in following this procedure. By working together, we can ensure that our Garden Patio Villas community remains a beautiful and well-maintained place to live.
When you buy a villa in Garden Patio Villas 55+ community, you own a restricted deed. Common area is owned by the Association. Members do not own Association land.
A Restricted Deed, requires an Owner to follow the Declarations,also known as covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&Rs). These provisions are attached to a property’s deed that limit or dictate its use in a Homeowner’s Association. These restrictions are typically established by the Developer or by the HOA.
A Member’s restricted deed shows the property boundary lines. Part of the land in front and in back of your villa belongs to the Association. The Board of Directors, who represent the Association, maintains this land.
Any tree(s) planted on this land belongs to the Association. Please do not place anything, prop anything or plant anything on the Association land. If you have an Association tree in front of your villa, you can request mulch to be added to it or you can add mulch or white rocks with permission from the Board.
If you want to plant on your own restricted property land, a Member is required to completed a Planting Landscaping form first to get Board approval. Too many problems have occurred because Members are not aware of all possible issues that can occur!
If you have questions where your property boundaries lie in front or in back, please check with the Board or on your restricted deed from the Broward County Appraisal website. A Member is required to maintain what they plant on their own property per Garden Patio Villa’s Declarations from their Governing Documents. The Association does maintain and cut all of the grass and hedges in our HOA community.
Garden Patio Villas owns the Association land because it is a Corporation. As a Homeowners Association, the Board will always maintain it and follow our Governing Documents and Florida Statutes 720.
Question: Why Should You Avoid Probate?
Answer: Many times in our Garden Patio Villas community, we see villas that have to go into probate when a member passes away. Many times, this brings a lot of problems to their family members or loved ones! Why should you avoid probate? Probate occurs when you have no trust fund or Florida’s Lady Bird Deed set up prior to your death. Unfortunately, the courts get involved if you have not planned for the future of your villa!
Florida Statutes
In the state of Florida, where we live, there is a threshold of $75,000 for an estate which triggers probate. (Florida Statutes 735.201) This can be avoided if you have a living trust or Lady Bird Deed in place while you live here at Garden Patio Villas or have any other estate ownership.
Why should you avoid probate?
Your loved ones will have to pay legal fees to get through probate! Here at Garden Patio Villas, some family members have had to take years working and paying a probate lawyer to complete all the required paperwork! This will mean it will cost your loved ones thousands of dollars to get a Probate Lawyer and get all the necessary paperwork completed!
If legal estate paperwork is in order, it does not take much time. The average time probate can take can could be between three months to two years! Your estate becomes frozen while in probate. Probate can be tricky for family and loved ones if you do not have your estate and paperwork in order.
How do you avoid probate?
What does a Living Trust do?
2. Probate can also be avoided by doing a quick claims deed and getting a “Lady Bird Deed.” This method is probably the simplest to complete and the least expensive to do ahead of time. Any probate lawyer can complete this very easily for you!
At Garden Patio Villas, we want to see our Members live enjoyable lives while here in our community! We also want our Members to be assured that their villa estate is taken care once they are gone from this life. 65% of people in the United States have not planned anything with their estates. Please contact legal representation to avoid these concerns. We hope you enjoy your retirement and have a long and healthy life while living here at Garden Patio Villas!
Question: What are my property boundaries at Garden Patio Villas?
Answer: Garden Patio Villas was built in 1977. There were 5 different villa variations that were built by the Developer. The property boundaries of each villa is 40 feet wide by 66 feet long.
Owners have 40 feet width. (side to side) Exceptions include villas who are on the ends of any cluster building. These have an additional 5 feet from their villa wall.
Every villa in our Homeowners Association have property boundaries of 66 feet length. (front to back) When measured from the end of the walkway (by the street light) to the back of your villa property, you will see that many of the villa property boundaries end approximately at the 15 foot mark past your inner villa wall depending on modifications.
