PRESIDENTS CORNER

MODIFICATION APPROVAL (ARC)

Eva Rey,

President of Central Viera Community Association

Looks like it is time to get all HOA-y on you again. Sitting in ARC (Architectural Review Committee) meetings over the last couple of months, I am noticing more and more residents who are making exterior modifications, sometimes significant, without ARC approval and only ended up at ARC because they received a violation. I understand that some residents, especially newer ones, do not realize you need approval for changes you see all over like widened driveways and landscaping. However, ANY exterior modification requires approval. Yes, I mean ANY modification. What we don’t want to happen is for someone to make a very expensive modification that isn’t allowed and then they have to undo it, which happens!

This is not a “control” issue. Trust me. I would rather not spend hours reviewing and discussing ARC applications each month. The ARC process is to ensure everyone is operating from the same playbook and to maintain the community’s aesthetic guidelines. Believe it or not, not everyone has the same aesthetic palate, and beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. By ensuring everyone follows the same guidelines, conflicts over the color of a house or a bold landscaping plan are eliminated.

Whether you like it or not, Viera is an HOA community and when you choose to live in an HOA community, there are rules to...



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Join the Hygiene Drive:

How you can support foster families and kids in need

Chelsea Payne,

Community Management Coordinator

This month, CVCA is proud to support the Brevard County Foster and Adoptive Parent Association (BCFAPA) and Brevard County Schools through a community hygiene drive. To better understand the mission of this vital organization and how we can help, I spoke with Mary Grace, Co-founder and Director of Community Connections at BCFAPA.

BCFAPA was founded in 2024 by three foster families who had walked the journey themselves. Their mission is to build a support network for foster and adoptive families, provide education, and encourage community involvement. The organization is entirely run by volunteers and was born out of the recognition that foster families often lack the guidance and emotional support they need, especially when just starting.

“Fifty percent of foster parents quit within the first year,” Mary Grace explained. “We realized that to best support the kids in the foster system, we need to first support the families who were opening their homes to them.”

Mary Grace, who has personally fostered 11 children over six years, saw firsthand the challenges that came with navigating the system. Her role with BCFAPA is all about building bridges between foster families and the community, to help make an impact in these families’ lives, as well as shedding light on what fostering really looks like.



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