Tonia Merkes
Tonia Merkes is an experienced community association and property management professional based in Sarasota. She currently serves as a portfolio manager, overseeing 13 properties totaling approximately 2,400 units across homeowners associations, condominiums, and business properties. In her role, she manages board relations, leads weekly and monthly meetings, handles customer escalations, and coordinates solutions for major maintenance issues such as plumbing problems and water leaks. Known for her strong vendor relationships and practical problem-solving skills, Tonia has built a reputation as a dependable leader who consistently steps in to resolve challenges. Tonia’s career journey has been diverse and driven by determination. She began working in the restaurant industry as a teenager and eventually opened and operated her own restaurant. She later transitioned into the automotive field, where she worked in finance and became the general manager of a small dealership. After deciding to pursue a more family-friendly career path, she entered community association management as a temporary rental clerk and quickly advanced through the industry. She moved from rental management into administrative work at a luxury high-rise property on Longboat Key, earned her CAM license and Florida Notary and continued rising into leadership roles. Her experience also includes positions with Associa, FirstService Residential, and The Water Club Condominium Association. Throughout her career, Tonia has been recognized for her leadership, customer service, and ability to build strong relationships with residents, boards, and vendors. She has earned honors such as Best New CAM, a Customer Service Award, and a Best Duo award with her administrative partner. In addition to her professional experience, she holds an associate degree, is a notary public, and has completed both her CAM license. Tonia is known for her hands-on approach, positive attitude, and willingness to go beyond the scope of her role to ensure that the communities she manages are well cared for and successful.
• Licensed Community Association Manager (CAM)
• Notary
• Loras College- Associate's
• Best New CAM
• Customer Service Award
• Best Duo
• CAM Notary
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to wanting to be better than what I was born into. I had a very rough childhood - I'm a rape survivor and experienced childhood molestation. That gave me the motivation to work hard every day to get my children away from that type of environment and to strive to be better than what my parents gave me. I wanted to give my children something better, so I had to work hard to make that happen. It's been about driving every day to provide them with a life different from what I experienced.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've received is to find the solution to the problem. When I was in my last position, the manager quit and we had to figure it out. My treasurer said, 'If you're not gonna do it, who's going to do it?' Basically, get in there and get it done. That's kind of where I've taken my life - find the solution to the problem. Nobody's gonna figure it out for you. You gotta figure it out for yourself.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Don't take nobody's shit. Learn to be strong, but still hold on to your femininity. I think that's important because sometimes we forget when we're in the world of work and we have to be strong and confident. When we leave, we should still be able to be feminine women. We're the boss at work, but we don't always need to be the boss at home with our men.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Being a woman in male-dominated industries has been a fight my whole life. In the auto industry and other fields I've worked in, people often mistook me for the owner's wife or the secretary. I tell my daughters, you're only cute for 5 seconds - a man's gonna look at you, then you better open your mouth and speak intelligently. You have to know when to put your dress on and your heels, and you gotta know when to wear a suit. Overcoming those assumptions and proving yourself has been the biggest challenge throughout my career.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I always say this - the only two things I'm gonna die with is my name and my word. So integrity is extremely important to me, along with sound morals. I'm a Christian, and I try to be as honest as possible. Honesty and modesty are values I hold dear in both my work and personal life.