In a nutshell, many owners own 15 ft in front and 15 feet in back with 36 feet in between that contains your villa, garage (port) and possibly side patio. This can vary based off of any additional modifications made to your villa from you or a previous owner. Many owner’s villa have a porch in back of the villa and/or cement pavers. This porch is part of the 66 feet. Due to owners confusion, years ago the Association called it the “15 foot rule.” Not all owners have 15 feet in back if modifications were done.
The easiest way to know the footage of your actual villa space (not adding the front or back space) is from the Property Appraisal website. Contact the Board if you need further directives how to find this information. When you count your footage, include wall space. Your total property boundaries lengthwise equals 66 feet. If anyone has modified the original villa, your total footage is still 66 feet.
Most non-modified villas have the following typical measurements :
Your property is a part of a community in Garden Patio Villas Association. Because we are a Homeowners Association, you have a restricted deed. That means that you are required to follow rules of the association that are in our Governing Documents.
Our Rules and Regulations state you must get Board approval if you want to plant or build anything. The Board needs to give you approval and confirm your villa property boundaries to build or plant and confirm it is not on Garden Patio Villas land. In addition, common elements require specific colors and a city permit.
Email, text or call the Board if you have questions. Click on this link to view the full diagram pictured above of owner’s villa property boundaries. All owners need to confirm they are within their own property. You can not plant or build on Association land. You can not plant or build on your neighbor’s land. If you want to plant on your own land you need to fill out a Planting and Landscaping Form and submit it to the Board of Directors for approval first.
Let’s work together and maintain our green landscaping! Our Association rules help to main the beauty and property values of each of our homes!
We all take pride in the attractive appearance of our community, Garden Patio Villas. Maintaining the beauty of our common grounds is a shared responsibility that benefits everyone. Recently, we’ve noticed an increase in bulk items and trash being placed in common areas. This is a friendly reminder that, according to our HOA guidelines, this practice is not permitted.
Leaving items in common areas creates an unsightly appearance, can pose safety hazards, and may attract unwanted pests. It also places an unfair burden on our maintenance team, who are dedicated to keeping our community clean and well-maintained.
To ensure a clean and pleasant environment for all Members and residents, we kindly request everyone’s cooperation with the following procedure for bulk trash, regular trash disposal and recycle disposal:
By following these simple guidelines, we can work together to keep Garden Patio Villas looking its best. Your cooperation in keeping our common areas clear and free of debris is greatly appreciated.
If you have any questions regarding bulk pickup or trash disposal, please do not hesitate to contact the Board of Directors, our Maintenance team or Republic Services directly. The Association does not have an account with Republic Services. Members have individual accounts and pays for their own garbage, recycle and bulk pickup.
Let’s all do our part to keep Garden Patio Villas a beautiful place to call home!
We sadly announce that Gary Humma passed away from congestive heart failure on January 14, 2025. He is survived by his wife Joan Humma, and his 2 sons, Lee and Thomas along with his grandchildren and extended family.
He was a Member of our community, Garden Patio Villas, for 15 years at 7708 Margate Blvd. C11-8! He was a great friend and neighbor to many here in the community.
Gary had a great sense of humor, with a lot of empathy. He was pleasant to talk to about any topic; he was very intelligent! He enjoyed sports, traveling, and all of his friends and family. We will all miss him very much!
South Florida, with its sunny skies and relaxed lifestyle, attracts retirees from across the nation. But for many 55+ residents, this paradise can turn dark when they become victims of financial exploitation.
Unfortunately, South Florida’s seniors are prime targets for scammers due to several factors:
Scammers employ various tactics to exploit seniors financially. These include:
The consequences of financial exploitation can be devastating. Seniors can lose their life savings, face ruined credit, and experience emotional distress.
Here’s what you can do to protect yourself and loved ones:
By staying informed and vigilant, South Florida’s seniors can safeguard their finances and enjoy their golden years with peace of mind.
