FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ'S)

This page contains a list of questions that have been asked over the years, and the answers to each of them.  To immediately go to the answer to a specific question in the following list, just click on that question.  In addition, if you feel that there are any other questions or confusions that should be addressed on this page, please contact management.

​​

A list of those questions are:

1. What is a CDD?

2. What are the responsibilities of the CDD?

3. Who governs the CDD?

4. What are the functions of the Board and Staff?

5. What is the Annual Budget?

6. What constitutes the Annual Budget?

7. How is the CDD Annual Assessment determined?

8. How is the CDD Annual Assessment collected?

9. Who checks our financials?

10. Benefits of the CDD?

11. What is the difference between the Coral Bay CDD and my Homeowners’ Association (HOA)?

12. Does the CDD have any “governing" documents, rules, and/or regulations?

13. Why are the gates in Coral Bay set up the way they are?

14. How do I get a transponder for the gate?

15. What is the price of a transponder and how can I pay for it?

16. What construction projects must I obtain CDD approval for?

17. What are the hours of operation of the parks and pools?​

18. How do I report a CDD issue that I notice and to whom?

19. Where do I go to Vote?

​

 

 

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

 

1. What is a CDD?

 

A Community Development District (also referred to as a CDD or a District) is a special-purpose unit of local government authorized by  Florida State Statutes.  A CDD is organized similarly to other local governments in Florida. The scope of the services for a CDD is defined in a creation ordinance from the city and county that it is located within.  In Coral Bay's case, that is the City of Margate and Broward County.

​​

​

​2. What are the responsibilities of the CDD?

​

The CDD's overall responsibilities are to construct, manage, and maintain the common infrastructure. Specifically, Coral Bay CDD’s infrastructure responsibilities include:

​

• the stormwater management and secondary drainage systems

• all roadway systems and the gates

• all sidewalks

• the canals and the lake

• landscaping of all common areas

• structures at all amenity centers, parks, pools, playgrounds, and open areas

​

 

3. Who governs the CDD?

 

The CDD is governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors, much like a City Council.  Each Supervisor position is designated by a Seat number, 1 to 5.  A person is elected to a seat for a four-year term by all qualified, registered voters within the District, with the election occurring as part of the November ballot on even numbered years. To provide continuity on the Board, three Seats are available for election at one election, and the other two Seats are available at the next. In addition, by law the Board must hire a District Manager and a District Counsel (Attorney for the District). Those staff members operate in a manner very similar to a City Manager and City Attorney.

​

 

4. What are the functions of the Board and Staff?

 

The Board sets the policy and makes the decisions; the District Management staff administers the day-to-day operations of the District and implements the Board’s policies and contracts. The CDD Board of Supervisors must conduct business consistent with Florida’s Sunshine” Law, which means that, with very few exceptions, the decision-making process must be conducted only at meetings that are open to the public.  Furthermore, the CDD Supervisors must operate under ethics provision both defined in Florida Statues and set forth by the Florida Commission on Ethics.  To support the operations of the District, an Annual Budget is developed, by Management and approved by the Board. 

​

​

5. What is the Annual Budget?

 

The Annual Budget is the financial plan needed to operate the District for the fiscal year.  The fiscal year, as with most municipalities, runs from October 1 of one year to September 30 of the following year.

​

​

6. What constitutes the Annual Budget?

​

The annual budget consists of two parts: the Debt Portion and the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) portion:

• The Debt Portion, when applicable, is the amount to repay the cost of a District’s exceptionally large infrastructure project when it is determined that either issuing a bond or taking a loan is the most advantageous funding method.  In the case of the Coral Bay CDD, those projects have been repaving all roadways and building the perimeter wall

• The Operations and Maintenance (O&M) portion applies to the general day-to-day administrative fees and costs as well as both the required and optional maintenance and enhancement of the infrastructure.  All of these items are detailed in the expense portion of the O&M budget

