LTC 314-2005 Maison Grande Condominium - Emails From Condo Owner, Ms. Catherine Fingal
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MIAMI BEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
NO. LTC # 314-2005
LETTER TO COMMISSION
FROM:
Mayor David Dermer and Members of the pity ~mmission
Jorge M. Gonzalez, City Manage~ ()l...7t) ~
December 21, 2005
TO:
DATE:
SUBJECT: MAISON GRANDE CONDOMINIUM-EMAILS FROM CONDOMINIUM OWNER,
MS. CATHERINE FINGAL
The purpose of this LTC is to provide you with additional information regarding several e-
mail messages copied to the City Commission about the Maison Grande Condominium.
Several of the issues concerning the above building were previously provided to you through
a memorandum to Commissioner Bower dated November 30, 2005 (Copy attached). The
primary author of these emailsisMs.CatherineFingaI.Forsometimenow.Ms. Fingal has
been posing the same questions to the Building Department repeatedly, although worded
differently, and the Building Department has responded to all the questions in person during
meetings, through telephone contacts and email responses. Attached please find copies of
the email correspondence.
At this point in time, it does not appear that there are any new issues raised by Ms. Fingal to
which the City has not already responded.
Should you have any questions, please let me know.
JMGfTH/HD/hd
F:\cmgr\$ALL\HEMSTREET\BUILDING\L TC-Maison Grande Fingal.doc
tD
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OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
MEMORANDUM
TO:
FROM:
Mattie H. Bower, City Commissioner
Jorge M. Gonzalez, City Manager 'tv-<
November 30, 2005 'J
MAISON GRANDE AD HOC COMMITTEE-LETTER FROM CONDOMINIUM OWNER
DATE:
SUBJECT:
Pursuant to your inquiry into the status of the above referenced building, I requested the Building
Director to report his findings and provide copies of any Notices of Violations, Stop-Work-Order,
letters and emails correspondences with the construction contractor, Diversified Construction
Company or its representatives, the Maison Grande Condominium Association Board of
Directors or its representatives and with any members of the MG Ad Hoc Committee.
I have been advised by the Building Director that a meeting between the members of the MG Ad
Hoc Committee and the staff at the Building Department was held on September 27,2005, and
during the meeting the members of MG Ad Hoc Committee provided documents revealing non-
permitted work at MG (installation of marble tiles and waterproofing at 502 balconies) and a
scope of concrete restoration work far beyond the existing scope of permits.
The MG Association Board of Directors and the contractor, Diversified Construction Company,
were immediately issued a Notice of Violation I Stop-Work-Order by the Building Department for
having commenced work (installation of tiles and waterproofing on 502 balconies) without having
first obtained appropriate permits. (Copy Attached) A hold was placed on all of the existing
permits of Diversified Construction Company for having commenced work beyond the scope of
permits. A follow up meeting was held between the staff at the Building Department and the
Diversified Construction Company and its legal representative, Alfredo Gonzalez, P.A. of
Greenberg Traurig, where the contractor was advised of the requirement to submit full set of
plans, documents and permit applications for work that fully reflect the executed and up-to-date
value of construction. The contractor was further advised of the requirement to secure Notice of
Acceptance from the Miami-Dade County Product Control Section for waterproofing product
used on the balconies, remove tiles from fifteen balconies selected at random by the Building
staff to provide for the waterproofing manufacture's examination and certification of the product,
obtain appropriate permits, and submit an approved uplift test conducted by a certified laboratory
and a threshold inspector (registered engineer) certification of all balconies tiles installations.
The members of MG Ad Hoc Committee, and more specifically Ms. Catherine Fingal, have been
advised of the above stated Notices of Violation and the requirements imposedon contractor
repeatedly, both in person and in writing. Attached please find copies of all documents, letters
and correspondences related to this issue.
If you have any questions, please let me know.
JMG:TH:HD
C: Mayor & Commissioners
F:\cmgr\$ALL\HEMSTREET\BUILDING\L TC- Maison Grande Ad Hoc Committee.doc
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Page 1 of 1
Dolikhani, Hamid
From: Dolikhani, Hamid
Friday, December 09,20054:42 PM
Catherine Fingal
Garcia, Luis; Cruz, Simon; Dermer, David; Montoya, Rhonda; sbustos@herald.com;
jmanderson@herald.com; kochgene@aol.com; CVI LLA VERDE@BELLSOUTH. NET; Gonzalez,
Jorge; Hemstreet, Tim; Inguanzo, Ramiro
Subject: MAISON GRANDE/DIVERSIFIED CONSTRUCTION
Sent:
To:
Cc:
Ms. Fingal:
I believe the City of Miami Beach Building Department has answered all your questions during meetings with you,
through telephone conversions with you and in numerous email responses to you. Attached, please find answers
to questions you have listed in your email to Mayor Dermer dated December 6, 2005.
