The day that I was first introduced to our new Property Manager, David Lawrence, was just about a year ago when our then current manager, Ed, brought him by with an electrician to fix the service pole to my mobile home.
I had moved into the DEMHP a few months earlier and I had been hounding Ed to get the pole fixed, getting every excuse in the book. I know from the picture it doesn’t look so bad. It’s leaning just enough to cause some major slack in the wires. I could grab a hold of them while standing on the ground. The service drop was hitting the sharp edge of the metal roof of my mobile home every time there was a good gust of wind. At any time, my home was going to be lit up like a Christmas tree. One night, I finally had enough.
During a really good storm, I’m laying in bed listening to the wires smacking my trailer hard, wondering if tonight was the night sparks were going to fly. The next day I called Florida Power & Light to ask them to kindly explain to Ed the urgency in preventing such a disaster. They came out and checked on my situation and then took a pretty good look at the rest of the park. Shortly after that, we had a new manager and I had a new pole. They are still finding and fixing the electrical problems in the park, thanks to David.
I don’t know if this had anything to do with Ed’s leaving. It was never my intention to rock the boat. I just wanted my pole fixed and to get some sleep. I had no idea of just how bad the rest of the park was in. From what I’ve been told, Ed’s time was due.
Since then, I’ve gotten to know David fairly well. He has a wonderful sense of humor, but watch out, he’s a bit mischievous. A little devious. A lot of fun to be around. The perfect choice for a manager.
David has done a wonderful job trying to bring the park back to it’s glory. The front entrance looks beautiful (thanks Kim) with the sign area all cleaned up and flowers planted. The gazebo has a new fresh coat of paint. The trees all got trimmed. Even the trash dumpsters no longer look trashy.
It’s not just what people see, there is a ton of work that takes place behind the scenes. The bookkeeping, which everybody hates to do. Dealing with the daily drama, funny or not. Just putting up with all the crap that it takes to keep the place functional.
We do appreciate you David (and Kim). Congratulations on your first year. May you have many more to come.
P.S.
Let the boss know that a place this size demands an Assistant Manager to deal with things while you have any or get any needed time off. You deserve it.