Article By
Jan Bergemann
VIDEO
COURTESY OF LOCAL10.com
Pompano
Beach, April 25, 2008
A
"hostile resident" was shot dead by a SWAT team after taking
association office workers hostage. That's the sad story in short. But
there is a lot more to it.
This
57-year old resident lived with his 80-year old mother, who is in a
wheel-chair, in the condominium complex of the CYPRESS BEND CONDOMINIUM II ASSOCIATION , INC.
in Pompano Beach. This condo had already made the headlines when members
of the community testified in front the Select
Committee on Condominium & Homeowners Association Governance.
The Committee invited board members to various meeting, but board members
failed to show up.
According
to unit-owners, the records supplied to the Committee by association
attorney David A. Kupperman, Esq., from the law firm Jennings &
Valancy, P.A. in Fort Lauderdale were not the ones actually subpoenaed.
These records were supposed to clarify accusations brought by members
against the board. Owners alleged that the board "mismanaged"
insurance settlements and testified about a series
of board and management company irregularities that have caused all owners
a great deal of expense and distress caused by special
assessments.
President Hamberger and treasurer Beckerman were the targets of these
concerns. The Committee forwarded all the info gathered during the
meetings to the Division. But so far the investigation by the DBPR has not
made any progress.
Patrick Dellisanti, the "hostile resident", had a heated dispute with
association treasurer Gary Beckerman shortly before the
confrontation that lead to his shooting by the SWAT
team.
According to other owners the
confrontation over unpaid association dues and special
assessments -- the latest $3,000 -- turned very hostile
because of the threat of foreclosure that would leave the
resident and his 80-year old disabled mother homeless.
He sure overreacted and it was
definitely not the right way to take care of the problem,
but we all know that desperate times create desperate
measures. But did his actions justify his shooting -- at a
time when he, |
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according to eye-witnesses, didn't really
threaten anybody's life? There will be a lot of speculation going on, but
the sad result is leaving an 80-year old disabled lady without a family
care-taker. A dispute over association dues ended deadly!
Another
sad chapter of the Florida foreclosure story. A disaster that could have
possibly be prevented if the investigation of the alleged wrongdoings
would have been properly pursued.
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