Neighborhood News

Pool and Clubhouse Update - May 15, 2025
Termite Damage, Structural Repairs, and Engineering Assessment:
All termite damage was removed, the interior structure walls were rebuilt, and the signed drawings were submitted to the county. These drawings were originally rejected by the county because the title of the document wasn’t worded exactly as one of the choices. That was corrected and the drawings were submitted again.  

BDRS Permitting and Pinellas County Property Appraiser:
All required new documentation was submitted to Pinellas County BDRS to schedule an inspection appointment, again. Another refusal was sent from BDRS stating that we needed to contact the property appraiser’s office. The clubhouse and office sit on the same parcel of land per the county and have always been together on the appraisers site. I was advised by PCPAO that when they were creating FEMA letters that they noticed many properties that were originally set up like this and immediately removed the FEMA letters from their site, stating they would recreate new letters whenever someone noticed and called for a new letter. After more than a week, I received the new FEMA letter yesterday afternoon. A new BDRS form has been completed and will be submitted via the county portal this morning and an inspection will be called for again. Once this inspection is done, the remainder of the work can be done and a final inspection will be scheduled! 
Please keep in mind that the office and clubhouse are considered commercial property. The personnel at the county BDRS department in the commercial division are NOT reachable by phone and will only communicate through their portal, which usually takes 10 days. There is no amount of begging or screaming that will get anyone on the phone to speak with me, as I have tried multiple times. This entire process moves at the speed of Pinellas County BDRS and only having access to them via their portal has been brutal.  
Recently during this process a homeowner suggested we set up port-a-potties in the parking lot so we could at least open the pool. Another week into calling the county and leaving messages, I was advised that until the building is done the pool cannot be opened, as it would still be considered a hazardous area for anyone to be there.

Be advised that the contractors have worked weekends and will continue to do so when needed. Contractors are still very busy and are juggling multiple projects trying to get them completed. The last time they did so a homeowner approached them at 6:00 pm and told them they needed to leave so their son could take a nap. Please do not interfere with any contractors and/or workers just trying to get this all done. Sometimes it’s necessary for them to be here on a weekend day.

The speed with which this project has moved has nothing to do with the Board of Directors or the Property Manager. Pinellas County BDRS is the sole reason for the extended length of time this is taking and the changing mid-stream of their processes and forms. Even though commercial properties do not qualify for any FEMA program, we are all still held to FEMA reporting requirements.  


New Hurricane Relief Program - May 14, 2025

Pinellas County - Pinellas Recovers
2024 Hurricane Recovery Fund

Pinellas County was awarded $813 million by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). These Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds will support long-term recovery for our communities hit hard by Hurricanes Idalia, Helene and Milton. We need your input on our community’s biggest unmet needs, from home repair costs and rental assistance to rebuilding damaged water systems and infrastructure. These grants/funds are to assist homeowners, renters, and small businesses recover from hurricane damage. 

There will be a virtual meeting tomorrow night to review this draft action plan but you must register to attend.

Thursday, May 15, at 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.
https://recover.pinellas.gov/
You may also download the presentation and the Draft Action Plan from this website.


Pool and Clubhouse Update - April 16, 2025
Termite Damage and Structural Repairs:
As previously reported, the complete removal of drywall from the clubhouse walls revealed extensive, pre-existing termite damage. This necessitated the installation of new interior framing prior to the reinstallation of drywall.
Permitting and County Requirements:
All required documentation was submitted to Pinellas County BDRS to schedule an inspection appointment. After a delay of more than two weeks, the County responded with a request for engineered drawings detailing the new framing, which must be provided before they will proceed with the inspection.
Engineering Assessment:
An engineer has been retained and will be onsite tomorrow to take photographs and obtain a copy of the original clubhouse plans. The contractor is scheduled to begin work on the required drawings on Friday, with completion anticipated no later than next Thursday.
Drywall Installation:
Upon submission and approval of the engineered drawings by the County, drywall installation in the clubhouse will commence.
Bathroom Progress:
Drywall installation in the bathrooms has already been completed.
Drywall Inspection:
Once all drywall work is complete, an inspection will be scheduled with the County.
Finishing Work and Final Inspection:
Following successful inspection of the drywall, tile and bathroom fixtures will be installed. Electrical plugs and switches will be fitted into the new receptacles. A final inspection will then be requested.
Pool and Spa Cleaning:
The spa and pool have been thoroughly cleaned. The process took longer than anticipated due to the amount of debris present.
Pool Deck and Retention Wall:
The pool deck is scheduled to be pressure washed and repainted. Additionally, the retention wall, which required rebuilding due to rotted wood, is currently being reconstructed.
Please be assured that the HOA has in no way delayed the process of reopening the pool. We are just as eager as the homeowners of Wedgewood to see this valued amenity restored for community use. Unfortunately, the process has proven to be quite challenging due to the evolving requirements set forth by Pinellas County. The requirements often change, and after we submit the requested documentation, additional information is frequently required.
Also, we are required to work with the commercial permitting department, which can only be contacted via email, further contributing to delays. Our contractors are also managing multiple projects simultaneously, which can impact their availability. Nevertheless, we want to emphasize that our contractors have remained attentive to our needs and are committed to reopening the pool as soon as possible.
We appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate these complexities, and we will continue to keep the community updated on our progress.