​

​

7. How is the CDD Annual Assessment determined?

​

The Annual Assessment is the Board’s evaluation of what amount of new income best serves to both support the Debt and O&M portions of the budget and to maintain no less than the minimum level of funds required to be available.  The term new income is meant to identify that year’s assessment amount versus a reserve amount that was collected and set aside in a previous year’s budget.  Other factors affecting that new amount include:

• The availability of optional funds, recognizing that mantenance and repair costs tend to rise as the infrastructure ages and with cost-of-living increases

• The delay of relatively large enhancement or repair projects versus the amount of additional income needed to do them immediately

• The advantage of setting aside reserves toward payment of a project in a future year to keep the Annual Assessment as level as possible

​

​

8. How is the CDD Annual Assessment collected?

 

The resultant annual income needed to support the budget is equally allocated on a per home basis and is levied in the form of a non-ad valorem tax that appears on each Coral Bay CDD property owner’s Broward County tax bill. That CDD assessment is then collected by Broward County as part of the overall property tax bill payment, and is sent to the CDD once the County receives the payment. Note that since Broward County begins the collection process in December and our budget expenses begin in October, the budget needs to provide for funds sufficient to maintain operations for the first 3 months of the budget year.

​

​

9. Who checks our financials?

 

Monthly financial reports are provided by Management prior to each monthly Board meeting as part of the Board’s Agenda package.  Those reports are reviewed and approved by the Board at each meeting.  Furthermore, After the end of each fiscal year, the Coral Bay CDD is required to have an independent audit conducted, and to then file a Financial Disclosure statement with the State of Florida’s Auditor General that covers the fiscal year that just ended.  You can visit the Auditor General’s page for Coral Bay by following this link

​

 

10. Benefits of the CDD?

 

Because CDD’s are governmental entities, functioning closer to a city government than a Homeowners’ Association (HOA), CDD’s have some financial advantages: They may use tax-exempt bonds and often more favorable loan rates for financing. They are also eligible under FEMA rules for emergency clean up and repair in most cases, and they have limited liability under sovereign immunity, which significantly reduces insurance costs.

​

 

11. What is the difference between the Coral Bay CDD and my Homeowners’ Association (HOA)?

 

Responsibilities for both the CDD and any HOA(s) within it are set by the way the developer (builder) establishes the property ownership, and therefore maintenance responsibility, within the community.  It is important to understand the responsibilities of the HOA versus the CDD, in order for owners and residents to contact the appropriate people when needed.  In the case of Coral Bay, the developer placed the ownership and responsibility of all common areas with the CDD, and placed ownership of each parcel of land, and the home on it, with the respective homeowner.  Therefore, none of the HOAs within Coral Bay own any common property. However, each Coral Bay HOA has its own responsibilities, has its own budget, and collects its maintenance fee annually.  For more information on the scope of the HOA’s responsibility, please visit the “HOA’s” page.

​

 

12. Does the CDD have any “governing" documents, rules, and/or regulations?

 

As previously stated, the CDD operates under specific Florida State Statutes and the creation ordinances of the City of Margate.  In addition, the Coral Bay CDD has rules that cover:

• CDD Board procedures including, but not limited to, organization, meetings, rulemaking, purchasing, and contracts

• the CDD-owned facilities and properties, including, but not limited to, the gates, parking on CDD property, the lake, the parks and pools, and the Clubhouse

Links to all of the Rules documents are provided on the “CDD Rules” page

​

​

13. Why are the gates in Coral Bay set up the way they are?

 

Coral Bay was built with roadways that provide three entries and exits.  Prior to having the gates there was lots of traffic speeding through our community.  In order to limit that traffic both for safety’s sake and for wear and tear on our roadways, the Board decided to investigate options for gating the community.  Some factors included

• Limits on CDD’s through-traffic denials that were resolved by not having human-assisted access ability at the west entrance

• Lack of space to create live guard facilities at one if the two east entrances.  Note that we had an unsuccessful period with a live guard at one of the east entrances that resulted in almost constant damage to the unmanned entrance and high expense for a guard at the manned gate who could not effectively interact with the people

• Financial investment to construct a place for a live guard at the other gate if we did have room to build a guardhouse and a required restroom

The current setup provides the best balance for the issues of cost, appearance. and limitations.  While the gates were not put in as a security measure to prevent entrance the security cameras do serve as documentation of entry and damage.

