WHY I’M A GOOD PERSON TO HAVE ON THE BOARD:
My entire focus as a Board member has been on protecting you, your home, and your investment:
A. I’ve been on the Board since 2022 serving various roles (President, Treasurer, Director) and if you want continued leadership, transparency, accountability, progress, and success, then I’m a good person to have on the Board. I’m a resident owner who lives in the building and have owned my unit since 2007. Advantages of having resident owners on the Board include: 1) greater, intimate awareness of Uptown Place issues, 2) making decisions that are timely and effective, 3) experiencing firsthand the consequences of (and answering to the community for) actions taken, decisions made, or any lack of actions taken, 4) having the ability to inspect, address, and confirm whether quality work is being performed firsthand or otherwise stay on top of building issues to ensure they are getting promptly resolved, at reasonable costs, and to the highest standard, and 5) actively taking steps which promote a stronger, warmer community.
B. I am repeatedly a Board member unit owners frequently rely on to get their issues resolved. These issues have included water intrusion and repair issues, budget and finance issues, safety/security issues, sale and closing related issues, insurance related issues, COA fee related issues, Condominium Documents and Community Rules related issues, and Rental Management issues.
C. I have a solid vision for Uptown Place. Here are my primary goals for 2026-2027 – and with the right Board all three will happen:
GOAL ONE: MINIMIZE COA FEES & ACTIVELY WORK TOWARDS REDUCING THEM
Keys to achieving this include:
a. maintaining financial discipline,
b. promptly and thoroughly addressing building issues before they become big problems,
c. weighing tradeoffs carefully before filing insurance claims (insurance costs drive COA fees), and
d. stop overpaying for insurance – presently we pay for deductibles much lower (e.g., $2.5k – ~$10 per unit) than we’d ever file a claim for.
Recently, I recognized we were overpaying for insurance and took corrective actions to reduce this cost. For example, back in December 2025, I coordinated with our insurance company to see what they needed to help with our insurance costs since the roof had been recently replaced. They said they needed a new wind mitigation report so I promptly coordinated with the staff to get that done and it has now been provided to the insurance company (insurance was our biggest expense in recent years so this really helped – our insurance costs went down by $188k for the same coverage). Unfortunately, we continue to overpay for insurance with deductibles far too low (e.g., $2.5k – ~$10 per unit) so this must also be corrected.
I was a key reason COA fees dropped sharply in 2026. As Board Treasurer, I actively tracked every expense, maintained overall funding/budget status and performed End-of-Year projections on a monthly basis, and kept a close watch on the $1.3M cash balance. My largest contributions to the 2026 COA decreases were:
a. Actively and repeatedly pushing to get the reserve studies updated – we would have overpaid $1.2M in reserves for 2026 had these updates not been done. I actively and repeatedly pushed for getting these updates done 16 times since May 2025, and the updates finally happened in December 2025 just prior to the 2026 budget meeting.
b. Strongly advocating for paying off the roof loan – this allowed us to remove the $82k annual loan/interest payments over 10 years from the 2026 budget (and beyond). We didn’t even need a loan – something I emphasized repeatedly – but the Board chose to get one anyway and we had to pay $48k in loan payments in 2025 for no benefit.
Regarding insurance claims, I have firmly advocated for carefully weighing tradeoffs before filing insurance claims as these have really hurt us financially in the past. Back in 2022, our insurance only costed $143k but nearly tripled in 2023 and has remained high ever since. We have paid an additional $1.5M in insurance premiums over the past 4 years (which is likely to continue) – so the insurance company has much more than recouped what was paid out via insurance claims. Our insurance company also dropped us, and we had to use the Florida insurance company of last resort. A single insurance claim typically causes Florida Condominium premiums to increase 10%-30% at renewal – however, severe or multiple claims can spike rates by 50%+. Claims remain on the Association’s loss history for 5-7 years which impacts premium pricing and carrier options. Back in June/July 2026, I called for an investigation into why our Fire Pump failed prematurely. It was initially claimed our fire pump failed due to old age (24 years) and that the cost for replacement was $224k. I actively performed research and provided evidence indicating our fire pump has a 40-year life and a replacement cost much less than the $224k initially proposed.
My other contributions included noticing and taking issue with a $62k bill from OUC paid out of our Association funds with no explanation – this was 20-times higher than the monthly budgeted expense, and reviewing the annual audit report in detail and communicating the remainder of the $348k roof settlement was applied towards the roof replacement invoices received in 2026 which far exceeded the $156k balance remaining at the end of 2025 – meaning the Association could avoid paying taxes on the $156k balance.
