FLTA TALLAHASSEE
Serving Over 4500 Title Professionals Throughout =
Florida
249 East Virginia Street, =
Tallahassee, FL=20
32301
PHONE (850) 681-6422
FAX (850) 681-6271
WATS (800) =
552-1065
James W. Smith, =
President
Lee Huszagh,=20
Executive Secretary/Treasurer; e-mail:
November 2000 PRESIDENT'S=20
REPORT After =
the events=20
of the past few weeks, a quote by the legendary race car driver, Mario =
Andretti,=20
seems particularly appropriate: "If you feel like you're in control, =
you're=20
probably going too slow". With that in mind, I'm excited that my year to =
serve=20
is starting out to be an interesting one.=20
This =
year's=20
convention should prove to be an important event in spite of it's poor=20
attendance by our Agent members. As usual, our Governmental Affairs =
Committee=20
was instrumental in our analysis of the "Butler" decision and the =
formation of=20
the Association's position and our direction for the coming legislative =
session.=20
For =
those members=20
unable to attend the convention or the Friday night Installation =
Banquet, I=20
highlighted the three areas I wish to focus the Association and it's =
membership=20
towards during the next year. First is our membership rate structure and =
make a=20
recommendation for change. In particular, they were asked to focus on a =
lower=20
initial rate to attract new members with expectations to retain them as=20
long-term members. Due to a concern over adequate notice to the =
membership the=20
vote to change our by-laws governing membership has been delayed until =
our=20
Winter meeting in Tallahassee on February 13-15, 2001. In a brief =
summary, the=20
by-laws would be modified to allow Attorney Agents to become full voting =
members. I'm told that we are one of the few State Title Associations =
that=20
doesn't allow Attorney Agents as full members. All members are =
encouraged to=20
attend the Winter meeting if for no other reason than to cast your vote =
on this=20
important amendment.=20
My =
second area of=20
focus is Communication. It is my observation that only a small =
percentage of our=20
membership is active in "business" of our Association, which is =
committee=20
participation and meeting attendance. Last year, several thousand =
dollars of=20
Association money was spent to upgrade our technology. Efforts are being =
made to=20
enhance our email capabilities to broadcast important information to the =
membership faster than before. If you don't feel you are on the =
distribution=20
list, call the Association office to be added to the list. We hope =
increased=20
communication will result in increased participation.=20
The =
third area is=20
lobbying. Our Association represents around 800 individuals which have =
the=20
ability to lobby for our issues and our livelihood. Most elected =
officials=20
consider issues to be "hot" after only 5 to 10 contacts are made to =
them. You=20
will be asked this year to help support or defeat legislation important =
to our=20
Association. After the recent election, if you are unsure how to contact =
your=20
Representative in the House or Senate, give Lee a call and he will help =
you with=20
addresses, etc.=20
I am =
truly honored=20
to serve in this capacity for this fine Association. If this Association =
is to=20
truly serve its membership, I/we need you input. Please contact Lee =
Huszagh or=20
myself anytime. Lee may be reached at leeh@flta.org or 800-552-1065. I =
may be=20
reached at jsmith@landam.com or 800-432-8518. Convention=20
Wrap-Up Amid the =
swirling=20
controversy of the Butler decision rendered by the Supreme Court only =
days=20
before the Florida Land Title Association convened in Sarasota for its =
annual=20
meeting. In addition to trying to come to some plan of action on what is =
the=20
proper response to Butler, the Association attended to the important =
business of=20
selecting new officers, holding its committee meetings, being educated =
and=20
entertained.=20
We were =
fortunate=20
to have Ginny Abiassi, Senior Vice President, Director of Communications =
and=20
Senior Underwriting Counsel for Stewart Title Guaranty Company addressed =
the=20
general session on the importance of being prepared for changes =
occurring in our=20
