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The Star
07-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Yes, you can live full-time on a cruise ship just like this couple
American couple Jim and Chris Guld will be travelling around the world, living full-time aboard a cruise ship called Villa Vie Odyssey. Will it be exciting? Yes. Expensive? Kind of. Tight? Well, the Gulds say they're not worried about feeling cramped inside of a 13sq m stateroom for the 15-year option they just purchased. They recently spent 14 years together in a recreational vehicle, hitting each of the lower 48 states in the United States. 'We will not be in our room very much,' Chris says. 'Every morning I plan to walk up the three decks to the gym where there's an exercise class. And there's the buffet where we will eat, and there's entertainment in the afternoon.' That might get boring after a while if not for the port calls. The ship's itinerary includes stops at 425 ports in more than 140 countries over the three-and-a-half year 'Continual World Cruise'. The Gulds got on the ship during its stop at the Colombian port of Cartagena at the end of April, and are staying aboard for at least seven years, and longer if they love it. The ship is currently in its seventh month sailing as the flagship of a Pembroke Pines-based company called Villa Vie Residences that the Gulds say offers the only affordable option for living on the sea. The company caters to people who truly want to get away from it all while still remaining connected through the Starlink Internet service. Mikael Petterson, the company's chairman, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that 354 of 480 cabins have been sold (at the time of writing) to long-term residents since the company purchased the Villa Vie Odyssey, built in 1993, from Fred Olsen Cruise Lines in 2023. 'We are looking forward to having Jim and Chris onboard,' Petterson said during an interview earlier. 'We are sure they will love it.' A life of tech and travel The Gulds seem uniquely well-suited for permanent life aboard a cruise ship. They met while Chris, now 72, operated a computer training centre called Computer Savvy in Florida with her mother in the 1980s and 1990s. Local companies would send employees for training on programs like WordPerfect, Novell NetWare, and Microsoft's Excel and Access. Jim, now 71, worked for a Deerfield Beach company, building, installing and networking personal computers. Chris purchased computers from the company for her training centre, and Jim showed up to service them. 'So he had to keep coming back,' Chris said. Eventually, Chris hired Jim away from his company to focus full-time on her business. They bonded over their mutual love of scuba diving, computers and travel. A few years after Chris sold the centre and 'retired' in the late 1990s, they sold their first house and bought an RV (recreational vehicle). They spent 14 years from 2003 to 2017 travelling the US, holding seminars to teach RV enthusiasts how to get on the Internet, and creating computer training videos for a company they founded called Geeks On Tour. Subscribers to the Geeks On Tour website get access to a long list of class presentations, learning guides and tips. But anyone can click on the more than 900 videos the couple has posted over the years, mostly while wearing their trademark propeller beanies. Their earliest videos were a mix of travelogues and tutorials for types of software that travellers would use to take, upload and geotag photos, set up travel blogs, assign drive letters to external USB drives, and navigate highways. More recently, their videos focus on smartphone apps, including how to shoot time-lapse video, use Google's photo app, communicate over Zoom, and use WiFi calling if cellular service goes down. Video bloggers amok After seven years in another landed home, the couple is itching to travel again – but without the headaches of traffic and shopping. The Gulds plan to continue to post training videos from the ship that show how they respond to challenges that arise as they visit the various ports on the ship's itinerary. They've already started sharing their plans with their 16,700 YouTube subscribers and just under 1,000 paid Geeks On Tour members. They won't be alone using the Internet to work on the ship, Jim says. A large number of the ship's cabins are occupied by solo travellers who make their livings working remotely. Like the Gulds, many shoot and post videos. A search for the ship on YouTube turns up several accounts – Living Life On A Cruise, MidLife Cruising, and DC Hidden Gems – by residents documenting their lives aboard the ship. The cruise line offers a variety of pricing options, depending on the chosen size of living quarters and tour length. Residents can purchase for up to 15 years or rent their cabins for shorter periods. Purchasers have the option of selling back unused portions of their residency terms, trading up to larger, more expensive cabins, or leasing or selling their space 'with the potential of receiving a net return on your investment', according to the company's website. The Gulds learned about the ship by following one of its residents, Randy Cassingham, long-time author of an online entertainment newsletter, This Is True. Cassingham started a blog called Residential Cruising after moving aboard the Villa Vie Odyssey last year. 