MIAMIBEACH
Hamid Dolikhani I Building Official/Acting Director
BUILDING DEPARTMENT
1700 Convention Center Dr., 2nd fl, Miami Beach, FL 33139
Tel: 305-673-7000x6753/ Fax: 305-535-7513/ www.miamibeachfLgov
We are committed to providing excellent public service and safety to a/l who live, work and play in our vibrant, tropical, historic community.
12/16/2005
Page 1 of 1 7
From: Dolikhani, Hamid
Sent: Wednesday, December 07, 2005 10:26 AM
To: Hemstreet, Tim; Inguanzo, Ramiro; Gonzalez, Jorge
Cc: Villarreal, Andy; Montoya, Rhonda; McConachie, Richard; Ashraf, Mehdi Syed
Subject: FW: MAISON GRANDE/DIVERSIFIED CONSTRUCTION
QUESTIOJ~..: Is it legal for Diversified Construction to undervalue work?
A~SWER:- I don't know if it is legal or illegal (criminal or civil) for Diversified to undervalue work, but it is a
violation of the Florida Building Code. A Notice of Violation was issued to the Diversified Construction Company
and the Maison Grande Condominium Association (Ms. Fingal has been provided with the copies of the NOV.).
The contractor was instructed to apply for permits with up-to-date I executed valuation of construction and apply
for permits for any work that has commenced without permits. The contractor has applied for permits, and hefty
fines of double the permit fees plus hundred (fines of approximately $92,000 for one permit, $2,000 for another
permit and $1,000 for another permit), as required by the Florida Building Code, has been imposed on the
contractor for those permit applications.
QUESTION: What Department is responsible for handling issues of this nature?
ANSWJ::R; The Building Department. (Ms. Fingal has been advised that the Building DepJlrtmeJ1t has issued a
Notice of Violation and was provided with the copies of the NOV.)
QUESTION; Is the Miami Beach Building Department going to rely solely on the information to be provided by the
Diversified Construction (plans, documents and permit applications) in the resolution of these violations?
ANSWER: No, the contractor has been instructed to provide permit applications with the value of construction
that reflect the current, up-to-date and executed value of contract. (Copies of executed contract with latest
approved changed orders to be provided). This is the standard in the industry, and further if there are additional
work completed that are not reflected in the permit, will result in rejection of inspections.
QUESTION: We have been told by the Board of Directors that the City of Miami Beach has tested the Balcony
Tiles and all the tests have been passed. Is this True?
ANSWER: The City of Miami Beach does not test any tiles. The City of Miami Beach selected 15 balconies at
random for the waterproofing manufacture to certify the product used as their product, and instructed the
manufacture to apply for the Miami-Dade County Product Control Approval. Once the product is approved by the
Miami-Dade County, the contractor is to apply for a waterproofing permit for all balconies. Once the permit is
issued, a Special Inspector (Registered Engineer) needs to submit certifications on installation of waterproofing
product on all balconies.
QUESTION: Will the City of Miami Beach be testing the tiles on units 304,306,311, or any other units that are
obviously defective with the "hollow tiles?" (When Diversified allegedly "tested" the tiles for the City of Miami
Beach, they "tested" units and tiles that would obviously pass the test. I witnessed this myself, as they tested my
balcony (301) where the tile was solid, and failed to note that there are hollow and cracking tiles on the stairs of
my balcony)
ANSWER: The City of Miami Beach does not test any tiles nor does the City require the contractor to test tiles.
There are no tests required by any code or standards established by the industry to test the "hollow tiles". The
City, as required by the building code, requires an uplift test to be performed by an approved testing laboratory for
installation of tiles on all balconies before approval of a final inspection can be granted.
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Page 2 of I 7
QUESTION; Will the City of Miami Beach conduct the "testing," be present at any of the "testing" or pick the
balconies to be tested?
