Commissioner Michelle Gomez, Homeowner Marie Roseme, Mayor Harry Dresser, Senator Jeff Clemens, and Vice Mayor Pamela Bushnell
By: Sharon Aron Baron
After months of living with an unsightly blue tarp on her home, one homeowner was able to publicly thank the people who made it possible for her to have a brand new roof over her head.
Marie Roseme, who has been living in the Woodlands Country Club for four years and the City of Tamarac for 11, is a home healthcare nurse and single mother of three boys. She also has her hands full with her youngest child in a special needs program for children with autism.
Last spring, she came home from work to find water all over her house from a roof leak. The next day she called her insurance company, but they denied her claim, so she said she had no choice but to put a blue tarp over her house. After some time, the Section Two association had to report her to the City of Tamarac where she was facing fines.
She showed the inspector at the City how bad the problems were, and how water was gushing into her home when it rained. Unfortunately, she was too high up on the list to receive any kind of help through a grant. But fortunately, the City gave her information on The Florida PACE Funding Agency Program and did not fine her once she started working with them.
Roseme was happy with the immediate response she received from PACE. “I didn’t even know them, they didn’t even know me. When I tell you that these people worked with me side by side and they understand my situation – and since then, we’ve been a team, and I believe in teamwork because I’m a nurse myself.”
A press conference was held in front of Roseme’s home on Tuesday where in attendance were: Senator Jeff Clemens, VP FAIR, Energy & Wind Mitigation Programs, Tamarac Mayor Harry Dressler, Vice Mayor Pamela Bushnell, Commissioner Michelle Gomez and Executive Director of the Tamarac Chamber of Commerce Peter Mason.
Roseme was happy with the contractor that she chose out of the recommendations: J & M Contractors of South Florida.
“He came, he saw my problem and said he would give me a roof in five days. ‘I said no Jim, that’s incredible, it’s impossible for you to give me my roof in five days.’ ‘He said watch me.’ He started on Monday and on Saturday my roof was done. My roof was done!”
The Florida PACE Funding Agency is a local government formed in 2011 as a public service to Florida Cities and counties. Tamarac, Pompano Beach and Pembroke Pines are currently the only Broward County cities that have the program available.
Florida PACE funding finances certain types of qualifying projects such as energy efficient, wind mitigation, and solar improvements.
“Roseme picked her own contractor through a list of contractors that we’ve screened, just to make sure they have a license and insurance and to make sure they’re doing permitted work,” said PACE Program Manager Jonathan Schaefer.
Schaefer said that financing through PACE Funding is statutorily enabled and allows property owners to obtain financing that’s not based on their credit scores, but based on the value of their property. It’s also 100 percent financing with no out of pocket costs. To qualify, the homeowner can’t have any missed or late tax payments in the last three years, they have to be current on their mortgage, and they can’t be in foreclosure or have any bankruptcies in the last three years. He said that improvements can also be paid by cash or credit card as well a bank financing as well.
One of the ways the financing is paid back is is through he property owner’s annual property tax bill. If they sell their property, PACE payments may either be assumed by the next property owner or be settled at the time of sale.
Roseme wanted to thank the City of Tamarac for introducing her to the PACE program.
“I feel good by living in a City like that. If I become a millionaire, which I’m working on it, I would never want to move to no other place but the City of Tamarac. And I’m very grateful to have PACE and to have Jim that did my roof.”
Want more information on Florida PACE? Contact www.EvestFlorida.com
