Your voice matters—but right now, it’s being censored, deleted, or rejected entirely.
——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 residents are upset and wanting a place to speak, connect and communicate.
On January 25th, residents learned—via a one-way video stream—that Big Canoe doesn’t own its name, logo, or domain name (BigCanoe.com). Naturally, questions followed:
Why don’t we own it? When did we lose it? How long has The Board and management known? And why wasn’t it disclosed sooner?
Unfortunately residents were NOT given the opportunity to ask those questions publicly—and no one in management offered answers. Then, just four weeks later on February 27th, -and again via a one-way monologue stream, the POA Board and General Manager announced a rushed “unbranding” effort to begin in four days. . . .Monday morning Big Canoe signage will be coming down. Wait, what?
No Q&A. No open discussion. No transparency.
Major decisions. Zero public discussion.
Two days later on a Saturday, Property Owners quickly assembled in a field and began to ask questions and push back . . . and with our GM missing, and only one board member addressing the property owners in a field, the POA paused -and for a moment, it felt like we were being heard. The board member publicly said they’d explore options to keep our name and try and work something out with Big Canoe Realty.
But instead of defending our trademark rights to our name—and challenging a weak trademark claim as attorneys advised—the POA quietly agreed to pay a gross sum of $500,000 to Big Canoe Realty, a private firm owned by Mr. Rhodes, a non-resident whose realty company and team of agents profit from our community.
And what did the property owners buy for nearly half a million of our dollars? The GM hasn’t disclosed it, but we didn’t get full ownership of our name. We didn’t even get control.
To this day, BigCanoe.com still belongs to Mr. Rhodes and Big Canoe Realty. This isn’t just a bad deal. It’s unacceptable.
Every time someone visits BigCanoe.com, they see a version of our community shaped by a private real estate firm, Big Canoe Realty -a firm that just extorted money from us -the Property Owners and residents. (Go to BigCanoe.com now. We don’t own it.)
And the real kicker is, we did NOT have to pay Big Canoe Realty $500,000. We could have easily challenged the rights to our name, and very likely won the rights to our name based on two BIG reasons:
Number one is pretty HUGE, and number two is absolutely MASSIVE.
That means the party who first used “Big Canoe” commercially—in this case, us / our community—holds superior rights, even if Big Canoe Realty is now trying to claim it through federal registration.
According to respected trademark attorneys, Property Owners could have challenged the claim and very likely won—for far less than $500,000.
More to gain, less to pay. Hmmm. . . . Why pay $500,000—just to let Big Canoe Realty control how Big Canoe is represented online? Why didn’t we fight back?
The deal—and its terms—have been kept quiet. Why?
Sadly, residents were never informed, consulted, or given a voice in the process. Now many are wondering: Why would our own POA management not fight to take legal ownership and full control of the name of the very community it serves? And why isn’t our Board holding management accountable?
In the past, our GM has worked to deny Property Owners the opportunity to ask these questions in an open and public environment. And when residents ask these questions today, in POA monitored spaces like the Neighbor to Neighbor Facebook Group they’re quietly rejected or deleted.
Fact is, honest, open dialogue that questions, doubts, or is simply critical of our Board and POA is not permissible on the Neighbor to Neighbor Facebook Group. “Can you say State Controlled Media”? A little China right here in Big Canoe ;-)
Our POA Has Been Controlling the Messages -and Property Owners. Enough.
We’re Taking Back the Mic.
A resident-led group where you can ask real questions, speak freely, and hold leadership accountable.
What Else Is Going On?
Below are nine more reasons property owners are have serious concerns—and are taking action.
1. Lack of Communication and Transparency
Board meetings have been closed for months and streamed with no opportunity for Q&A at some very important meetings and limited Q&A at other meetings. Even when meetings were held in person, residents were limited to one question—followed by tightly controlled discussion or no response at all.
The POA claims to welcome questions through Ask the POA—but replies are delivered privately, one-on-one, and rarely shared publicly. If they’re willing to answer, why hide it?
In 2025, when open forums, community threads, and searchable FAQs are standard, this communication model isn’t just outdated—it’s evasive.
2. Censorship of Resident Voices
The official Neighbor to Neighbor Facebook group is tightly moderated by individuals closely aligned with POA management. Until recently, it was run by an anonymous figure known only as “Monique Farmgirl”—a pseudonym never explained, despite her having the critical role of verifying addresses, and deciding who could join the group and speak. Stop and think about that for a moment.
Posts critical of the POA are regularly denied or deleted. Discussion is steered to favor management.
So little transparency—so much narrative control.
3. Loss of Brand Control and $500,000 Payment to Big Canoe Realty
Residents weren’t informed that Big Canoe didn’t own its name or domain until January 28. Only then did we learn that our POA planned a rebranding—and had agreed to a $500,000 payment to Big Canoe Realty, owned by Mr. Rhodes, to regain partial rights.
Despite the large payout, control of BigCanoe.com remains in the hands of Big Canoe Realty, and the firm continues to shape the public image of our community by owning and controlling BigCanoe.com
Big Canoe Realty held our name for ransom—and we paid.
No open vote. No full explanation. No public review -HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?