'Jim said, 'Take a look at this website about living on a cruise ship',' Chris said. 'And I looked at it and said, 'OK'.' Finding the right price The couple said said they were initially interested in buying a cabin with a balcony. But the company wanted US$340,000 (RM1.48mil) for a balcony cabin, plus US$8,000 (RM34,988) a month for amenities such as food, entertainment, health-club use and laundry services. During a week-long 'try before you buy' sailing, the Gulds tried out a cabin with a window and no balcony. 'Thankfully, I decided that I liked that because that was only only US$170,000 (RM743,496) up front and US$5,000 (RM21,866) a month,' Chris said. 'At that rate, we might actually be saving money compared to all that we spent on travel last year.' While on the 'try it' trip, the couple says they met and were impressed with many of the residents who are experts in their chosen fields. They keep each other entertained by giving seminars and TED talks, the Gulds said. 'One guy used to be an emergency medical technician, so he gave a talk about what that's like,' Chris said. 'One was a marine biologist that gave a talk about whales.' One amenity that won't be available: casinos. 'They actually had a poll, and they asked the residents if they would consider having a casino. And they said, not just 'no',' said Jim. 'They said, 'hell, no',' added Chris. Not everyone was happy about the Gulds' life-changing decision. While Chris has no children, Jim has a son from his previous marriage who lives near the couple. 'He was not for it at all at the very beginning when he first heard about it,' Jim said. 'He thought that it was just a horrible thing that we were going to leave him.' 'But hey, he's 44 years old, you know?' Chris said. She added, 'We're still, in our opinion, fairly young. And we're healthy, but we're definitely getting older, so if we want to have one more chapter in our adventure, this is the time to do it. 'This is the next chapter.' – South Florida Sun-Sentinel/Tribune News Service
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
DeSantis requested help for elderly condo owners. Here are the proposals.
A $2,500 grant to help low-income seniors pay assessments for condominium repairs. Exemptions from inspections and reserves for buildings under six stories. Authorizations for condo boards to take out loans to pay reserves. These are just a few of the ideas that lawmakers have submitted in response to Gov. Ron DeSantis' call to help elderly condo unit owners on fixed incomes keep their homes as maintenance and insurance costs skyrocket. Business | Florida's condo regulations put seniors in crisis and threaten economy | Opinion Business | DeSantis promises relief for Florida condo owners by year's end. But how? Business | Tales from the Florida condo crisis: Homeowners describe hardships after cost hikes None of the bills are guaranteed to make their way through the Florida Legislature over the next two months. So far, only one — a proposal to restrict state grants for storm hardening to buildings three stories and higher — has been heard by a committee. After DeSantis made his request in September, some legislative leaders said they were opposed to 'bailing out' condo owners, arguing that they spent years waiving reserve funding instead of anticipating inevitable repairs. A year after the collapse of the 12-story Champlain Towers South condominium in Surfside that killed 98 people, the Legislature enacted a new law eliminating the option to waive full funding of reserves for budgets approved after Dec. 31, 2024. It also required all condominium buildings three stories and higher that are at least 30 years old to undergo Milestone Inspections to detect structural problems that need immediate attention, and Structural Integrity Reserve Studies to develop roadmaps for future maintenance and expenses. Many elderly condo unit owners have reported that monthly maintenance fees, insurance costs and special assessments tied to the new rules have increased by hundreds of dollars, threatening their abilities to remain in their units. Many of the bills introduced this year seek ways to help those homeowners deal with the rising costs. Nearly all of the bills would force substantial changes to how condominiums are operated in Florida. The South Florida Sun Sentinel asked several stakeholders to weigh in on the bills' potential impacts. Dawn Munera, a real estate broker for Pembroke Pines-based Essential Realty Solutions, said she supports the $2,500 grants proposed in a bill filed by Broward County Senate Democrat Rosalind Osgood but says they should not be limited to low-income seniors. Every senior should get the grant, Munera said. 