Pool/Gate Update

Owners,
 
We wanted to provide an update on the status of the gate.  We have reached out to the fire marshal about the temporary gate multiple times, only to find out that he was on vacation last week.  We are moving forward with a gate via the gate company as they have said they will expedite this for us.  Below are the steps that have to be taken or have been taken to complete this work.
 
  1. Gate company came out to measure and design gate drawings.
  2. We submit those plans and obtain a permit for approval.
  3. If approved we contact the gate company to build gate, if not we start over again to see what they want.
  4. Once the gate is built it is sent off to get the proper coating along with the hardware.
  5. When that is done the gate company schedules an install date.
  6. After install we call the fire marshal back and hopefully we pass and we are good to go, if not we make the adjustments.
  7. This is like all the projects we have done since the hurricanes. We stay on everyone, but we are at their mercy as far as the time frames go.
  8. We have to get the lock smith to install the panic bar. We have him lined up.

May 21 Auction

Tropic Shores Resort announces an auction of select timeshare units due to delinquent maintenance fees. Only the units specified in the table below are included in this sale. Please note that Tropic Shores staff are not authorized to provide information regarding this auction. The auction will feature timeshare units and weeks as outlined in the attached table. This sale pertains exclusively to units previously notified of foreclosure proceedings due to unpaid maintenance fees. Other units within Tropic Shores Resort are unaffected.

Date:  May 21, 2025 
Time:  11:00am

News Reservation Process Starts May 2

Owners,
 
Friday, May 2nd is the first time we are going to use the new reservation form.  So, for anyone who wants to book for May 2, 2026, you will need to fill out the form after 9:00am this Friday May 2, 2025.  Remember, it is ONE YEAR from the date of check in, so, if you want to book for next year, you need to look at the check-in date for the year you want to reserve.
 
Example: Week 18, 2025 calendar was May 3rd, but week 18 for 2026 is May 2nd . May 2nd falls on Friday so this will be the day you need to submit your form.
 
Note:  You can only make your reservation (if doing so one year in advance) via the online form.  No other method will be accepted.  You must also provide your owner number.  If you don’t know it, you can get it via the owners’ portal or you can contact the resort ahead of time and ask them to let you know what it is.

Pool Update: April 24, 2025

As many of you may have seen from Facebook posts, the health inspector came out to do an inspection of the pool and hot tub.  There was another inspector there as well, but the important part is that we passed our inspection.  The frustrating part is that the fire marshal was supposed to be there as well, but didn’t show up.  A day or two later, the fire marshal came by for his inspection.  Previously, it was mentioned that we were going to have to install a second gate (at the same height as the one leading to the beach) along the fence line running parallel to the parking lot.  We asked why this was needed and we were told it was “in case of a fire, there will be two exits from the pool deck.”  Sometime after, we were told that, in fact, it was not going to be needed.  At this last inspection, the fire marshal reversed course and is now requiring the gate.  This is indicative of what we have faced throughout these projects.  The gate will have to be ordered and then sent for coating.  It must also have a crash bar on it allowing people to exit but not enter via the gate.  This will take some time, so in order to open as soon as we can, we are asking trying to get a permit to put a temporary gate in place with a crash bar.  This will not be the permanent gate, but if approved, we won’t have to wait for the permanent before opening the pool.  We will keep owners updated as soon as we have information about this.

Reservation Process Follow-up

Based on the comments/posts we’ve seen on the owners’ Facebook page, it would appear that some clarification needs to be made to help some understand why the Board has enacted a new 365 day reservation policy and how it works.  For the first time, we are posting a video in the hopes that it might serve as a better tool for communicating this policy.  If any owner has a question about this policy, or has any constructive comments to share about this policy, please email the Board secretary at:  secretary@tropicshoresresort.com

Pool Update

Owners,
The Board wanted to let you know that we are scheduled to have the health inspection of our pool on April 18.  There are a number of additional inspections that must be completed, but these have been or being scheduled as we attempt to wrap everything up with the pool.

New Reservation Process

Owners:
 
If you have read the Board minutes, looked at our news area on our website, or viewed Facebook, you will likely know that there has been a great deal of frustration with the reservation process for the most popular weeks.  Specifically, owners try to book the week they want 365 days in advance (the earliest one can book in advance) but find that all rooms have already been booked.  One of the factors leading to this is that some owners who own multiple weeks book multiple rooms one year in advance with no intention of staying at the resort.  Instead, they rent the rooms out.  After a great deal of discussion among Board members and input from owners, the Board has come to the conclusion that this is not fair to our owners who wish to use the resort for purposes of vacations rather than monetary gain.  As such, the Board will implement a new reservation policy, which will take effect May 1, 2025.  This is not going to please every owners, but we feel it is the fairest system we can come up with and ensures the greatest opportunity for our owners to get the weeks they want.
 
