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MANY PALM AIRE CONDO OWNERS VOTED YES ON CREATING A TAX DISTRICT -- BUT STILL DON'T KNOW IT'S A TAX DISTRICT |
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An
Opinion By Jan Bergemann Published October 20, 2008
Now that the voters approved the TAX DISTRICT -- many of them still don't know it's really a tax district they created with their YES Vote -- Pompano Beach vice mayor George Brummer is finally willing to inject the word TAX in the name of the newly created tax district. It is the Palm Aire Special Recreation Tax District -- and has never been proposed as anything else. But before the special election George Brummer told his gullible supporters always to omit the word tax when talking about the new district. He knew that people vote NO if they know this district would seriously increase their property tax bills -- and we are not only talking a few measly bucks! We are talking serious money.
The owners of the golf c(o)urses in question will be only too happy to sell these golf curses for an unrealistically high price -- these golf curses are actually a financial liability for the owners at this time. George Brummer's scheming opened the door for them to sell these "financial liabilities" for huge profits -- property tax increases courtesy of George Brummer.
Don't ever forget, more or less nothing was "kosher" that helped to convince voters to create this TAX DISTRICT. Campaign financing came mostly from the Palm Aire Condos. Some boards and their presidents ignored the Florida Condo Act -- which clearly disallows association dues being used for lobbying or campaign purposes.
These presidents have to realize that these association funds are not their private piggy bank -- and they can't just write checks to non-existent entities -- or give themselves a Christmas bonus for what they think was work well done. Recent investigations of the financial records of some of the PALM-AIRE COUNTRY CLUB CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATIONS clearly show violations of many provisions of the Florida Condo Act.
Many of these condo presidents have no real idea what they are supposed to do as community leaders; they just fulfill their child hood dreams to one day be called "PRESIDENT"! Wasting their neighbors' money may often be caused by stupidity, but some of these violations are actually criminal offenses.
Many checks from these associations were made out to the PALM-AIRE COUNCIL OF PRESIDENTS. This so-called council has about as much legal standing as your neighborhood potluck dinner club -- meaning none! Legally it's non-existent. They funneled the money collected -- we are talking here $100,000+ -- to the so-called GREEN SPACE PRESERVATION STEERING COMMITTEE, another "invention" of some power-mongers with no legal standing. But this "committee" made decisions about money that shouldn't have been in their hands in the first place.
All candidates for the BOARD OF SUPERVISORS of the PALM AIRE SPECIAL RECREATION TAX DISTRICT were invited to a Meet-the-Candidates forum on October 15, which turned into the normal election slugfest condo commandos are known for. Some of the "opposing" candidates left the meeting early, because they were no longer willing to listen to the insults dished out by George Brummer and his "supporters."
Registered voters in this district would be well advised to vote candidates on the board who are willing to protect your money. Unlike condominium presidents George J. Cuolahan, Jay Gross and Michele Lee Herzmark, who have already proven that they don't care about using condo owners' money to push their private agendas.
These condo board members have shown that they make up their own rules, don't care about violating condo statutes and election laws -- and couldn't care less if it's their neighbors' money they are wasting.
It looks like provisions of the Condo Act were violated, election laws were broken and campaign literature was distributed without the required disclaimer. Various investigations are being conducted in the moment. In some of the condominium associations, owners have ordered forensic audits to get to the bottom of the financial shenanigans! We sure haven't heard the last of it!
Some of the board members, who now realize that they violated laws, are getting cold feet and are trying to find excuses for spending their neighbors' money without having the authority. Their claim: They "donated" their neighbors' money not for lobbying and/or campaigning purposes -- it was intended for education. What kind of education was that? An education in deceit?
WIN BY A LANDSLIDE? Only 16% of the registered voters voted in favor of this tax district. But these YEA-sayers and the other owners in these communities will have a bad awakening when they see their property tax bills in future years.
The
whole disaster about voters being mislead, association dues being used for
not allowed purposes and election campaign regulations violated was caused
by another politician with a private agenda: POMPANO BEACH VICE MAYOR
GEORGE BRUMMER! WHEN
WILL
And if you happen to live in that district -- please do your wallet a favor: DON'T VOTE FOR GEORGE BRUMMER AGAIN! FALSE PROPAGANDA CAUSED "WIN BY A LANDSLIDE" ANOTHER ELECTED OFFICIAL WITH A PRIVATE AGENDA: GEORGE BRUMMER, VICE MAYOR OF POMPANO BEACH WHY BURDEN CITIZENS FOR OTHER FOLKS' ENJOYMENT? Pompano
sets vote on Palm Aire special recreation tax district |