This year’s Property Owners Association (POA) Board Primary has six candidates: Only two—James Cornelius and Roger Hackler—have visibly campaigned and shared their ideas with property owners. The other four candidates offered little beyond a POA-controlled forum and static profiles in the Big Canoe paper. While we applaud the four candidates’s decision to run, their lack… Read more: Who Will Lead Big Canoe Forward? Don’t Reward Laziness—Vote Smart!

Let’s ask a question: Who actually controls Smoke Signals? Yes, it’s a nonprofit. But nonprofits are typically controlled by a board . . . and every board makes decisions that exist to serve a public or community benefit. In the case of Smoke Signals, those decisions seem curiously aligned with the POA’s version of reality.… Read more: Who Really Controls Smoke Signals—And Why It Matters

We like Smoke Signals. It’s a friendly, feel-good community publication. We enjoy reading it—and we’re glad it exists. But we believe it falls short in one critical area: it does NOT function like an independent community newspaper –Smoke Signals is POA aligned. Smoke Signals rarely asks questions, verifies claims, or holds our elected POA board… Read more: Smoke Signals Claims Independence. Is It True?

If you live in a POA community like our beloved Big Canoe, you’ve probably seen it: someone raises a valid concern, and almost instantly, someone responds with, “Why don’t you run for the board?” It might sound reasonable at first. But let’s be honest—this is rarely a sincere suggestion. More often, it’s a way to… Read more: Time to Stop Using ‘Run for the Board’ to Silence People

Recently, the POA Board sent a FACT-FREE message to property owners defending General Manager Scott Auer’s performance. In it, the Board stated that “the results achieved during [Scott Auer’s] tenure are evident.” But they offered no examples. No metrics. No supporting data or facts. That’s concerning. In any well-managed organization, leadership is evaluated based on… Read more: The “Accomplishments” of General Manager Scott Auer — A Closer Look

The respect is rising in Big Canoe and Bullying is on the decline. If you’ve ever tried to talk about real community issues in Big Canoe on Facebook, chances are you’ve noticed a pattern. On groups like Neighbor to Neighbor, conversations critical of the POA are often rejected or vanish. Posts are quietly deleted. Comments… Read more: Progress In Our Community

An Open Response to the POA Board’s June 10th Statement To Our Fellow Property Owners, We are so fortunate to live in a place as safe, beautiful, and close-knit as Big Canoe. That’s exactly why we care so much about protecting it. The POA Board’s recent statement confirmed what many of us already feel: a… Read more: In Support of Truth & Transparency

These were questions we suggested attendees (the meeting was NOT streamed or recorded) may want to ask at the ONLY public Q&A our POA management has held in over a year. 1. Performance Accountability (General Manager) 2. Architectural Review Committee (ARC) Enforcement 3. Staffing and Retention 4. Smoke Signals News & Big Canoe POA Relationship… Read more: Q&A: Transparency Please

Big Canoe Deserves Qualified, Transparent Leadership Big Canoe is a $100 million+ asset—an extraordinary community that requires capable, experienced management. Yet key questions remain about our General Manager, Scott Auer, and whether his background aligns with the scale and complexity of this role. During the domain name and rebranding situation, when residents had urgent questions,… Read more: Questions Remain Unanswered

Behind Closed Doors: The Deal That Left Property Owners Out On January 30th, residents learned a shocking and hard truth: Big Canoe doesn’t own its name, its logo, or even its domain name—BigCanoe.com. Even more troubling? The POA paid $500,000 to a private real estate company, Big Canoe Brokerage, to “buy back” partial rights to… Read more: Name, Brand, Betrayal

BigCanoe.com Isn’t Ours. But We Paid nearly $500,000 to Mr. Rhodes and his private firm, Big Canoe Brokerage. Why? -and why would anyone from our community now chose to buy or sell a home with this firm? The POA paid $500,000 to Big Canoe Realty—a private firm owned by a non-resident—to “buy back” partial rights to our… Read more: Holy Unnecessary Payment Batman

We Get Fined. Our GM, Scott Auer, Gets a Pass. ARC enforcement in Big Canoe has doubled in size—now citing residents for minor issues and focusing on the letter of the rules, rather than their intent. Meanwhile, many POA-managed properties visibly fall short of those same standards. Peeling paint, neglected maintenance, reflective-structures, mismatched repairs—it’s all… Read more: ARC Overreach

When serious questions arise—about finances, infrastructure, or the $500,000 paid to Mr. Rhodes and “Big Canoe Realty” for a name we still don’t own—the POA remains silent. But let a little wind or rain blow in, and suddenly our inboxes fill with weather alerts and dramatic warnings to stay home. Most residents already have numerous… Read more: Weather Alarms Everywhere

Another chef is gone—again. Owners get a polished goodbye, but no explanation for losing another key team member. Chef Hector worked hard, stepped up after so many others abruptly walked-out under our GM, and now he’s suddenly out with yet, another “generous package.” $30,000 plus we’re told for this NDA exit. Down from $80,000 for… Read more: Another Big Exit Payment. No Answers

Facebook can be a difficult place for civil discussion—especially when it concerns our own Big Canoe community. A quick review of the threads reveals a troubling pattern: a small, vocal minority—often individuals employed by or closely associated with the POA—dominates the conversation, frequently targeting anyone who questions decisions made by Big Canoe management. At times,… Read more: Respect Voices, End Bullying

It’s true. Everywhere. Your phone, email, physical addresses, even your relatives . . . and more. Your personal data is legally, and easily, acquired through national data brokers—companies that compile and sell information drawn from public records, online activity, purchases, and more. If you’ve ever received a phone call, a political flyer, real estate postcard,… Read more: Your Data is Everywhere

Big Canoe Property Owners & Residents Forum was created to give property owners and residents a place to ask real questions, speak freely, and share concerns—without the censorship of the POA run Facebook Group, N2N. Or the POA owned publication, Smoke Signals, or the limitations and restrictions of the POA “streamed” meetings with little to… Read more: What Our Group Is (and Isn’t)

Your voice matters—but right now, it’s being censored, deleted, or rejected entirely. 👉 Join the Big Canoe Property Owners & Residents Forum ——A space for real questions and open & honest dialogue. No filters. No censorship. Just the truth. Property Owner–Led coverage for Big Canoe. What Sparked This? Here’s what triggered it—and why so many… Read more: Big Canoe Is Being Mismanaged. Let’s Fix It.