Thirty-one years ago, when I was asked to help my community by serving on the Board of Trustees of the Bloomingdale Special District, I agreed… because it’s always been my firm belief that everyone should find a way to give back to their community.
Little did I know, however, that I would be the Board’s President just three months later—and that three months after that, the folks who had asked me to serve would retire and leave me with a Board of newbies!
Well, we survived—and in the process, we learned a whole lot about running a Hillsborough County Special Dependent District. After a six-year stint, I founded my first property management company in 1998 and managed a single Tax District: Logan Gate Village. Twenty-five years later, I’m still managing Logan Gate Village, along with other homeowners’ associations, as well as the three other largest dependent tax Districts in Hillsborough County.
Sunshine is a brand-new company with an innovative and different business model, which allows us to provide remote support services to Special Districts and HOAs alike. Our purpose is to provide expert, efficient, and affordable services to these clients—because without the kind of help we offer, it can be difficult (especially for new volunteer Trustees) to understand and commit to the amount of work required to properly run a District.
What we can offer is the administrative assistance most Districts need along with the professional support of our contract CPA, who provides the monthly financials and prepares your District for any required annual audits. We stop short of being a full-service contractor, in that we do not attend meetings or perform any onsite work or inspections. Instead, we focus on providing the critical backroom help a strong Board needs to fulfill all its obligations so that it can carry on with its onsite work.
Managing Member
LPCS, CCLA, CMCA, AMS, GI-BMP
With decades of extensive experience in Special District management, Rick is a long-time Floridian who is dedicated to providing outstanding professional services to his clients.
Rick grew up near Chicago and graduated from Northern Illinois University before marrying his beautiful wife Katy and moving to the Tampa area in 1986. After working in the insurance industry for Allstate and USAA for twelve years while he and Katy raised their three daughters, Rick began his service as President of the Bloomingdale Special District, which continued for five years. His involvement there sparked a deep interest in community associations, and in 1998, Rick started his very first management company.
Rick believes strongly in professional growth and continuing education, which is evidenced in part by the following management and insurance designations he carries: Legal Principles Claims Specialist (LPCS), Casualty Claims Law Associate (CCLA), Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA), and Association Management Specialist (AMS). In addition, Rick was one of the very first Floridians to be certified in Green Industries Best Management Practices for Protection of Water Resources (GI-BMP).
Managing Member
CMCA, AMS, GI-BMP, FFLPC
Born and raised just outside of Colorado Springs, Colorado, Krista moved to Florida in 2016, and now lives in the Brandon area with her husband and their three adorable mutts. In 2017, she joined Merit Management and shortly thereafter became a Florida-licensed community association manager.
Krista is dedicated to being one of the most knowledgeable managers in the industry. A member of the Community Associations Institute (CAI), Krista has earned both the Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA) and the Association Management Specialist (AMS) designations.
In addition, Krista is always on the lookout for further educational and training opportunities that will help her excel in the industry. She holds the certification in Green Industries Best Management Practices (GI-BMP) and recently passed her Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Professional Certification (FFLPC).
In her free time, Krista loves to romp with her pups, hike, travel with her husband, and hang out on the beach, where she has been known, on occasion, to enjoy a margarita.