Please remember, this only applies to those who are making a reservation request 365 days in advance.
 
NEW PROCESS WHEN MAKING YOUR RESERVATION
 
When booking your owner’s week, you may do so on the start date of the next year (i.e. 365 days in advance) by ONLY ONE PROCESS NOW, which is a submission form found on our website at www.tropicshoresresort.com.  Again, this is the only way we will allow request to come in starting May 1st, 2025.  Submission forms cannot be submitted earlier than 9:00AM EST, the day of the next year you want to book.  YOUR REQUEST WILL BE DENIED IF PREPAYMENT HAS NOT BEEN RECEIVED PRIOR TO MAKING YOUR REQUEST.  PAYMENTS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED THE DAY THAT YOU SUBMIT YOUR REQUEST.
 
There is still no guarantee that you will get that week you are requesting but we find that this is the only fair way for our owners to get the week they want without having to compete with owners that are here in person, call in, leave messages or emails.
 
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU KNOW YOUR OWNER NUMBER. YOU CAN NOT SUBMIT A REQUEST WITHOUT IT.  Call, email, or log into the owners’ portal prior to submitting your reservation request if you don’t know your owner number and we will be happy to get that for you.
 
If you would like to pay by credit card, you can do so by calling the resort anytime or going to our website at www.tropicshoresresort.com under the owners’ portal section.  There is a 3% credit or debit card fee added to any online or phone payments made.  MAKE SURE YOUR PREPAYMENT IS MADE PRIOR TO REQUESTING YOUR WEEK.
 
REMINDERS WHEN MAKING YOUR RESERVATION 365 DAYS IN ADVANCE:
  • Only one submission form per account number PER 24 HOUR PERIOD.
  • No more than FOUR units PER FORM can be submitted for the week you are requesting.
  • You must know your account number to submit the form.
  • Prepayment of your maintenance fees for the units you wish to book must be made BEFORE submitting the form.
  • Requests must be made no earlier than 9:00am EST
  • Requests cannot be submitted earlier than the year to the start date of the week you are wanting to book.
Here is a quick example:  Let’s assume I want to book 6 of my units for July 11, 2026 – July 18, 2026 AND, I’m going submit my reservation request on July 11, 2025:
  • I will only be allowed to book 4 of my units ON THIS DAY.  These can be a combination of 2-bedroom or 1-bedroom units if I own both, but I’ll be limited to 4.
  • I can only make my reservation request via the online form.
  • I cannot submit my request prior to 9:00am EST.
  • All of my maintenance fees must be paid in full prior to the submission day.
  • I will need to know my owner’s number.
If I want to submit a reservation request for the other two units on the next day (July 12 per this example), I may.
 
Again, there is no perfect solution to this issue, but the Board has decided that this is the best way to give our owners the best opportunity to get the weeks they want rather than those weeks going to renters.

Pool Update: 1-2-25

Owners,
The Board wanted to pass on the latest update with the pool.  Unfortunately, we’ve had some setbacks.  As a result of the last storm, some of our new pool pumps were covered in water and ruined.  We contacted All Aqua, our pool contractor, and discussed this with them.  The pumps are under warranty, and it is our feeling that they should be replaced under that warranty.  Additionally, we told them that we feel they were not installed correctly, or this would not have happened.  If they installed the pumps incorrectly and this voided the warranty, we expect them to replace the pumps at their cost.  This seems like a straightforward matter; however, nothing with this pool construction project has come easily.  Just recently, All Aqua sold their company.  Now, two gentlemen own the company and are new to the history of the construction project and the struggles we’ve had with the company prior to their purchasing it.  Two of our board members met with the two owners and two of their employees (one being the previous owner).  There was a “lively” conversation, and our position was made quite clear.  The new owners will be getting back to us about how they intend to correct these matters.  We have hope that this will be taken care of to our satisfaction, or we will look into other options.
 
We are sure there are specific questions and/or opinions that owners will have; however, we ask that you hold those until we get some definitive answers from the new owners.  We also ask that folks not speculate about what is happening or will happen on Facebook as it only stirs up ill-informed comments and does not benefit the Board’s efforts.
 
We will keep our owners posted as we learn more.

Owners’ Portal Message

Owners: If you attempt to access the owners’ portal, you may receive a message saying the site is not safe.  This usually suggests the SSL certificate (assures a site is safe) has expired; however, I checked with our provider and it has not.  There appears to be an error with the reservation software related to the portal.  We will be reaching out to the developer to correct this.  In the meantime, you should be able to click on the “Advanced” link or something that may read “Proceed Anyway” and still access the portal.  Once the error is fixed, you won’t see the message any longer.