industry. Skip Straus, President and Founder of e-cloz.com gave a =
demostration=20
of the nation's first all electronic closing of a purchase and sale =
transaction.=20
Skip's firm, Enterprise Title is one of FLTA's new members. Cara =
Detring, newly=20
installed ALTA President spoke of the importance of the ALTA and FLTA in =
the=20
field of "grass roots" lobbying and having political clout on both the =
state and=20
national levels. Our educational segment was ably provided by Wayne =
Sobien, Jim=20
Russick and the team of Pat Hancock, Brian Branagan and Larry Furlong.=20
Due to =
notice=20
difficulties the proposed by-law amendment which would allow =
attorney-agents to=20
become regular members was deferred until the mid year meeting in =
Tallahassee=20
which will be held February 14, 2001. A new notice will be sent. =
New =
Officers The =
Annual FLTA=20
Convention held at the Hyatt on Sarasota Bay concluded with the =
installation of=20
its new officers. The officers of t he FLTA for 2000-2001 are as =
follows:=20
President, James=20
W. Smith, Commonwealth Land Title Insurance Company, Orlando; First Vice =
President and Chairman of the Agents' Section, Sam B. Waddill, First =
Title=20
Services of Tallahassee, Tallahassee; Zone I Vice President, Brian =
Plant,=20
Wakulla Title Company, Inc., Crawfordville; Zone II Vice President, Gail =
Hinson,=20
Old Republic National Title Insurance Company, Jacksonville; Zone III =
Vice=20
President, Steve Rumsey, American Pioneer Title Insurance Company, =
Casselberry;=20
Zone IV Vice President, Jim Carels, Chicago Title Insurance Company, =
Tampa; Zone=20
V Vice President, Bob Booth, Community Land Title Corp., Port St. Lucie; =
Zone VI=20
Vice President, Beverly McReynolds, Universal Land Insurors, Inc., =
Miami;=20
ZoneVII Vice President, Rich Yankowski, Executive Title Insurance =
Services,=20
Inc., Cape Coral; Immediate Past President, Kevin Hussey, CLC/CLS, =
Stewart Title=20
of Pinellas, Inc., St. Petersburg; Past Presidents Council Chairperson, =
Paula=20
Guttmann, Midwest Title Guarantee Company of Florida, Winter Park; CLT =
Institute=20
Council, Karen S. Price, CLC/CLS, Stewart Title of Pinellas, Inc., St.=20
Petersburg; Chairman of the Insurers' Section, John LaJoie, First =
American Title=20
Insurance Company, Tallahassee. The members of the Agents' Section =
Executive=20
Committee are: Sam Waddill; Trish Matarazzo, Alliance Title of Brevard, =
LLC,=20
Melbourne; F. Larry Joseph, Equitable Title Agency, Inc., Orlando; Kevin =
Arruda,=20
CLS, Metropolitan Title & Guaranty Company, Altamonte Springs; Marie =
Girard-Stoner, Girard Title Company, Homestead; Frank Sadro, Citizens =
Title=20
Group, Inc., Pensacola; Rosa Marie Peck, First Fidelity Title, Inc., =
Naples. The=20
members of the Insurers' Section Executive Committee are; John LaJoie, =
Charles=20
J. Birmingham, Stewart Title Guaranty Company, Tampa; F. Linton Sloan, =
Lawyers=20
Title Insurance Corporation, Orlando; Louis T. Guttmann, Attorneys' =
Title=20
Insurance Fund, Inc., Orlando; Kevin Thomas, Alliance Title of America, =
Inc.,=20
Orlando; Alan McCall, Chicago Title Insurance Company, Orlando; Larry =
Furlong,=20
Fidelity National Title Insurance Company of New York, Maitland. =
Mansfield=20
Awards
Thanks to the hard work of the Public =
Relations=20
Committee, Chairperson, Rhonda Utecht, and Committee Members Barbara =
Burke,=20
Nancy Roche, Cathleen Carney, Beverly McReynolds and Linda Gregory in =
raising=20
record amounts of raffle funds last year. Because of this, the Sam D. =
Mansfield=20
Memorial Scholarship Award was expanded to two $1,000.00 Scholarships =
this year.=20
The applications were submitted to Scott Pierce, Chairman of the Past =
Presidents=20
Council who, along with his committee selected Ben Graves and David =
Scott. Ben,=20
the son of Past President Bob Graves works in Tallahassee for First =
American=20
Title Insurance Company and attends Florida State University. Ben, a =
Senior, is=20
majoring in Human Resource Management in the School of Business and =
works in the=20
Payroll Department at First American where he is gaining practical "real =
world"=20
experience in the human resources field. David Scott, son of Tammy Scott =
with=20
LandAmerica, is a senior at the University of Central Florida currently=20