'While they may have an income that might not meet the 'low-income' threshold, they are on a fixed income with health issues or other life emergencies that could potentially wipe them out,' she said. Condo unit owners in higher tax brackets also face challenges, such as assessments 'that in some instances well exceed $50,000 per unit,' Munera said. 'They can't sell their multimillion-dollar condos because of these assessments. Buyers don't want to take on units with assessments and sellers can't meet their bottom line if they pay the assessments.' Owners who decide to rent rather than sell are often stuck with rents 'dropping exponentially,' she said. Those rent payments often can't cover owners' mortgages, condo association fees, taxes, insurance and assessments. 'Some sort of relief should be afforded to them as well,' she said. But $2,500 wouldn't go far toward paying assessments of $30,000 to $50,000, says David Kim, a community association attorney at the Boca Raton office of Schwartz Sladkus Reich Greenberg Atlas LLP. Still, he said, 'it's something, and any little bit can help owners on fixed incomes.' The idea 'sounds great' but too many questions linger, said John Cadden, a former real estate banker and investment adviser who is now a managing principal of the Condominium Advisory Group, with offices in Chicago and Atlanta. Among them: 'Who makes the grant underwriting decision? How much money is going to be appropriated? And what is the potential amount of money that will be needed?' Cadden said. 'It seems like a good political platform, but not something that actually is going to have a large impact in most cases.' A bill filed by Rep. Vicki Lopez, a Republican from Miami-Dade County, would prohibit state-owned Citizens Property Insurance Corp. from insuring condominiums that have not obtained a milestone inspection report or a reserve study from purchasing policies from state-owned Citizens Property Insurance Corp. Michael Mayoral is a Coral Gables-based attorney whose firm, Perez Mayoral P.A., represents homeowners in disputes with condo and homeowner associations. He said the bill, which proposes a long list of other changes, would be a 'powerful enforcement mechanism for condo safety' because it also proposes requiring condos to maintain adequate insurance, regardless of what's in a condo's governing documents. If completing a reserve study becomes a requirement for obtaining coverage from Citizens, it's likely private market carriers will follow suit, he said. Lopez's bill would also enable governing boards of condos to obtain loans and levy special assessments to make repairs without seeking approval of their full memberships. Kim said allowing boards to take out loans without unit owners' approval could subject the boards to 'undue burdens or pressures' because they could be held responsible if the loans are not repaid. Cadden warned that owners could fight back by recalling board members or voting in new members who would refuse to rectify the long-term repair issues. Mayoral said removal of the requirement to secure approval from unit owners for loans or assessments would eliminate owners' ability to reject 'necessary funding.' But it would also kill 'significant checks and balances,' he said. 'Many associations struggle with contractor pricing and scope decisions, and this could lead to runaway assessments that financially devastate owners, particularly seniors on fixed incomes,' he said. A separate bill by Sen. Jennifer Bradley, a Republican from north central Florida, would require unit owners' approval before boards could obtain loans to cover reserve requirements. Bradley's bill also would authorize creation of investment boards consisting of at least two governing condo board members and two unit owners. The board would adopt rules for invested funds and an 'investment policy statement' that addresses risk, liquidity, authorize investment classes and mixes and limitations on authority relating to investment transactions. Then they must hire an adviser to invest the condominium's reserve money. The bill would ban anyone related by 'affinity' or blood to any board member, unit owner or reserve study provider from serving as an investment adviser. Rather than placing such a burden on volunteers, Ken Reid, a condo owner in Boca Raton, said a better idea would be to pool all reserve