GOAL TWO: RESOLVE KEY BUILDING ISSUES
This involves actively resolving issues while they are small instead of waiting until they become big, expensive problems. Over the past 5 hurricane seasons, 35+ units have suffered the consequences of repeated building issues that fell under the Association’s responsibility. The cost impacts have amounted to $450k+ to date and included water intrusion, mold, and water damage – not only to units affected by repeated roof leaks but also other units repeatedly affected by the stormwater system and other building issues – particularly units on Pasadena St, in the courtyard, and on Weber St. For example, repeat roof issues costed $350k+ in throwaway temporary repairs which could have gone toward the permanent new roof replacement – if we had replaced the roof at the beginning, we would have avoided these throwaway costs. The Stormwater System still does not work properly which has resulted in continued flooding and water intrusion problems – so this work must also be completed. Issues such as these can hurt our finances for lengthy periods of time.
In addition to the above, I actively worked to ensure the Association promptly and thoroughly responds to water intrusion events – documenting all actions taken so our community no longer gets exposed to expensive legal actions and extensive repairs by resolving problems while small. As a recent example, up until and during the 9 July 2026 Board meeting, only Units 111, 218, 318, and the Club Room were being addressed for water intrusion issues. I added the fitness center and Units 145, 152, and 226 to the list. These were previously reported water intrusion events, and it was not clear why they had not yet been addressed. Since that meeting Unit 113, Unit 352, and Unit 418 also reported water intrusion and had to be added to the list. Any lack of prompt and thorough action on these kinds of key building issues can make small problems much bigger and expose the COA to substantial legal risks so I have pressed the Association to greatly improve in this regard.
GOAL THREE: PROMOTE INCLUSION
This involves getting owner feedback prior to moving out on non-emergency items which affect the community and making owners the focus – because owners are who we (the Board/staff) represent and support.
D. I have demonstrated repeatedly and consistently that I have the courage, conviction, integrity, and confidence to stand up for the things that truly matter for the owners at Uptown Place in protecting their homes and investments. I do the right thing no matter what by actively advocating for the Uptown Place owners I support and represent. I have done this repeatedly, persistently, and consistently. For example, this has been the 5th consecutive hurricane season where I have actively engaged 5 different Boards in the attempt to protect our homes and investments by getting the permanent fixes done for the stormwater system. Regarding the roof, I did this for 4 consecutive hurricane seasons before the new roof replacement finally happened in late 2025. These kinds of building issues can result in devastating consequences when not promptly and permanently resolved.
E. My entire focus is on the owners I support and represent, and I have never strayed from my owner-centric, owner-advocate focus. This is what fiduciary responsibility is all about. For example, I formed the UPTOWN PLACE OWNERS GROUP back in 2020 to give owners a “voice” (please join us if you would like your voice to be heard or send me an email at joe.brennan85@gmail.com). This group has grown from 8 members back in 2020 to 118 members today representing 143 units (60%) at Uptown Place. One of the group’s first major accomplishments was back in 2023 – which was the first time in Uptown Place’s 24-year history where Board members actually got elected by the owners here. This is a big deal because it means Board members now have to be more transparent, accountable, and supportive of the owners otherwise they risk being voted off the Board in the next election. Prior to that milestone achievement, the Board was comprised of the same owners who would simply roll over and remain on the Board year-after-year because, per the By-Laws, 49 votes have to be casted in the annual election before any votes are counted – the most that had been received prior to the 2023 election was 13 votes back in 2022. For most years, 5 or 6 votes have been casted. Back in 2021, the owners in the owners group asked me to join the Board so that we’d have more insight and greater influence. So, I ran for the Board and officially became a Board member back in February 2022. I have been on the Board ever since, and I have never strayed from my owner-centric, owner-advocate focus.