ANSWER~ No, the City of Miami Beach does not conduct any test. An approved testing laboratory conducts tests,
and a report signed and sealed by a Florida registered engineer is required to be submitted to the Building
Department. The City is not required to be present at any testing, as it is not required by code. All balconies with
tiles are required to be tested for the tiles uplift test.
QUE~IIO_N_: Is there a "Master Permit" for this job? (Giving the Diversified or an affiliated company the task of
picking the balconies to be tested and conducting the tests-as is my understanding of the procedure-is like giving
a failing child the task of picking the test questions and grading the tests himself. There is lack of objectivity and
impartiality
~-'~~WER; No, there is no master permit currently on the job. However, the contractor has been instructed to
apply for a permit and submit plans that will reflect the entire scope of work at the job site, and that permit can be
considered the "master permit."
The Diversified or its affiliated companies were never given the choice to select the balconies for certification of
product by the manufacture of the waterproofing product. The balconies were randomly selected by the Building
Department. The manufacture of the waterproofing product is not an affiliate of the Diversified Company. The
uplift tests on all balcony tiles will be conducted on all balcony tiles, and not on a selected few. The tests will be
conducted by an independent and approved testing laboratory, and not an affiliate of the Diversified Construction
Company. The results of the test will be certified and signed and sealed by a Florida Registered engineer. A
Special Inspector, who must be a Florida Registered engineer, retained by the Association is required to submit
certifications on installation of the waterproofing product on all balconies.
MIAMIBEACH
Hamid Dolikhani, Building Official/Acting Director
BUILDING DEPARTMENT
1700 Convention Center Dr., 2nd fl, Miami Beach, FL 33139
Tel: 305-673-7000x6753 / Fax: 305-535-7513/ www.miamibeachfl.gov
We are committed to providing excellent public seNice and safety to all who live, work and play in our vibrant, tropical. historic community.
-----Original Message-----
From: Catherine Fingal [mailto:monticat1515@mac.com]
Sent: Tuesday, December 06, 2005 11:02 AM
To: Dermer, David
Cc: Hemstreet, Tim; "Dermer, David"@smtpout.mac.com; Cruz, Simon; Garcia, Luis; Dolikhani, Hamid;
sbustos@herald.com; jmanderson@herald.com; lfingal@yahoo.co; cviLLAVERDE@BELLSOUTH.NET
Subject: Re: MAISON GRANDE/DIVERSIFIED CONSTRUCTION
Mayor Dermer:
I, on behalf of many unit owners and myself at the Maison Grande Building have been asking questions
in reference to the Diversified Construction company's work at the Maison Grande which have never
been directly answered by the Building Department and now their attorney.
There are serious violations committed. It is my understanding that everything that goes on at the
Building Department is a matter of Public record. I also believe that our building officials are
answerable to it's citizens' concerns.
The unit owners at the Maison Grande have been receiving conflicting information about the status of
the permits, violations and testings from the Maison Grande Condominium Board of Directors and the
Miami Beach Building Department. The cost to the Maison Grande unit owners have been
approximately 8 MILLLION DOLLARS TO DATE.
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12/16/2005
Page 3 of 1 7
We have a right to demand accountability from the Diversified and the Building department, as
Diversified has committed several violations, and if it weren't for the investigation of the permits( or
rather lack of permits) by unit owners, these violations would not have been detected!
We need our questions answered in writing, so we can factually inform the Maison Grande Unit
Owners.
I have to insist that the following questions be answered.
My questions are:
1. If what I am alleging above is true, is it legal for
Diversified
to undervalue the cost of the work done to the Miami Beach Building
Department?
2. What department is responsible for handling issues of this
nature?
3. Is the Miami Beach Building Departlnent going to rely solely
on the
information
to be provided by Diversified Construction (plans, documents,
and
permit applications) in the
resolution of these violations? (please note that we are aware
that
Diversified has applied for additional permits and a permit renewal on
October 3rd and 4th that are STILL UNDERVALUING THE COST OF THE
WORK).
4. We have been told by Board of Directors that the City of
Miami
Beach has tested the Balcony tiles and that all the tests have been
passed, is this true?
