Nathan Weinstein Voices His Support for the Board of Aquarius

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Nathan Weistein letter:

Dear Fellow Neighbors,

Please take a moment to review my thoughts regarding the fast-approaching board election.

In my conversations with many owners, I found that opinions differ on the current state of our condominium affairs. In those same conversations, I also noticed a lack of accurate information.

Some owners were clearly expressing ideas and incorrect data influenced by outside sources. I decided to provide this overview because, through my work on committees and my involvement in Aquarius life, I have a better understanding of the current state of our condominium’s business.

Last year, the board was re-elected without an election, demonstrating full trust in its conduct. We also saved money by avoiding a voting campaign. The successful completion of roof project without drastic cost increase kept most residents happy and satisfied.

This year, we are going through the 50-year recertification project, and many people are understandably tired. This project is mandated by the state and must be completed regardless of residents’ opinions. If the condominium were to refuse to perform the required work, the state would step in, designate a contractor, and bill the association without negotiation or competitive bidding. In such a case, the state or contractor could also require residents to vacate the building or certain units during construction. This approach would be extremely costly for all owners.

The 50-year recertification project has been delayed for several reasons, including bad weather, additional work beyond the original contract scope, and more extensive balcony repairs than initially expected. These delays do not necessarily mean additional costs, except for owner-requested and board-approved additional work backed by change orders. Given the board’s fiscal prudence and cost conscious approach, we should not anticipate another assessment to cover the completion of this project. For comparison, the 40-year recertification project exceeded its original $15 million assessment by more than $7 million, almost 48%. It should be noted that one of the unexpected and time-consuming repairs, identified by the engineers when the 50-year project began, was the repair of many structural cracks on the exterior walls and the East side staircases for both South and North Towers. That is much unexpected taking into consideration that Board just closed permits for 40 years cert project in 2022 which included structural repairs of the entire envelope for both buildings. The current Board asked our engineer why we have so much damage so soon after the 40 years recertification project completion. The engineer reviewed the 40 years cert as-builts and found out that staircases and structural cracks were not addressed during the 40-year work.

We should understand the decision made by current engineer and BOD was to properly repair all issues we have. Yes, this will take an extra time but it’s absolutely necessary for building structural integrity and safety.

Compare that to the roof replacement project. During the roof replacement project, the current board wisely decided to include substantial structural and electrical work on roof that would be required to pass the 50-year certification. Had that not been done, we would be dealing with those issues now and paying to fix any resulting damage to the roof. The total roof replacement contract was $2.5 million with only a slight increase of $166,200 through properly executed change orders (install structural and electrical work) which is 6.5% increase compared to 48% overrun of the 40-year project.

The 40-year project was managed by Atlantic Pacific, our former management company. They were given full authority, by the board at that time, to manage the project as needed. In my opinion, it was handled with an “open checkbook” approach, with much of the work paid without proper change orders. In contrast, our current board has been financially vigilant, carefully scrutinizing every change order on the 50-year project.

In my opinion, the 40-year project was financially disastrous for Aquarius and was not truly completed, as required since the roof and west wing columns were addressed only after a new board was elected. We were told the project was completed and signed off by the city—how that signature was obtained remains unclear. It is important to understand that compromised roofs and columns could pose serious safety risks.

In preparing and conducting the 50-year recertification project, the current board has skillfully and professionally managed an enormous scope of work, including the selection of an engineer, solicitation and evaluation of contractors, competitive bidding, contractor interviews, contract negotiation, and daily professional oversight of the work. There are, of course, some unhappy owners with various opinions and ideas on how construction should be handled. However, it is important to remember that the scope of work was defined by the state law requirements, while the design and specifications were developed by licensed engineers. To note also that the current board are extremely knowledgeable in engineering and building maintenance matters. This BOD also demonstrates the proper questioning of vendors to ensure that Aquarius is not taken advantage of financially. Upon completion, all work will be verified by the engineer, signed off, and submitted to the city building department for approval.

Any deficiencies identified by the board or owners will be documented on a punch list and corrected. Currently all installations are periodically verified by visiting city inspectors. “No cutting corners” so to say. We should reserve our judgments until construction is completed.

I hope my fellow owners understand that only this board can ensure the proper completion of the 50-year recertification project. They initiated this important 50-year project and have been involved in every detail—technical, contractual, and operational. Bringing in a new board at this stage to deal with the completion could be disastrous in many ways, especially since some new candidates propose relying heavily on our management company, FSR. We remember the outcome of the 40-year project done under principles of relying on management company.

Some candidates have also suggested increasing office and maintenance staffing. I understand the board is already in the process of hiring an additional maintenance professional, which would bring the total staff to four.

The current board is also working diligently to manage aging elevators and AHUs (roof-mounted air-handling units that serve the corridors), attempting to extend their useful life. These systems are approximately seven years old and have an average life expectancy of 15 years for AHU’s and 20-25 years for elevators. Unfortunately, the elevator vendor that was chosen by the prior board went out of business and all warranties are null and void. Also, replacing equipment could potentially damage our new roof if not managed and planned properly. Not sure if replacing new equipment without proper understanding is best financial decision for community. Some new  candidates believe they should be replaced due to ongoing issues. While replacement is always an option, it is also very costly.

As reported in the Sun Sentinel, condominiums across South Florida are raising maintenance fees by as much as $500 per month on average. Despite this trend, our board has managed to reduce condo fees through fiscally responsible decision-making. While new candidates promise “more transparency,” transparency is not a slogan—it is a practice. From my perspective, we already have a full transparency. Our current Board implemented President reports which include Treasurers report, status of most current projects and plans, and important maintenance issues and contracts changes. All is discussed during Board meetings and distributed to all unit owners.

Residents are heard by the Board and can ask as many questions as they have during the meetings. They have also implemented advisory committees where unit owners have opportunity to be involved in daily operations from maintenance, engineering, finance, legal, social and technology. The Board designed and implemented a community website where we can find all our contracts, monthly financials, create work orders and track them. Our manager is also sending periodic reports regarding completed and in-progress maintenance tasks and projects. These detailed updates and community involvement via committees did not occur previously and are explicit proof of our current Board’s transparency.

I hope all owners will vote based on a clear understanding of Aquarius’ current rejuvenated condition and the tangible results achieved by the current board, that has admirably dealt with our battered buildings that were previously neglected by past practices. A full re-election of the existing board would show our full support and recognition of their sacrifice in devoting substantial personal time and effort by each BOD director for our community and would send a strong message of our appreciation and support.

Happy voting to all. Soon we will find out whether we choose proven results over wishful thinking and unrealistic promises. Our clear and unbiased understanding of the current Aquarius standing and possible future impact on our personal wallet should be a good judge in helping to make this important decision.

Respectfully,

Nathan Weinstein  806S

Member in Engineering and Grievance Committees

Owner at Aquarius since 2017

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Candidates top the Board that offered their views to be published  in Aquariusuno:

Leon Behar    https://aquariusuno.com/2025/12/16/leon-behar-experienced-doctor-seeks-board-membership/

Howard Benson:     https://aquariusuno.com/2025/12/12/a-vision-for-aquarius-howard-benson-for-board/

Ned Taljic:      https://aquariusuno.com/2025/12/08/ned-taljic-is-running-for-the-board-check-out-what-he-has-to-say/

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