F. I have actively and consistently worked each of the major building issues and coordinated with key players such as the Police Department, the State Attorney’s Office, the Fire Department, the City of Orlando Leadership and various City of Orlando departments (Director of Public Works, City Planning, Code Enforcement, Permitting Services), Orange County, St. Johns River Water Management District, Internal Affairs, Public Defender’s Office, the after-hours maintenance, the onsite staff, and residents and owners. I promptly addressed each of the building and community issues to resolve everything as expediently as possible, keep the repair costs as low as possible, and hold the Board, the Management Company and staff, contractors, residents, and City of Orlando and Orange County officials accountable. I have demonstrated repeatedly and consistently to the owners and residents here that I am someone who can be relied upon and counted on. I actively led the charge in addressing key Uptown Place Community issues such as the stormwater system, roof, safety/security, budgeting issues, water intrusion/mold issues, property management, community rules and enforcement processes, and holding those entrusted to support the Uptown Place community accountable. Some of the specific ways I have contributed to our building/community are summarized in the link following this paragraph. What you will find is clear and substantial evidence that I have been extremely active, committed, and dedicated, that I have done a lot for our building, our community, and the individual unit owners, and that I have been highly relied on by the owners and the residents here at Uptown Place. Not only did I focus on and participate in each of the Board activities and such (like all the other Board members do), but in addition to all of that, as an onsite Board member who actually lives in the building, I also focused on and actively worked towards resolving specific building and community issues. So, I was extremely busy, committed, and dedicated, and I honestly do not know how much more value you could have gotten out of an unpaid volunteer serving as an onsite Board member. We are certainly not getting that kind of support out of Board members that reside outside of the Orlando area. Here is a sample of some of my key contributions – and this is in no way a complete list: KEY CONTRIBUTIONS | BRIGHTER DAYS LIFE COACHING®
G. I have nearly 5 years of Board experience at Uptown Place (since Feb 2022), have supported multiple Board functions including Board President, Board Treasurer, and Director. and I am intimately familiar with: 1) the Florida laws governing Uptown Place and Condominium Associations (including the new laws passed in response to the 2021 Surfside disaster and their implications – these laws are very important in that they improve owner protections and transparency, and hold Boards and Management Companies more accountable), 2) proper and legal Board and Community Association Management (CAM) processes, 3) all of the financial and other Association data and can readily find and actively resolve issues and errors to ensure our COA finances remain healthy, 4) the budgeting, invoicing, accounting, and accounts receivable processes – serving as Board Treasurer in 2024-2025.
H. I have established and maintained key relationships in the Orlando area to include the City of Orlando Leadership and various City of Orlando departments (Director of Public Works, City Planning, Code Enforcement, Permitting Services), Orlando Police Department, Internal Affairs, the State Attorney’s Office, Orange County, St. Johns River Water Management District, and the Public Defender’s Office.
I. I actively track and keep up with the status of all Uptown Place related tasks/activities and am very organized and detail oriented (as evidenced by this write-up and all of the supporting information I have provided). I keep detailed, thorough records and have intimate and historical knowledge, understanding, and substantial background and other information for each of the major building issues including the shingle roof, the flat roof in the HVAC areas, the Fire Suppression system, the stormwater system, insurance issues and implications, and warrantee and maintenance information. I have become a resident expert on the stormwater system and the roof issues. Having an organized, detail-oriented person on the Board is the reason I was able to: 1) find the $600k cash balance back in November 2023 that nobody (the Board or the Management Company) knew about. They asked me how I found it, the source data I used to make this determination, and how I calculated the cash balance. So, nobody was tracking this or had any awareness of this. 2) take notice of and report a $23k over payment made to W.B. Mason on 7 March 2024 for an invoice amount of $175 which turned out to be a huge error that had to be corrected. 3) discover that the pool refinishing work after the Unit 540 Resident wreaked havoc on our building was paid out of the reserves (2 payments of $10,621.00 each). However, the use of any reserves funding is supposed to be tightly controlled requiring formal Board approval but that did not happen. So, that had to be reversed. 4) help reduce COA fees sharply for 2026 by repeatedly advocating for getting the reserve studies updated so we would not overpay $1.2M in reserves for 2026 and using the cash balance to pay off the roof loan so we could remove the $82k annual loan/interest payments over 10 years from the 2026 budget (and beyond). 5) recognize we were overpaying for insurance and taking corrective actions to reduce this cost. For example, due to the new roof I recognized the immediate need for a new wind mitigation report and actively performed the coordination needed to make it happen. As a result, our insurance costs dropped by $188k for the same coverage. Unfortunately, we continue to overpay for insurance with deductibles far too low (e.g., $2.5k – ~$10 per unit) so this must also be corrected. 6) notice and take issue with a $62k bill from OUC paid out of our funds with no explanation – this was 20-times higher than the monthly budgeted expense. 7) review the annual audit report in detail and communicate the remainder of the $348k roof settlement was applied towards the roof replacement invoices received in 2026 which far exceeded the $156k balance remaining at the end of 2025 – meaning the Association could avoid paying taxes on the $156k balance.
I. I take my Board duties and responsibilities very seriously and do whatever it takes to get the job done right the first time. I will continue to advocate for the owners at Uptown Place to protect our homes and investment(s) and will do whatever it takes to get the job done as I have over the past 5 years as a Board member.