MIAAOR Meeting Goes Retro

The theme was “Back to the ’80s.” 

The Realtors of Marco Island held their general membership meeting on Tuesday, September 24, at the Hideaway Beach Club. The luncheon was paired with a trade show put on by the Marco Island Area Association of Realtors (MIAAOR) Realtor Support Network, or RSN. This allowed businesses and professionals who work with real estate firms to showcase their wares and services. 

For both the luncheon and the trade show, the premise was a “blast from the past,” with the vendors’ booths and the lunch menu featuring elements from the decade of the 1980s, 35 to 45 years ago, that gave us both Ronald Reagan and Madonna, the Apple Macintosh and the Gameboy.

Booths at the RSN trade show featured some of the highlights and lowlights of the decade. Sarah and Mark Morze of iTrip Vacation Rental Management came as Lydia and Beetlejuice from the iconic movie. The team from the Law Offices of William G. Morris, PA, went with Pac-Man, and even brought along a tabletop version of the game. Jennifer Tenney of Tenney Law, who is the RSN coordinator for MIAAOR, chose the “Back to the Future” film for her theme. Dawn Norgren, Julianne Olson, and Amanda Revard from First American Title remembered “The Little Mermaid” for little girls everywhere. 

Andrea Snyder and Hughes Exterminators chose MTV for their ’80s touchstone, recalling the days when the iconic music video channel actually played music videos. Fred Kramer, Colette Kellerhouse, and Suzy Hernandez of the Kramer, Kellerhouse Chartered law firm employed a “Star Wars” motif, with posters, action figures, and Yoda ears for the ladies. John Milz from LMCU came prepared for “sweating to the oldies” with retro workout garb he insisted he did not already own. 

The food in the dining room was equally retro, featuring, among other items, “momma’s meatloaf,” Hideaway’s take on fish sticks, chicken noodle soup, chicken cordon bleu, hash brown casserole, and steamed broccoli. Dessert featured pineapple upside down cake and chocolate Swiss rolls along with “individual dirt cakes.” 

But there was some business to attend to. Charlie Neal announced the new slate of MIAAOR officers and directors, headed by Helen Donaghy of Engel and Volkers Marco Island, who makes the step from president-elect to president. Jacki Strategos of Premier Sotheby’s Intl. becomes president-elect, and Stacy Witthoff of John R. Wood Properties is secretary/treasurer. 

One-year directors include Elizabeth Heuerman and Stan Niemczyk, both of Premier Sotheby’s Intl., along with Mary Jo O’Regan, also with Premier Sotheby’s, and RSN representative Marc Creach of Cross Country Mortgage. Two-year directors are Laurie Kocak of Premiere Plus Realty, Catherine Clausen of Clausen Properties, and Nick Mastrangelo of Premier Sotheby’s Intl. Three-year directors are Kyle Grucci of Harborview Realty, Marv Needles of John R. Wood Properties, and Jack Winnik of Keller-Williams Realty – Marco. Geoff Fahringer of Downing-Frye Realty will become past president. 

The featured speaker for the event, Trey Goldman, legislative counsel for the Florida Realtors, gave a 2024 legislative update for developments at the state level, focusing on community associations, both condominium and HOAs, new seller flood disclosure requirements and property insurance. He catalogs legislative victories, including millions of dollars for affordable housing programs, funds to “help Floridians harden their homes and condominiums,” reduce property insurance premiums statewide, and the Hometown Heroes Housing program, in addition to $1.2 billion for water quality and restoration projects. 

He lauded a new law that curbs unscrupulous behavior by condo boards of directors. “This cracks down on boards using their reserves as a cash cow or ATM,” said Goldman, also mentioning the numerous changes to state law since the collapse of the Champlain Towers condominium in Surfside, Florida, in 2021. A vacation rental bill, he noted, was vetoed.

In the luncheon’s only allusion to Hurricane Helene, which was headed in the island’s general direction, MIAAOR President Fahringer said that Goldman “should have a pretty good tailwind” as he headed back home to Orlando.

Booth winners for the RSN trade show included First American Title, fittingly in first place for “The Little Mermaid,” Hilton Moving and Storage for “The Blues Brothers” taking second prize, and iTrip Vacation Rentals in third place for “Beetlejuice.” 

Mary Jo O’Regan opened the ceremonies with the invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance.