Take It To The Board with Donna DiMaggio Berger

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail 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 environ...

Send us Fan Mail 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 welcom...

Send us Fan Mail 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, fo...

Send us Fan Mail 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 compa...

Send us Fan Mail 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 contribu...

Send us Fan Mail 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 thi...

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail 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 develo...

Send us Fan Mail 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 re...

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail 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 h...

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail 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 ke...

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail 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...

Send us Fan Mail 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 ind...

Send us Fan Mail Learn the secrets to help your community thrive on this week’s Take It To The Board podcast, as host Donna DiMaggio Berger sits down with Dawn Bauman , Senior Vice President of Government and Public Affairs at the Community Associations Institute (CAI). Dawn is a leading advocate for HOAs, condos, and co-ops across the U.S. and internationally. With nearly 50 public policy initiat...

Send us Fan Mail Whether replacing a roof, undergoing major concrete restoration, or updating your common areas, understanding construction contracts is essential to secure the best possible outcome for your repair or renovation projects. In this week’s Take It To The Board podcast, host Donna DiMaggio Berger unlocks the secrets to mastering construction contracts with Steven Lesser , Shareholder...

Send us Fan Mail Ready to reevaluate your perceptions of golf course communities and their design? In this episode, host Donna DiMaggio Berger takes you behind the scenes with Erik Larsen , Golf Course Architect and former Vice President of the Arnold Palmer Design Company, as he reveals the intricacies of transforming landscapes into world-class golf courses. Erik has overseen golf course project...

Send us Fan Mail Can ordinary citizens become heroes during a disaster? Discover how Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) help everyday people play essential roles in emergency situations. Join Take It To The Board host Donna DiMaggio Berger and guest Dr. Jesse P. Spearo, the Emergency Management Administrator for Miami-Dade County, as they share insights into how CERT volunteers provide cri...

Send us Fan Mail Millions of people depend on assistance animals to help them engage in major life activities. On the flip side, some people try to pass off their pets as assistance animals to skirt the rules in pet-restricted communities, restaurants, airplanes, and other places where pets are not allowed. So how do you spot the difference between a legitimate service or support animal and a fake...

Send us Fan Mail Navigating the complexities of community association governance is increasingly challenging due to evolving laws, heightened personal liability for board members, and onerous regulation including the personal information required of volunteer board members under the controversial Corporate Transparency Act. In this episode of Take It To The Board, host Donna DiMaggio-Berger and pr...

Send us Fan Mail Are you struggling with a hoarder in your association and need practical advice? Do your Association’s books and records need some attention now that new laws in Florida require them to be kept in an "organized fashion"? Tune in to "Take it to the Board" with Donna DiMaggio Berger as she unpacks these issues with a seasoned pro in organizing-Brenda Borenstein f...