Official suspended by Gov. Bush
A North Bay Village commissioner is suspended by Gov. Jeb Bush
after his arrest last month on charges of official misconduct.

 
Article Courtesy Miami Herald
Posted 12/18/2003
CASEY WOODS AND BEN TORTER

NORTH BAY VILLAGE -- On Friday, Gov. Jeb Bush suspended a North Bay Village commissioner after his arrest last month on charges that he failed to disclose indebtedness to a local property owner on his financial statements, and later voted six times on issues that benefited that creditor.

Robert Dugger, 60, was arrested Nov. 26. He is accused of official misconduct, a third-degree felony, and seven misdemeanor charges related to the votes and the financial disclosure requirements.

Dugger is the second North Bay Village commissioner to be arrested on felony charges and subsequently suspended from the commission in the past year.

Dugger did not return calls seeking comment. He has previously denied the charges.

The North Bay Village commission chose a new commissioner Tuesday night, Tzvi Bogomilsky, 30.

Bogomilsky is the former chair of the city's planning and zoning board and the president of the city's synagogue. He unsuccessfully ran for commission in 1998.

City officials expressed relief at Bush's swift move to suspend Dugger. ''[Dugger's suspension] will be better for the community,'' said City Manager James Vardalis. ``It's stressful when you have an elected official being investigated, and hopefully things will smooth out in the near future and we can get back to running this administration.''

Disgruntled residents and others who have complaints against Dugger threw a ''birthday party'' for the former commissioner in front of his waterfront home Monday night to celebrate his arrest and removal from the commission.

The 30 protesters, almost all of them residents of properties throughout the county managed by Dugger's real estate company, made allegations that Dugger is also guilty of management-related crimes that were not included in the charges that led to his arrest.

''The current charges against Dugger are just the tip of the iceberg,'' said Fane Lozman, a North Bay Village resident who was the first to reveal Dugger's alleged conflict of interest to the commission. Lozman later filed the complaint at the state attorney's office that eventually resulted in Dugger's arrest.

Almost all of the charges against Dugger have a connection to real estate investor Adolph ''Al'' Coletta, a debtor Dugger failed to mention on the financial disclosure forms he was required to file before running for office last year, the state attorney's office said.

According to the arrest report, Dugger incurred ''substantial indebtedness'' when Coletta took over a mortgage on one of Dugger's investment properties and paid off the mortgage on another.

Coletta also bought the Duggers' waterfront home in North Bay Village 2 ½ years ago. The Duggers still live there and pay $3,500 monthly rent to Coletta. All three properties were in foreclosure before Coletta, who the Duggers describe as a family friend, took them over.

Dugger did not disclose his relationship to Coletta when he voted on six commission items that affected the investor.

Coletta came before the commission because he sought a change in the zoning of the Bayshore Yacht and Tennis Club condominium, where he owns the penthouse and a retail space, as well as a marina behind the building. He wants to open a lounge in the penthouse, which is forbidden under present zoning.

Dugger's property management company, the Timberlake Group, manages the Yacht Club.

Lozman, who once docked his houseboat at the marina and said he was evicted by Coletta, informed the commission of that relationship in May.

Homeowners at the Yacht Club and other Miami-Dade County properties managed by Dugger accuse him of violating state laws regulating condominium and town house associations.

On Monday night, 30 of those homeowners gathered in front of Dugger's house, 7401 Beach View Drive, which he currently rents from Coletta. They brought a birthday cake for Dugger, with ''We wish you the worst birthday ever, delinquent'' written out in blue frosting.

The protesters believed Dugger's birthday was Dec. 15, but government records show that Dugger's 60th birthday was in February.

The protesters accuse Dugger and his wife Rachel of using the threat of liens to overcharge for services, mismanaging the condo and town house associations' funds, and illegally fixing association elections.

''We're here because we want [Dugger and his wife] to feel the harassment that we feel every day,'' said Taimira Perez, who owns a house in government-subsidized Miramar Gardens, which she says has been mismanaged by Dugger. ``This is going to get rough before it's over, because no government department is going to really go after these people unless we go into the streets..., which is what we're going to do.''

The Duggers were not home but Rachel Dugger called a Herald reporter during the protest. She said that the protesters hadn't paid their maintenance and thought protesting would help them get away with it.

''If they want to stand out in front of my house, let them,'' she said. ``I'm out Christmas shopping.''

 

HOA ARTICLES HOME NEWS PAGE