5. Will the City of Miami Beach be testing the tiles on units
304,
306, 311 (listed in BV0500 1625), or any units that are obviously
defective with the "hollow tiles?" (When Diversified allegedly
"tested" the tiles for the City of Mianli Beach, they "tested" units
and tiles that would obviously pass the test. I witnessed this myself,
as they tested my balcony(301) where the tile was solid, and failed to
note that there are hollow and cracking tiles on the stairs of my
balcony. )
6. Will the City of MiaIni Beach conduct the "testings," be
present at
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Page 4 of 17
any of the "testings" of balconies, or pick the balconies to be >
tested?
7. Is there a "MASTER PERMIT" for this job?
(Giving Diversified or an affiliated company the task of picking
the
balconies to be tested and conducting the tests-as is my understanding
of the procedure- is like giving a failing child the task of picking
the test questions and grading the tests himself. There is lack of
objectivity and impartiality.)
Thank You Mr. Mayor,
Sincerely,
Catherine Fingal
On Monday, December 5, 2005, at 12:41 PM, Montoya, Rhonda wrote:
Ms. Fingal:
I believe that the Building Department has answered all of your
questions on more than one occasion, specifically including questions
1- 7 contained in your last e-mail and has provided you with copies of
all documentation related , so I am sorry if you still have some
remaining confusion. I am not sure if I would be able to present the
information any differently, but if you have any new questions, I would
be happy to address them.
Rhonda Montoya Hasan
First Assistant City Attorney
Legal Advisor, Fire and Building Depts.
City of Miami Beach
1700 Convention Center Dr., 4th Floor
Miami Beach, FL 33139
305-673.7470 - office
305.673.7002 - fax
-----Original Message-----
From: Catherine Fingal [mailto:monticat1515@mac.com]
Sent: Friday, December 02, 2005 1 :56 PM
To: Montoya, Rhonda
Cc: Hemstreet, Tim; Dermer, David; Cruz, Simon; Garcia, Luis; Dolikhani,
Hamid; sbustos@herald.com; jmanderson@herald.com; lfingal@yahoo.co;
cviLLA VERDE@BELLSOUTH.NET
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Page 5 of 17
Subject: Fwd: MAISON GRANDE/DIVERSIFIED CONSTRUCTION
Ms. Montoya:
I have been advised by Mr. Hamid Doklikhani that he has forwarded you
my email dated 11/16 for your response.
I am still waiting.
This matter is of extreme urgency and concern to the unit owners and
residents at the Maison Grande.
I don't see why it is so difficult to get a response for the Building
Department to my questions.
Your response is urgently awaited.
Catherine F ingal
Begin forwarded message:
From: "Dolikhani, Hamid" <HamidDolikhani@miamibeachfl.gov>
Date: Mon Nov 21, 2005 8:17:46 PM USlEastern
To: monticat1515@mac.com
Cc: "Hemstreet, Tim" <TimHemstreet@miamibeachfl.gov>,
pdoench@wplg.com, "Montoya, Rhonda"
<RhondaMontoya@miamibeachfl.gov> ,
"Villarreal, Andy" <AndyVillarreal@miamibeachfl.gov>,
lfingal@yahoo.com, "Dermer, David" <MayorDermer@miamibeachfl.gov>,
"Cruz, Simon" <Simon@miamibeachfl.gov>, "Garcia, Luis"
<L uis@miamibeachfl.gov>, msallah@herald.com
Subject: Re: MAISON GRANDE/DIVERSIFIED CONSTRUCTION
Ms. Fingal:
I have forwarded your previous email dated November 16,2005 to Rhonda
Montoya, Assistant City Attorney for her response.
Please forward any further questions you may have to the attention of
Rhonda Montoya, Assistant City Attorney.
Hamid Dolikhani
Acting Building Director
305 673 7000 X6753
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld
-----Original Message-----
From: Catherine Fingal
To: Dolikhani, Hamid
CC: Hemstreet, Tim; Peter D'oench; Montoya, Rhonda; Villarreal, Andy;
file:IIC:\Documents and Settings\buildolh\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\OLK... 12/16/2005
Page 6 of 17
lfingal@yahoo.com; Dermer, David; Cruz, Simon; Garcia, Luis;
msallah@herald.com
Sent: Mon Nov 21 19:00:55 2005
Subject: Re: MAISON GRANDEIDIVERSIFIED CONSTRUCTION
Mr. Dolikhani:
I want to thank you for faxing me the letters from Becker and
Poliakoff.
I am patiently awaiting your response to my letter of November 16th,
2005.