maintaining a grade point average of 3.6 in the School of Business =
majoring in=20
Marketing. He works part time for Southern Title and plans to enroll in =
graduate=20
school at Rollins College in Winter Park after attaining his BA degree. =
With a=20
Masters Degree in Marketing, and practical title insurance experience, =
David=20
would be a welcomed addition to any title industry position. Both these =
young=20
men are well deserving of our Sam D. Mansfield Scholarship Award. Send Us Your =
News=20
This is your newsletter. If you have any news or =
information=20
that you would like to share with your fellow FLTA members, please call =
or send=20
it to our office. We will gladly print it in the Association=20
newsletter.=20
Golf =
Tournament=20
The Golf Tournament was held at the =
challenging=20
Legacy Golf Course in Sarasota. Kevin Arruda was tournament director =
this year=20
and did a wonderful job of organizing our annual tournament. The winners =
were as=20
follows: 1st place Barbara Burke, Leon Basye, Alan McCall and Frank =
Sadro, 12=20
under par; 2nd place were Jim Smith, John Obzud, Skipper Henderson and =
Jim=20
Clark, 10 under par; 3rd place were Mike Conway, Ken Rossburg, John =
Templeton=20
and Mike Glass.=20
Mens Long Drive, Jim Smith; Women's =
Long Drive,=20
Barbara Burke, Mens closest to the Pin, Jim Smith, Women's Closest to =
the Pin,=20
Debbie Smith.=20
TIFPAC Gift =
Made by=20
TATA=20
The Association of Title Agents has made another generous =
contribution of=20
$1,500.00 to the FLTA political action committee fund this year. The =
Association=20
of Title Agents, also known as TATA is composed of Dade County and =
Broward=20
County title industry people who meet monthly in Coral Gables. The =
membership is=20
composed of many FLTA luminaries such as, Past Presidents and Denham =
Award=20
Winners Marge Schwartz and Bill Randol current Zone VII Vice President =
and past=20
Agents' Section Executive Committee member Beverly McReynolds, Past Zone =
VII=20
Vice President and current Agents' Section Executive Committee member =
Marie=20
Girard-Stoner, Honorary Life Member Skip Boos and other active members =
of the=20
FLTA. They are loyal and supportive members of the FLTA and hold their =
monthly=20
meetings at John Martin's Restaurant in Coral Gables. For more =
information on=20
TATA call Beverly, Bill, Marge, Marie or Skip.=20
Matt Frasure, CLS Named State Agency Manager for Fidelity=20
Veteran title insurance executive Matthew "Matt" Frasure, CLS, has =
joined=20
Fidelity National Title Insurance Company of New York as State Agency =
Manager=20
for Florida and the Caribbean.=20
Mr. Frasure, who was previously employed by Lawyers Title Insurance=20
Corporation in a similar position, will oversee agency sales, title =
production=20
and management of Fidelity's agency network in Florida and the Caribbean =
and=20
Puerto Rico=20
Mr. Frasure who was more than23 years experience in the title =
industry will=20
be based in the company's headquarters in Maitland.=20
The Florida Land Title Association congratulates Matt Frasure on his =
new=20
position.=20
Mark your =
calendars for the=20
upcoming Winter Meeting to be held at the Radisson in Tallahassee on =
February=20
13th-15th, 2001=20
Registration for =
this event=20
will be in December's Newsletter.=20
We look forward =
to seeing=20
everyone there!=20
by
James W. Smith
Florida Land Title =
Association
FLTA Members $50.00
Tax 3.50
Shipping 4.00
TOTAL $57.50
Non-members $75.00
Tax 5.25
Shipping 4.00
TOTAL $84.25
Total = Enclosed____________________________
Name___________________________________
Company________________________________
Address_________________________________
City/State/Zip_____________________________
Florida Land Title Association
Membership=20
Directory
ORDER FORM
Inserts Only=20
FLTA Members $15.00
Tax 1.05
Shipping 2.31
TOTAL=20
$18.36
Non-members $25.00
Tax 1.75
Shipping 2.31
TOTAL=20
$29.06
__________Copies @___________each
Binders Only =
________=20
Copies @ $3.00 each
Inserts & =
Binders
FLTA=20
Members $18.00
Tax 1.26
Shipping 4.00
TOTAL =
$23.26
Non-members=20
$28.00
Tax 1.96
Shipping 4.00
TOTAL $33.96
Total=20
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