Take It To The Board with Donna DiMaggio Berger
Think you know what community association life is all about? Think again. Residents must obey the rules, directors must follow the law, and managers must keep it all running smoothly! Take It to the Board explores the reality of life in a condominium, cooperative or homeowners’ association, what’s really involved in serving on its board, and how to maintain that ever-so-delicate balance of being legally compliant and community spirited. Leading community association attorney Donna DiMaggio Berger acknowledges the balancing act without losing her sense of humor as she talks with a variety of association leaders, experts, and vendors about the challenges and benefits of the community association lifestyle. If you've got questions, Take It To The Board with Donna DiMaggio Berger - We Speak Condo & HOA!
Episodes
It’s common knowledge that Florida is one of the hottest markets in the U.S. – whether you’re considering a personal lifestyle upgrade or a new environment for your business. But that influx of people and industry, coupled with the state’s numerous sunny days, is a recipe for an extreme heat event and can spell disaster for an unprepared infrastructure.
Host Donna DiMaggio Berger and featured guest Jane Gilbe...
In an emergency, timing is everything. What if a resident collapses on the pickleball court, suspicious activity is spotted near your property, or a crisis unfolds when you least expect it? The traditional safety net of gates, guards, and cameras falls short without one critical element: immediate, reliable communication.
In this week’s episode of Take It To The Board, host Donna DiMaggio Berger talks with Geno Roefaro...
Have you ever wondered if you recognize that stunning condo or picturesque community you see in a movie or TV? Take It To The Board host Donna DiMaggio Berger and Christina Labuzetta, owner of Location Resources and member of the Location Managers Guild International, pull back the curtain on the fascinating world of location scouting for private residences and communities.
For association boards and homeowners conte...
The ongoing activities throughout the U.S. by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been dominating the news cycle recently and concerns and questions are growing about what to do if you or someone you love has an interaction with ICE at your place of employment, school or inside your community. Association boards face unique challenges in today's immigration environment. Should boards and their manageme...
The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season is already underway—and it's expected to be an active one, with forecasts calling for 17 to 25 named storms, up to 13 hurricanes, and as many as 7 major hurricanes. For Florida’s community associations, that means flood preparedness is no longer optional—it’s urgent.
In this episode of Take It to the Board, host Donna DiMaggio Berger welcomes Maurice Huffman, inventor of StormBag...
Life in community associations can feel like a pressure cooker—board members navigating tough calls, homeowners facing surprise assessments, and industry professionals managing nonstop demands. The common thread? Stress. In this week’s Take It To The Board podcast, host Donna DiMaggio Berger welcomes Dr. Tai Johnson, a specialist in acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine, for a fascinating conversation on how ho...
In this special 100th episode of Take It To The Board, we’re excited to welcome back our very first guest, James Donnelly. When host Donna DiMaggio Berger first sat down with James in 2021, he was leading Castle Group, one of Florida’s largest community association management firms. Now, they reunite to reflect on the extraordinary journey James has taken since selling the company. Together, they explore the motivatio...
Have you ever stopped to think about what’s really coming out of your faucets? This week on Take It To The Board, host Donna DiMaggio Berger sits down with Ed Padula of Quality Water Consultants to uncover the hidden truths about the water we drink, cook with, and bathe in every day. You might be surprised by what’s flowing through your community's pipes and what is contributing to the inevitable water leaks in m...
Documenting the condition of your association property has become crucial to comply with new legal requirements as well as to maximize your insurance claims post casualty. Transparency, accessibility, and digital organization also play the critical role of helping to protect resident safety.
Digital documentation pioneer Trish Mackie-Smith joins host Donna DiMaggio-Berger for this episode of Take It To The Board to di...
Condominiums and HOAs may dominate Florida's shared ownership landscape, but cooperative associations offer a fascinating alternative with their own distinct legal framework and operational quirks. This week, Board-certified community association attorney and Becker shareholder David Rogel joins Take It To The Board host Donna DiMaggio Berger to unravel the mysteries of this older form of shared ownership that co...
Flooding is a harsh reality for communities across Florida and the U.S. Rising tides, storm surges, and unpredictable weather have left many searching for solutions beyond sandbags and hope. But what if you could physically lift your home—or even an entire building—out of harm’s way?
In this episode of Take It To the Board, host Donna DiMaggio Berger sits down with Wayne Fairley, founder and managing director of Planet...
Have you ever wondered about the where, why, what and when questions that developers ask themselves before deciding on their new construction projects? Then this episode of Take It To The Board, is for you. Join us as host Donna DiMaggio Berger sits down with Jennifer Bales Drake, a key figure in Becker’s real estate practice, to break down the opportunities and obstacles developers face today and how those issues ult...
Living in mixed-use communities and condo hotels offers certain conveniences but can also pose unique challenges that require careful consideration. In this episode of Take It To The Board, host Donna DiMaggio Berger teams up with Becker attorney Allison Hertz to explore the dynamics of the mixed use lifestyle, legal implications, financial responsibilities, and the day-to-day realities of living in these types of com...
Our last episode of Take It To The Board involved a discussion with an owner in a luxury high-rise who had become disenchanted with some of the governance issues in his community. Today's episode takes us further on that path as host Donna DiMaggio Berger sits down with Spencer Hennings, who brings firsthand knowledge as Florida’s former Condominium Ombudsman about the types of owner complaints he saw time and a...
Everyone knows that boards and management are the decision makers in community associations—but what’s it like to be on the receiving end of those choices?
In this week’s episode of Take It To The Board, host Donna DiMaggio Berger flips the script with a guest who provides a candid look at life within a condominium association where he believes things are going awry. To protect his privacy and avoid potential backlash,...
This week’s episode of Take It To The Board explores a topic that resonates deeply with many community association boards: the impact rentals have on a community and how to balance an owner's desire to lease out his or her unit with the association's desire to foster a stable and invested resident population.
Renters can sometimes feel like outsiders, perceived as being less connected to the community’s long...
Join host Donna DiMaggio Berger on this week’s Take It To The Board podcast as she welcomes Chris Dyer, a motivational speaker, author, and former CEO who’s led teams of thousands. Ranked as the #1 leadership speaker on culture by Inc. Magazine, Chris is known for his best-selling books, The Power of Company Culture and Remote Work. Together, Donna and Chris share insights on keeping people motivated, overcoming adver...
The aftermath of the Champlain Towers tragedy has led to a flurry of legislative responses, but are they hitting the mark? Was the Florida Legislature's response to the Champlain Towers tragedy misguided in terms of overlooking some key factors that led to that deadly collapse and placing some obligations on the parties least able to shoulder them? Join Take It To The Board host Donna DiMaggio Berger as she unp...
On this week’s episode of Take It To The Board podcast, we're opening the doors—and windows—to a topic that’s both timely and critical for community associations both in hurricane season and year-round impact doors and windows. Host Donna DiMaggio Berger and guest Ben Friedman, owner and President of CitiQuiet Windows, explore the ins and outs of impact-resistant windows and doors: what they do, what they cost an...
In the aftermath of Helene's wrath and Milton's threatening approach, this week’s episode of Take It To The Board, hosted by Donna DiMaggio Berger, takes us on the emotional journey of community association industry veterans Wayne Srsen and Kelly Kuhn as they share their firsthand experiences with natural disasters and the insurance industry. They also highlight the indispensable roles of first responders an...
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.