4. Concerns About the Food Truck Project
Residents have never received a full breakdown of the costs related to the Lakeside Bistro Food Truck buildout and operations—estimated between $2.3 and $2.7 million. No earnings reports. No transparency. No clarity on ROI.
Meals are served on paper plates. Traffic is light. Staff were abruptly laid off, and unprofessionally discarded just before the holidays. And now, according to our GM Scott Auer, the recent chef, Hector, was given a “generous exit package?” Why? Another lead chef gone? How many chefs has our GM been through and at what cost to property owners?
All while residents report underwhelming frozen-fried food at premium prices—and wine tastings are reportedly given away at property owner’s expense to boost attendance.
If it’s working so well, why the constant, and considerable, F&B losses? Why the constant F&B turnover?
Was/Is this food truck a good use of our funds?
5. Concerns About Dam Repairs
The timeline for critical dam repairs was extended multiple times, and no public cost breakdown has been shared. Few updates. No financial disclosures. No clear explanation of delays.
This critical project affects key roads, infrastructure, and property values—yet there’s been little real resident engagement. What we receive instead has been a thin veneer of openness -masking the `unknown.
6. Overreach by the Architectural Review Committee (ARC)
ARC enforcement has doubled in size —now issuing rapid-fire fines for even minor violations such as bird-feeders, umbrella colors, and a long list of other nonsensical policing.
Meanwhile, POA-managed properties routinely fall short of ARC standards: peeling paint, glaring metal roofs, neglected maintenance, unscreened equipment and mechanical units on buildings—with zero accountability.
Safe to say, if you’re looking for a violation, and you stare at a home long enough, you’ll find a violation.
But this is an established, well-kept community. How many real violations are left?
When does enforcement become harassment? Is ARC a profit center subsidizing amenity losses due to poor financial management?
7. Urgent Weather Alerts, Silent on Real Issues
When it comes to real issues—finances, infrastructure, losing our brand—our POA management goes silent. But let a rainstorm roll in, and suddenly our inboxes are flooded with dramatic storm hype.
Meanwhile, you want to grab a Wednesday bite at the Food Truck Bistro and show up to find the doors locked —yet again closed due to our ongoing and persistent labor troubles—all without a word of notice.
We all have easy access to weather alerts from dozens of sources. What we don’t have is clear, consistent communication from our POA on important and relevant community issues.
That’s POA management’s job—and they’re not doing it—and our Board isn’t holding our GM accountable. We all like people on our board, but we need them to do their job and hold our GM accountable.
We deserve communication that informs, not distracts. It’s time for facts, accountability, and support—not fear-based messaging.
Pro TIP: Ask a POA Board Member you know to hold management accountable.
8. The Board’s Job Is Leadership—Not Deference
Our Board is made up of neighbors and friends—people we know and appreciate—but the role comes with real responsibility: to ask hard questions, provide oversight, and hold management accountable.
Our General Manager isn’t elected—he’s hired and managed by our POA Board. But in critical moments, our GM sets the agenda and drives decisions. That’s why we rely on the Board—to represent us, ask the hard questions we can’t, and ensure management is acting openly, honestly, and in the community’s best interest.
In any well-run organization—whether a business, a nonprofit, or a homeowners’ association—boards are expected to supervise leadership, not simply support it. Like any good nonprofit board, our Board must ensure POA management acts with transparency, competence, and community trust.
This isn’t about conflict or assigning blame. It’s about standards. More than ever, Big Canoe needs a POA Board that’s more than a likable neighbor—but capable of providing clear, effective oversight.
We should expect our POA Board to lead with transparency, —and as property owners we need to verify -not just trust- that they are performing their duties.
9. Leadership and Accountability Concerns
Big Canoe is a $100 million+ asset. It should be run with the skill and discipline of a real business—not a backyard project.
So why is Big Canoe being led by a General Manager with no prior or proven experience managing a community—or anything even close to this importance and scale?
Scott Auer was absent during the rebranding fallout, refused to face live questions, and still avoids public accountability. Instead, he delivers mostly streamed (and largely scripted) videos praising his own performance—while hiding from and ignoring the property owner’s he’s paid to serve.
Key concerns include:
- Unqualified Leadership: No executive experience managing a community, or much else. (Pro TIP:Ask a Board Member to see a copy of our GM’s resume.)
- Branding Chaos: $500K spent. Still no control of our name or online presence.
- No Project Clarity: Budgets & timelines remain vague across major initiatives (Damn, Clubhouse)
- Wasteful Capital Spending: High-cost, low-use food truck setup with no public ROI.
- F&B Instability: Constant staff turnover and low morale in food service operations.
This isn’t personal—it’s about performance. And the record speaks for itself.
Let’s Fix It. Where We Go From Here.
We’ve launched the Big Canoe Property Owners & Residents Forum, Property Owner–Led coverage for Big Canoe.
No filters. No censorship. Just the truth. Open & honest dialogue.
Because we all care deeply about this place we call home. The first step is coming together—and deciding our path forward. If our Board won’t hold our management accountable, who will?
Let’s take back our voice—before more damage is done.
With Respect, A Growing Group of Concerned Property Owners & Residents
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