Make plans to attend the Annual ECAR RPAC Fundraiser, Friday, August 13. Come out for food, fun, and libations. Both a live and silent auction will be conducted with Ben Anderson as auctioneer. Vacations for two, dinners, and other great items will be auctioned off to raise funds for RPAC.

The Realtors® Political Action Committee (RPAC) is the nation's largest, most successful and most bipartisan political action committee. Your voluntary investment is used to improve your bottom line in several ways: Through issues mobilization, political advocacy, and by directly supporting candidates at the local, state, and federal levels of government who champion the ideals and principles of Realtors®. RPAC is your best investment in real estate. Click here for more information about RPAC.

The top initiatives for 2010 include defeating Amendment 4 (Vote No on 4!), supporting Realtor® friendly candidates and legislation, and working at the national level with the continued struggles over the National Flood Insurance Program. Read the July RPAC Newsletter from Florida Realtors® for more information.

Attend the ECAR RPAC fundraiser, Friday, August 13 at ECAR beginning at 5:00 p.m. to have fun and make a difference. To RSVP, contact Michaela Benjamin or sign up online.

This year is a big year for local, state, and national elections. It’s also a big year for ECAR Elections. Due to the changes in ECAR bylaws last year, this year a Vice President will also be elected. The Emerald Coast Association of Realtors® is run by a board of directors who are elected and decide the direction ECAR will take through policies and strategic planning. The Board of Directors currently has 18 members with eight seats becoming available for this year’s election. To apply for a specific director position, you must be a member of that chapter. Anyone meeting the qualifications may apply for the At-large Director, Assistant Treasurer, Vice President, and President-Elect positions. The elections are coming up fast and applications are being accepted through August 9 for the following positions (members who have submitted their applications are also listed):

President-Elect – 1 applicant: Judi Rutland
Vice President – 2 applicants: Jan Hooks, Sam Kinkaid
Assistant Treasurer – 1 applicant: Judy Griffin
At-large Director – 3 applicants: Tom Miesen, Bob Mims, Tina Starling
Crestview Chapter Director
Destin Chapter Director – 1 applicant: Jamie Huggins
Fort Walton Beach Chapter Director
South Walton County Chapter Director – 1 applicant: Jeannie Wilson

To apply, click on the position above, fill out the application, attach a photo, and submit the application electronically or by printing it. Qualifications and a description of the position and complete instructions are included in the application. Contact us with questions about chapter affiliation, the election process, or anything else at michaela@ecaor.com or 850-243-6145. Voting will begin in September, and the winners will be announced at the Annual Membership Meeting on October 8.

Supra Key Renewal

It’s that time of year again. Time to renew the annual lease of the Active keys. The good news is that this year the key lease is going DOWN!

In an ongoing effort to save ECAR members money, the Board of Directors passed a motion at its July 22 meeting to amend the Supra contract, extending it an additional two years in exchange for returning the key lease fee to the 2008 amount. This will result in a savings of almost $20 for each Active key holder when compared to the projected fees for the 2010-2011 year.

With this contract amendment, the monthly eKey fees (for those using Smartphones, or PDA’s) will also go down to match the prorated Active key fees. eKey users will see an almost $5 per month decrease for their user fees, compared to projected fees.

The renewal fee for the Active key will be $183.96 plus applicable tax. The eKey basic service will be $15.33 plus tax per month, and the eKey Professional service will be $23.95 plus tax per month.

Supra will be pulling the data for the Active key bill on Saturday, July 24, 2010. Anyone getting an Active key after this date will pay the remainder of this year’s lease fees, plus next year’s lease fees. These lease renewal invoices will be sent from Supra to each keyholder by mail or email, and are due August 25^, 2010. These invoices can be paid by mailing a check, calling the Supra Support phone number to pay by credit/debit card, or online through SupraWeb.com. This link is also available on the home page of the MLS and on EmeraldCoastRealtors.com. Please do NOT bring your payment to ECAR; we cannot process the payment. The eKey fee change will take effect after the next billing year begins, August 26, 2010.

If you have any questions regarding the key system, the billing process, or SupraWeb.com, please call us at 850-244-2411, or email to susan@ecaor.com.

There are plenty of Realtors® who contribute to their local community, the real estate business, and the Association who never take credit for their hard work. This is your opportunity to make sure their contributions are recognized. Nominate your favorite Realtor® for ECAR’s Realtor® of the Year today!

Nominations for ECAR Realtor® of the Year will be accepted through August 31, 2010 and may be submitted by email to Michaela Benjamin, fax to 850-243-6147, or mail to ECAR, 10 Hollywood Blvd SE, Fort Walton Beach, FL, 32548. Each year the Emerald Coast Association of Realtors® recognizes members who excel in business professionalism, community involvement, and service to the association. A committee of past Realtors® of the Year will select from the nominees Chapter Realtors® of the Year and name an overall Realtor® of the Year which is typically chosen from the Chapter honorees.