palms for 365 days, and shrubs, turf grass, perennials , and groundcovers for a specified period.
In addition to any manufacturer warranties, the contractor should warrant for a specified period the quality of any equipment and system installed at the worksite, trees, and The CAM’s role When I began my career as a CAM, I often wondered “Why do I care?” Aren’t these the board of directors’ responsibilities? What exactly is my responsibility as a CAM when it comes to landscaping? Florida statutes identify a number of responsibilities for a CAM. A contract that a management firm may enter into with a community association will include numerous other responsibilities that are agreed to between the management company and the community association, generally through the board of directors. Property maintenance matters are generally the responsibility of a CAM, not from the perspective of performing the task, such as landscaping, but from the perspective of understanding what the community’s landscaping needs are; knowing what the provisions of the contract are; communicating with the board of directors, and/or a landscape committee, and the landscape contractor. A CAM should have an awareness of state and local ordinances and requirements. This might include knowing if the local municipality requires anything extraordinary should the community association wish to modify the landscaping around the perimeter of the community or perhaps within the community or its entrance. The CAM generally provides some guidance to the board of directors about contractors and their contract. For instance, some counties in Florida require landscapers and irrigation professionals to be licensed. If the community association wants to solicit bids for new landscape services, licensing requirements certainly would be important for the board to know. Or perhaps an owner wishes to use xeriscaping on their property. It may be important for the CAM to understand what xeriscaping is and that the association may not be able to prohibit it. No matter if the homeowner or association is responsible for landscape maintenance, the CAM has the responsibility to report to the board of directors any unusual circumstances or violations that occur as part of the enforcement of covenants, rules and regulations, and the contract for landscaping services. Like last year when a resident cut down a tree on the common area to use as kindling for their outdoor firepit. Roles and responsibilities matter Boards of directors determine the CAM’s job responsibilities. These responsibilities are relayed to the CAM or community association management firm by a contract, by written job description, and/or by written or oral direction from the association president or board. Typically, the CAM’s function is to facilitate the achievement of the association’s goals and objectives. Associations that contract for landscaping related services, such as landscaping, tree trimming, irrigation, pest control, and shoreline or lake management describe those goals and objectives in the contracts that its attorney creates or approves with each provider. Associations that use their own in-house employees should express those goals and objectives in an annual landscape plan and in each employee’s job description. It should be noted that F.S. 482.071 requires that all businesses and
persons, regardless of whether they are employed by the association or a vendor engaged in pest control, be licensed by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Additionally, an arborist certified by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) is required to trim trees above twelve feet. Typical CAM responsibilities CAMs are typically required to facilitate achievement of the association’s landscape related goals and objectives. Generally, their responsibilities will include: ● Oversight of contracts ● Governing documents and landscaping projects ● State statutes and local ordinances Oversight of contracts The CAM should inspect and determine that work is being completed consistently and in conformance with the terms of the contract before approving the processing and payment of an invoice. Ordinarily, the CAM is a generalist, possessing basic, but not in-depth, knowledge of numerous work-related activities. Additionally, the CAM is typically under pressure to meet deadlines, manage special projects, create a budget, prepare for meetings, respond to member problems, and meet the diverse needs of a demanding board of directors. Some managers find themselves with inadequate time and knowledge to properly inspect a vendor’s or an employee’s work. But I sure knew that the perimeter hedges were to be maintained quarterly, and the contractor was two weeks behind, making excuses each time we talked. I made that note on my manager’s report. Maintenance supervisors and committees Fortunately, many associations have an exceptionally knowledgeable maintenance supervisor to whom the CAM can delegate at least partial responsibility for inspection of landscape related work. The CAM can require the supervisor to inspect and sign off on both regularly scheduled work, such as lawn maintenance and tree trimming, as well as replacement of flower beds and dead plants. A community association may have a landscape committee, consisting of knowledgeable persons who commit their time to ensuring that the property is beautifully landscaped. The committee often performs design, as well as inspection, functions. The committee chair is often the contact person for the landscaper. As the CAM, I need to know if the documents or the association have provided a committee with certain authority, such as making final landscape decisions or expending funds for landscape improvements. Or if the committee is only advisory to the board. Vendors The proper selection of vendors, for those associations that contract for landscaping services rather than using employees, is essential. Association boards are almost always under pressure to keep costs low. However, the low bidder is frequently not the best choice if the association demands high quality service.
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Book Code: CAMFL1526
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