funds in the state 'into a large fund that will be invested in safe securities, bonds and certificates of deposit, much like a pension fund.' The money would earn interest or dividends, and each association could tap into the reserves to pay for needed repairs. Reid said the advantage to his idea is 'the investing decisions are made by qualified professionals, who have a fiduciary responsibility to get a return and not lose money in the markets, not (association) board volunteers.' The ability to offset costs by generating passive income 'could be a real benefit' for associations, Mayoral said, if the state imposes stricter guardrails such as minimum standards for diversification and limitations on the types of investments that could invite mismanagement by advisers. Cadden says the idea of allowing condominiums to invest reserve funds makes no sense to him 'because no matter how many guardrails are put in, there is still a risk of losing money on any investment.' Munera said she supports another Osgood bill that aims to increase from three to six stories the height of condo buildings required to perform structural integrity inspections and fully fund their reserves. Associations controlling buildings under six stories would be able to choose whether to order inspections and fund reserves. A House version of the bill was filed by Bruce Hadley Antone, a Democrat from Orange County. Buildings less than six stories high 'don't experience the same structural stresses as high-rise buildings,' she said. All of the inspection and funding requirements will create such an ongoing financial strain to owners of smaller condo buildings, she said, 'they'll never stabilize financially.' Cadden says the change would not be 'prudent' because 'many properties that are less than six stories have just as much deferred maintenance as taller buildings.' He added, 'The main point is that allowing any condo association to have the power to arbitrarily set reserves has not been a good practice.' Mayoral, meanwhile, concurs that many buildings under the limit still house substantial numbers of units and residents. 'Large five-story structures face the same maintenance challenges — erosion, concrete spalling and other structural issues — as taller buildings.' A proposal by Miami-Dade Republican Sen. Ileana Garcia would create the Condominium and Homeowners' Association Economic Crime, Fraud, and Corruption Investigation Pilot Program to address a beef commonly voiced by condo unit owners — that complaints submitted to the Department of Business and Professional Regulation take too long to investigate and are too often dismissed without appropriate scrutiny. The bill proposes a long list of reforms and would work in conjunction with creation of an homeowner association ombudsman to serve alongside the existing condo association ombudsman. Homeowners would submit allegations of wrongdoing to the program, which would investigate them and, if merited, forward them to the ombudsmen. Governing boards would not be able to require homeowners to pay fines or attorneys fees for violations that are corrected prior to a hearing, and fines could not be aggregated for the purpose of creating a lien against a parcel. Mayoral said the proposal would be 'a major step forward toward protecting homeowners from some of the worst abuses by HOA boards.' 'Florida has more HOAs and condo associations per capita than any other state, and with that comes endless disputes — many of which start small but quickly turn into serious financial burdens for homeowners.' Stopping boards from stacking fines to create liens, he said, 'closes a loophole that HOAs have used to push people toward foreclosure.' The bill 'strengthens the complaint process and creates real oversight … something that's been badly needed for years.' But regarding proposals to create the pilot program and add an HOA ombudsman, Cadden asks, 'Is there really going to be enough resources to properly make this effective?' And Kim questions whether creating more options to accuse and investigate board members for alleged crimes will increase the difficulty associations face in recruiting board candidates. 