156-2001 LTC
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CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
CITY HALL 1700 CONVENTION CENTER DRIVE MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA 33139
http:\lci.miamJ.beach.fl.us
L.T.C. No. / 51.f; ~ JO() I
LETTER TO COMMISSION
July 13,2001
TO:
Mayor Neisen O. Kasdin and
Members of the City Commission
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FROM:
Jorge M. Gonzalez
City Manager
SUBJECT:
Charles Hotel
1475 Collins Avenue
Miami Beach, FL
This L.T.C. is to advise you of the current status of the above property and the enforcement action
that has been taken against the location by various City Departments.
The Charles Hotel building is currently closed. Miami-Dade County property records list the
property as a condominium with one hundred and twenty-seven (127) owners of record. The
property is before several different judges at this time. A hearing is currently set before Judge
Gerstein in Circuit Court on July 23, 2001 to terminate the Condominium Association and to
consolidate all of the cases. As a result, this would make the property owners, "Owners in
Common," so that the sale of the property could be executed.
Attorney Scott Orth is a majority unit owner in the building and has been in negotiations with
prospective buyers concerning the building. Once the Condominium Association has been
terminated, it is anticipated that the sale of the property will be completed and plans for renovation
or reuse can proceed .
In the meantime, the Miami Beach Police Department has patrolled the exterior of building to keep
the location secured and prevent vandalism and unlawful entry into the building. The Building
Department has boarded both the first and second floors to completely secure the building. A lien
has been placed on the building for the expenses the City has incurred for the boarding. Estimated
cost is $30,469.
The Miami Beach Fire Department has existing cases against the property that date back to 1993.
The fire violations have been corrected since the building is not occupied and has been closed. Liens
in the amount of $635,407.00 remain outstanding.
The Building Department cases date back to 1999. At this time, the Building Department is not
pursuing corrections since the location is closed, however fines total $141,425.
Page 2
The Department of Code Compliance has taken action against the location for exterior and interior
property maintenance violations. The cases with respect to the exterior property maintenance
violation remain open, The liens for the Code Compliance cases totaled $374,088.00.
I have asked the City Attorney's Office to pursue the foreclosure complaint that was filed against this
property for the above outstanding liens. However, I have been advised that there are eight (8) or
nine (9) first mortgage on various parts of the Charles Hotel most of which have priority over the
Code liens (but not the special assessments liens for boarding). The City Attorney's Office believes
it is in the City's best interest to wait until all the foreclosures are consolidated and the property titled
unified, at which time the City will be dealing with one owner and the City's liens can be negotiated
to a certain amount.
Please feel free to contact me if you need any additional information or have any questions regarding
this matter.
JM~:..etkC
cc: Robert C. Middaugh, Jr., Assistant City Manager
Albert P. Childress, Director, Code Compliance Department
Richard Barreto, Police Chief
Floyd Jordan, Fire Chief
Philip Azan, Director, Building Department
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