Condo management sought quick fix! ESSEX TOWER CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION, INC.

Article Courtesy of the Hi-Riser

By Cori Galeano

Published Thursday, September 14, 2006

Pressure to retain insurance coverage may have led the former manager of a Fort Lauderdale condominium to hire an unlicensed contractor, public records show.

Jorge Lendeborg of BLC ShuttersLLC installed hurricane shutters at Essex Tower, but he did so without proper permits, according police records.

An incident report filed by Fort Lauderdale Building Department Estelle T. Abrams cites statements made by contractor Lendeborg said that former manager of Essex Tower, Jo Schmoker, told him, “they could not wait for permits as their insurance company would cancel them if shutters were not put on quickly.”

Removal of a “stop work” order apparently sparked the investigation.

Investigators with the city of Fort Lauderdale and the Broward County Department of Urban Planning and Redevelopment were called to the building on May 17 after someone associated with building management removed the “stop work” order.

City and county investigators responded to a request made by Bob Pignataro, city of Fort Lauderdale Building inspector who suspected the contractor did not have the applicable permits and was not licensed in Broward County.

“Jo also knew he had not taken the “test” yet but that she wanted the work done anyway,” Abrams’ report said.

“According to the [contractor], Jo stated they would worry about permits later or ‘if they got caught.”

Schmoker is currently under investigation by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation for allegedly hiring an unlicensed contractor to do roofing work, a spokesman for the state, Thomas Butler, confirmed.

Charles Klinger, a licensing investigator for the Department of Urban Planning and Redevelopment arrived at Essex Tower and met with both Pignataro and the building management.

“Detective Abrams cited the building management with a $250 fine for starting construction without obtaining a permit,” Klinger said.

He also engaged Lendeborg in negotiations to pay back the deposits he took from residents for shutter installation. In exchange for repayment, Lendeborg was issued a “hold harmless” agreement where the county would not pursue any further charges related to the incident.

Klinger cited him for lack of insurance, lack of permits and commencing work without permits, each of which is accompanied by a fine of $5,500.

Lendeborg paid back to the individual condo owners almost $80,000 in deposits he had taken from them for the work.

Condo management under state investigation

Article Courtesy of the Hi-Riser

By Cori Galeano

Published Thursday, September 7, 2006

Former management of a local condominium is under investigation for allegedly hiring an unlicensed contractor and have gone so far as to sue one of its own residents for informing other residents of the situation.

Essex Tower Condominium Association Inc. has filed suit in the Seventeenth Judicial District in Broward County against Mark Johnson, charging one count of abuse of process and one count of libel.

The suit stems from a letter Johnson said he wrote and distributed to fellow residents alleging that the association had hired an unlicensed contractor to install hurricane shutters in May.

Johnson vowed to stand firm despite the pending lawsuit.

“I’m not backing down out of this. I don’t lie, I don’t cheat. They’re doing this to intimidate me. I happened to catch them in the act and they didn’t like getting caught,” he said.

Attorneys Robert Kaye and Deborah Sugarman represent Essex Towers in the lawsuit against Johnson. Several calls were placed to the attorneys, but

LAWSUIT: Mark Johnson is being sued by the association after complaining about unlicensed work done on the building.

were either not returned or were returned via voice mail message leaving no information regarding the case.

A spokesman for the state Department of Business and Professional Regulation confirmed that Jo Schmoker, the former community association manager for Essex Tower, located at 340 Sunset Drive in Fort Lauderdale, is currently under investigation for facilitating unlicensed activity by allegedly hiring an unlicensed contractor knowingly to do roof repair at the building.

“Since the local police have handled the {hurricane shutter] contractor, we are not involved in that,” said Thomas Butler, spokesman for the department. “But regarding the roofing work, we are investigating it, it is an ongoing investigation.”

The contractor, Jorge Lendeborg of Miami, was issued a notice to appear, amounting to a formal arrest, by Fort Lauderdale Detective Estelle T.Abrams on May 17. He is charged with a misdemeanor, “engaging as an unlicensed contractor.”

Lendeborg could have been charged with a felony since, in the wake of damage by hurricane Wilma, Florida had been declared in state of emergency. The state of emergency declaration was lifted on June 12.

Butler said the complaint was filed by Johnson with the state July 5.

“We are looking into the CAM [community association manager] side of it; how they might have gone about assisting unlicensed activity, because apparently the manager may have facilitated the company, recommended them to do the work,” Butler said.

“The CAM complaint includes mention of the unlicensed activity complaint.”

SHUT UP -- OR BE SUED! ESSEX TOWER CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION, INC.