​

​

14. How do I get a transponder for the gate?

 

Detailed instructions for obtaining a transponder, including the needed form and information, are available on the Gate Info page of this website.

​

​

15. What is the price of a transponder and how can I pay for it?

 

Transponders are currently available for purchase at a price of $35.00 that just covers the District’s acquisition cost. Please note that the only forms of payment accepted are Money Orders or Bank Cahiers Check payable to Coral Bay CDD. This is due to requirements for how money for the District needs to be handled. Since the District may be charged different amounts in the future, the price will be updated here when necessary.

​

​

16. What construction projects must I obtain CDD approval for?

 

There are a number of projects that permission much be obtained from the CDD for prior to commencing them. Note that all of the projects noted must be preceded by an Architectural Review (ARC) Form from the HOA.  These projects may be categorized as follows:

• Any construction or reconstruction projects on property adjacent to the lakes and other water bodies of the District and/or on District easements require permits that include obtaining permission from the CDD. Docks and shoreline projects are the most common projects of this type.  More information for Dock Construction, Lake and Canal Bank Restoration and Stabilization projects is provided in the Rules document

• The widening of a driveway apron, done in connection with the widening of a driveway for any unit with a sidewalk and swale, requires the same permitting process as just noted

• Any landscaping project within the Coral Bay easement on your property requires permission from the CDD​​

The City of Margate is also requesting a copy of a “no objection” letter from the CDD for any project on private property that affects the natural ground surface, such as building a patio, since, per the City, it may affect the area’s drainage. Lastly, note that Coral Bay contains eight (8) independent Homeowners’ Associations (HOAs) that have their own rules and regulations.  

​

​​

17. What are the hours of operation of the parks and pools?

All of the pools and all of the parks except the tot lot are open from 6:30 AM to 10:00 PM. The tot lot is open from 6:30 AM to dusk.

18. How do I report a CDD issue that I notice and to whom?

Who you contact depends on what type of issue you have.

• Issues involving items that require maintenance and/or upkeep of our common infrastructure, such as trip hazards, damaged signs, unsanitary conditions at the parks or pools, should be reported to CDD management for contacting the appropriate vendor for correction. The primary CDD management contacts are Julio Padilla or Andrew Gill and their contact information is at the beginning of the Contacts page

• Issues involving items that are matters of law enforcement, but are non-emergency situations, should be reported to the Margate Police Department using the non-emergency number, 954-764-4357

• For emergencies, call 911

• Issues that are non-emergency City support matters, that have been reported to the City multiple times, and do not appear to have been addressed, should be escalated by calling or emailing one or more of the City Commissioners. Multiple reports from multiple people about the same issue will often produce results. The names of the City Commissioners and their contact information is located at: https://www.margatefl.com/287/City-Commission

It is important for the residents of Coral Bay to recognize that our contact with the Management Company does not provide for a person to be on site full time, and that even if we had a person here, that they are neither trained nor authorized to handle police enforcement matters.
 

19. Where do I go to Vote?

As explained in item 3 above, the November general election is how candidates running for a CDD Board Seat get elected. Voters who are qualified to vote for Coral Bay Board Seats will receive a ballot that includes the candidates for each available seat that has more than one candidate. Seats having only one candidate will not appear on the ballot. How and where a qualified voter submits their ballot depends on how that person votes.

• For early voting, check the list of early voting places. The closest one should be at the Library building of the Broward College North Campus just south of Coconut Creek Parkway and just west of the Florida Turnpike

• For Election Day voting, go to the Coral Bay Clubhouse on South Bay Drive

• For Vote-by-Mail and Absentee voting, just mail the ballot in the instructed manner

For your information, voting for your HOA Board is handled as part of the HOA’s Annual Meeting, normally held between November and January. HOA Management is required to send information as to where and when the meeting will be and provide proxy forms should you choose to assign your vote to someone else. Check with your HOA Management company for how to run, who is running, and any other questions you may have.