'It's long been termed a thankless position, which at times it is, but will (the proposed pilot program) cause individuals to stay away from director positions? That could pose a problem.' In addition, these condo-related bills have also been filed prior to the 2025 legislative session: My Safe Florida Condominium Pilot Project — (Sen. Tom Leek, Rep. Vicki Lopez, Rep. Christine Hunschofsky) — Would restrict participation in My Safe Florida Condominium Pilot Project to condos three stories or higher and require that buildings include at least one residential unit. Would also reduce the necessary percentage of unit owners needed to approve participation in the program from 100% to 75%. The Senate version cleared its first hurdle on March 3, getting a 10-0 vote in the Banking and Insurance Committee. Homestead exemption increase — (Sen. Blaise Ingoglia) — Proposes adding to the 2016 general election ballot a proposed amendment to the state constitution increasing the exemption for all levies to $75,000. Flood risk disclosure — (Sen. Jennifer Bradley, Rep. Christine Hunschofsky) — Would require landlords to disclose known flooding risks to prospective tenants at or prior to execution of rental agreements with one year or longer terms. Tenant may terminate the rental agreement if the landlord fails to provide disclosure and a flood causes a substantial loss or damage to the tenant's personal property. Citizens rate increase cap — (Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez, Rep. Jim Mooney Jr.) — Would limit annual rate increases for Citizens policies to 10% in counties where the Office of Insurance Regulation determines there is not a reasonable degree of competition. Currently, only Monroe and Miami-Dade counties fall under this definition. Would also add flood insurance exemption to Citizens-insured properties with a Zone X flood risk classification or a structure elevated at least one foot above the flood zone's minimum base flood elevation. Resilience districts — (Sen. Erin Grall) — Would enable condo associations to establish resilience districts to create ways to fully fund the condo's reserves, make structural changes or other improvements that would otherwise require assessing unit owners. The districts would be able to borrow money and issue bonds, certificates, warrants and notes, charge, collect and enforce fees, and levy taxes and special assessments. Unit owners' rights to vote in recall elections — (Sen. Kristen Aston Arrington) — Would prohibit suspension of unit owners' voting rights in elections held to recall board members. Would also add additional rules to condo associations, including a requirement that condo associations pay legal bills of unit owners who initiate recall actions if the governing board appeals and loses. Ron Hurtibise covers business and consumer issues for the South Florida Sun Sentinel. He can be reached by phone at 954-356-4071 or by email at rhurtibise@
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Yahoo
Florida home health aide accused of molesting 86-year-old he was caring for
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A home health aid is accused of molesting an 86-year-old disabled woman he was caring for. NBC affiliate WTVJ reported that 39-year-old Juan Jose Romero Ruiz was arrested Wednesday and faces charges of sexual battery and lewd lascivious molestation of an elderly disabled person. Family members told police that the victim has dementia and poor short-term memory. The family hired Ruiz, who worked for Pembroke Pines-based Lovable Family Home Care, to tend to the woman's basic needs, such as cleaning and companionship. Retired Sarasota ROTC teacher charged with inappropriately touching students WTVJ reported that Ruiz started working for the victim on Tuesday. An arrest report stated that the victim's grandson checked surveillance footage and saw Ruiz molesting his grandmother. He immediately alerted family members of the incident. He also called Ruiz's company and demanded that Ruiz be removed from the home. Police said that the grandson also found footage from the day before of Ruiz sexually battering the victim. 'The fact that this guy acted on his impulse was, for lack of a better word, within hours of arriving at the home, indicates to me at least, this is most likely not his first time doing this,' said Anthony Bruno, the victim's family attorney told WTVJ. Officers said they detained Ruiz at the company's Pembroke Pines office. He is being held with no bond at Broward County jail and an immigration hold. 'My understanding is (the victim) is doing well, all things considered, I can't advise us to whether she can fully comprehend what occurred to her given her condition,' Bruno said. 'The family is obviously traumatized.' Lovable Family Home Care told the news station that it is fully cooperating with law enforcement officers. 'We are both saddened and in shock about this very unfortunate situation. As an agency in the community for the past 12 years, we have been working hard and strive to always give our members the best care,' the statement said in part. 'We have limited information and since this is an ongoing investigation, no further details can be provided.' The Sunrise Police Department said it is determining if there are additional victims. Anyone who may have had similar experiences or additional information is asked to call police at 954-746-3499. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
