LANDSCAPE SCHEDULE

March 9, 2026

Dear Whittier Oaks Members, 

As we approach this next important and frankly pivotal election, this Board wanted to update you on what we have accomplished this year, as well as the issues this Association could face should the rules we passed be rescinded and/or revoked.

As your current Board of Directors, we would like to take this opportunity to provide some background on our commitment, views, and accomplishments in Whittier Oaks as we seek your continued support in the upcoming Board election. Together, we bring extensive professional experience, long-term community involvement, and a shared commitment to preserving the quality and value of our neighborhood.

All of us - Charles Bencomo, Lisa Depace, Barry DeRose, Clive Gillanders, and Marc Harris - moved to Whittier Oaks after falling in love with the community. We have spent years raising families here. We have also provided many years of volunteer service on the Whittier Oaks Board.

Together the Board has worked diligently to review and analyze the Association’s rules and governing policies to ensure they continue to adequately protect the community and its residents. While some residents expressed concerns about updating certain rules, this review process identified several areas where existing rules were outdated or lacked sufficient safeguards. One issue in contention involved corporate ownership of homes. 

There happens to be a serious ongoing issue right now in the community with corporate ownership. In one such case, a home owned for many years by a large rental corporation was allowed to deteriorate to the point that it became structurally unsound and was eventually condemned by the City of Parkland. The corporation proved extremely difficult to contact and lacked the motivation to properly maintain the property. Instead, it sold the home in a severely neglected condition, leaving it with blue tarps, no power, and unknown activity inside. This home has been turned over to various individuals since the original owners. Please note that prior to these rules being in place, the Board was unable to intervene or prevent it from happening.  It has now been turned over to the Associations legal counsel.

By addressing issues such as these, we were able to ensure that the Association maintains appropriate oversight and prevents potentially unsafe situations, including others like the possibility of individuals with unknown or concerning backgrounds residing in the neighborhood without proper awareness or accountability.

Additionally, we have emphasized balanced decision-making that respects both the community as a whole and individual homeowners. Our work has continually strengthened financial oversight and supported efforts to recover delinquent association funds, resulting in the historically lowest level of past-due balances and a reasonable, yet sufficient, maintenance assessment. During our time on the Board, we have overseen not only the day-to-day maintenance of the community, but also completed significant improvements, including road resurfacing, landscaping upgrades, mailbox replacement, and enhancements to entry signage and security infrastructure—all accomplished with very little need for special assessments. These improvements have helped maintain the value of our neighborhood for all homeowners.

The current Board also brings varied professional expertise that directly supports HOA governance and financial management.  The five (5) of us have, over the years, provided valuable management, planning, and communication skills while emphasizing collaboration, transparency, and community engagement. We strongly believe that informed homeowners and open dialogue help build a stronger and more unified community. 

Across our group, there is a shared emphasis on several key priorities:

• Maintaining and enhancing property values by ensuring homeowners maintain their properties and that common areas are properly preserved and improved as needed
• Ensuring responsible budgeting and strong financial oversight by working with not only the management accounting but also with independent CPA firms
• Supporting transparent communication with homeowners through the management’s online owner portal and the community website
• Strengthening community safety and infrastructure by adopting and enforcing important traffic rules, working with the City of Parkland to protect our entrance and surrounding areas, and partnering with the Broward Sheriff’s Office to prevent trespassing and other crimes
• Preserving the long-term desirability of Whittier Oaks

We are proud of the progress our community has made and remain committed to continuing this work with dedication and integrity. We all hope that together, we, Chuck Bencomo, Lisa DePace, Barry DeRose, Clive Gillanders, and Marc Harris, are able to continue our work on behalf of all Whittier Oaks homeowners and make sure that these Rules and Regulations will continue to be enforced and not summarily set aside for the business interests of some of our community, instead kept for the benefit of all of us as homeowners and neighbors. Thank you for your time, your support, and your continued commitment to making Whittier Oaks one of the best communities in Parkland.

Respectfully,

The Whittier Oaks Board of Directors

Lisa Depace

Chuck Bencomo

Barry DeRose

Clive Gillanders

Marc Harris 

We had another successful year as we completed the updates at the guard house as well as: 

1. Upgrading software
2. Repairing major irrigation breaks in the front entrance
3. Cleaning of the storm drains
4. Completion of the annual tree trimming
5. Pressure cleaning of the community 
6. Scheduled road repair
7. Successfully completed another Financial Audit with our independent public accountant, with no noted deficiencies again – thank you RMC!

We are also on the final phase of replacing our interior lighting with LEDs partnered with Florida Power and Light, all managed within budget.

We have made a lot of progress with the City of Parkland to move forward with ongoing maintenance at Terramar Park, as well as addressing the parking situation on Hillsboro Boulevard ,as we partnered up with City Commissioner Bob Mayersohn and the Broward Sheriff's Office.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank not only my fellow Board members Kevin, Dominic, Barry, and Chuck,  for their service to our Whittier Oak’s community. Furthermore, I'd also like to give my sincere gratitude to the following individuals for all their efforts & dedication:

• Our management company, Residential Management Concepts, Marie Palombi, Kerri Brooks, Sarah Rose, and staff
• Our ARB Committee members: David Ofstein, Jeremy Nobil, and Matthew Klein

• Doggy Stations: As I’m sure many of you are aware, the doggy station garbage bins become full rapidly due to owners throwing personal trash such as beer bottles, pizza boxes, etc. To prevent this from occurring, the Board is currently looking at solutions for this problem. Until such time that the Board is able to make any changes, we encourage all homeowners to use the doggy waste station trash bins for their dog waste only. 
• Front Entrance:   The maintenance to the front entrance is progressing. The gates and the posts have all been painted. New landscaping has been installed in the median as well as seasonal flowers and mulching done. The columns will be refurbished as soon as the weather permits and the electrician has been working on the necessary repairs. The rest of the project is progressing, and we will be sending out additional informative emails.   
• Parking: The alternate side of the street is being enforced on a regular basis and vehicles in violation will be stickered with repeat offenders being towed at the owner's expense. 
• Speeding: It has been noticed that there are numerous vehicles speeding throughout the neighborhood. The speed limit in Whittier Oaks is 15 miles per hour. 
• Irrigation: All owners are encouraged to monitor their lawns and to make sure their irrigation system is running properly. If the lawn looks dry, is browning or dying, please contact your irrigation contractor or RMC so that it can be checked to see if repairs are needed.
• Violations: Property inspections are done on a regular basis. Please take pride in the exterior appearance of your home and maintain it as needed. 
• Maintenance Payments:  Kindly remember that the Whittier Oaks quarterly maintenance fees are due on the first of that quarter and considered late after the 10th. At the end of that month Barcodes will be deactivated and any account that is delinquent over 90 days will automatically be sent to the Association’s legal counsel.