People living in
several South Florida condo communities say they have been
fighting for years to take back control of where they live.
All telling NBC6 their property manager, hired by their
boards, has been abusing his power and their money.
“The biggest issue is that the owners have no rights in
there,” said Julian Londono, who owns a condo at the Cypress
Gardens community in Hollywood.
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Manny Ferreira, who owns a property at
the Three Horizons condo in North Miami, shared a similar
concern.
“$211,000 of water bill,” he said, “I don't understand how
we still have water in this building.”
“The pool's been shut down for I think a little over two
years now,” Anderson added.
Residents in other communities said they
can’t access their pools either. The owners say for years,
they have complained about mismanagement by Curtis and their
boards of directors, who they say they never elected.
“They just sign off on everything that he tells them to,”
Anderson said.
In September, DBPR revoked BDM’s and Curtis’ licenses, after
filing eight administrative complaints against him in 2023.
He was also ordered to pay more than $120,000 in fines and
costs.
The revocation order called Curtis a “true danger to the
public” for his conduct at another community, the Fairways
of Sunrise. The order states Curtis didn’t contest the
allegations against him, rather offered explanations the
state said “appear disingenuous” based on the evidence.
According to the DBPR’s revocation order, when a majority of
owners at Fairways voted to recall their board in an effort
to fire Curtis and BDM, they refused to comply, racking up
$500,000 in legal expenses, stating Curtis, “unconscionably
sent the accounts of 22 residents to a collection agency…”
despite being provided “…with monthly lists of who paid
their assessments.”
“It's great, but it's also bittersweet because they have an
appeal process,” said owner Jenny Trujillo of Three
Horizons, “So he's trying to appeal his revocation.”
“Everybody's afraid of them,” Anderson added. “They use
intimidation tactics for everything that they do.”
Just days after Curtis’ license was revoked, owners in
several communities say they received the same letter,
supposedly from their respective boards, saying BDM is
licensed and appealing the “fraudulent” case against them.
It goes on to say Curtis is “actively suing every person who
distributed false information about him…we advise the
residents to refrain from putting yourselves in the same
situation.”
“They're doing whatever they want,” Ferreira said. “And on
top of it, they're trying to threaten us.”
Days later, the DBPR put out a cease-and-desist notice at
the communities addressed to Michael Curtis stating
practicing without a license would “establish probable cause
…to believe you are violating Florida law…”
But several owners told NBC6 the notices were ripped off in
some places.
State records show since last year Michael Curtis has been
listed as the registered agent for another management
company. The address for that business is the same address
as BDM Property Management.
“Michael Curtis is already trying to manage, to grab the
management of this building through another company,”
Ferreira said.
That company, All Florida Rental Management, lists the same
Pompano Beach storefront. State records show it would do
business as BDM Property, and its license application was in
progress.
NBC6 Investigates reached out to Curtis by phone and email.
But we didn’t hear back.
Then, we tried to speak to him at BDM’s office.
Curtis didn’t want to open the door but seemed to say
someone had or would email NBC6 on his behalf.
He declined to do an on-camera interview or answer questions
in person about the complaints, the revocation, or the new
company.
After our visit to his office, NBC6 Investigates received a
statement on Curtis’ behalf from a law firm, which read:
“Our client is shocked and disturbed about the DBPR
conclusions, and together with counsel, is in the process of
appealing the decision. BDM Property Management, together
with Michael Curtis, takes its responsibilities as a
property management company and its compliance with the law
very seriously and considers the recent pattern of
litigation to be unmeritorious and will continue to
vigorously defend itself.”
When asked about Curtis’ involvement with a new company, the
representative provided this statement:
“BDM Property Management, LLC is committed to compliance
with DBPR regulations. An assignment of all of its pending
contracts to a different licensed property management
company, with the approval of the board of directors of each
association, has occurred.”
The firm would not comment on whether that company is All
Florida Rental Management.
But condo owners shared a letter sent to them this week
listing the company's name, advising them that All Florida
Rental is their new management firm and that it took over
BDM’s phone number and office.
“Everybody's still scared they don't know which way to
turn,” Anderson said. “Everybody's just trying to figure out
what we can do next. That's why we need help.”
Attorneys representing each of the association’s boards have
not responded to requests for comment about the owners’
claims.
NBC6 Investigates also reached out to the DBPR repeatedly
asking about Curtis’ involvement with a new company despite
his license being revoked. No one from the agency has
acknowledged our request or responded to questions about
Curtis or BDM.