If you are unable to respond, would you please forward me to the
department who would be able to address my concerns?
Sincerely,
Catherine Fingal
On Wednesday, November 16,2005, at 10:23 AM, Catherine Fingal wrote:
Mr. Dolikhani:
Thank you for your response, as well as the forwarded email from
Diversified's Rep.
The 2 letters from Becker and Poliakoff can be sent to fax
number:
305 532-3811, (Attention:Catherine Fingal). Since this fax # is not
private,kindly advise when they are being sent.
I thank you for your time, patience and in advance for these
letters.
I know you are trying to help and I do not take this fact for granted.
Please bear with me, as I am quite unaccustomed to the
procedures of
the Miami Beach Building Department, and many unit owners here at the
Maison Grande are depending on me to get an accurate account of this
matter. (Thus far, it seems the Board of Directors at the Maison
Grande don't feel it is their duty to get the facts from the Building
Department. )
Forgive me if I have misunderstood the wording in your response,
or
the wording in my questions are unclear to you, but I still have
questions.
I will try to make the issues clearer:
According to the documents received by the Maison Grande
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Page 7 of 1 7
Condominium
Association members, Diversified has ALREADY been paid approximately
5 MILLION DOLLARS for work which HAS BEEN DONE by Diversified.
The permits #B0303112 ($574,000.00) and #B0303570 ($179,000.00)
were
the only permits pulled for the work. The work has ALREADY BEEN
COMPLETED, and the PERMITS HAVE EXPIRED.
The Building Department has in it's possession the documents to
corroborate this fact.
My questions are:
1. If what I am alleging above is true, is it legal for
Diversified
to undervalue the cost of the work done to the Miami Beach Building
Department?
2. What department is responsible for handling issues of this
nature?
3. Is the Miami Beach Building Department going to rely solely
on the
information
to be provided by Diversified Construction (plans, documents,
and
permit applications) in the
resolution of these violations? (please note that we are aware
that
Diversified has applied for additional permits and a permit renewal on
October 3rd and 4th that are STILL UNDERVALUING THE COST OF THE
WORK).
4. We have been told by Board of Directors that the City of
Miami
Beach has tested the Balcony tiles and that all the tests have been
passed, is this true?
5. Will the City of Miami Beach be testing the tiles on units
304,
306, 311 (listed in BV0500 1625), or any units that are obviously
defective with the "hollow tiles?" (When Diversified allegedly
"tested" the tiles for the City of Miami Beach, they "tested" units
and tiles that would obviously pass the test. I witnessed this myself,
as they tested my balcony(30 1) where the tile was solid, and failed to
file://C:\Documents and Settings\buildolh\Local Settings\ Temporary Internet Files\OLK... 12/16/2005
Page 8 of 17
note that there are hollow and cracking tiles on the stairs of my
balcony.)
6. Will the City of Miami Beach conduct the "testings," be
present at
any of the "testings" of balconies, or pick the balconies to be >
tested?
7. Is there a "MASTER PERMIT" for this job?
(Giving Diversified or an affiliated company the task of picking
the
balconies to be tested and conducting the tests-as is my understanding
of the procedure- is like giving a failing child the task of picking
the test questions and grading the tests himself. There is lack of
objectivity and impartiality.)
Best Regards,
Catherine Fingal
On Tuesday, November 15, 2005, at 11 :34 AM, Dolikhani, Hamid
wrote:
Ms. Fingal:
Please be advised that other than the documents provided
to you by
the
Violation Section of the Building Department( copies of
Notices of
Violation), this department does not have any other
written
correspondences with the Maison Grande Condominium
Association or the
Diversified Construction Company. The department does
not maintain
phone
logs, sound or video recordings or transcripts of
meetings with
contractors, homeowners, architects, engineers, as it is
not
required by
law, unless it is court-mandated, case-specific and
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Page 9 of 1 7
pursuant to a
court
action; in which case, the attorneys representing the
interested
parties
administer the deposition and make arrangement for a
court reporter.
The legal firm representing the Maison Grande
Condominium
Association,
Becker & Polikoff, P.A., sent two letters to my
attention, and if you
provide me your fax number, I'll be glad to fax copies
of those
letters
to your attention. The attorney representing the
Diversified
Construction Company, Alberto Gonzalez of Green Traurig,
P.A.,
requested
a meeting on October 5, 2005 through email, and I'll be
glad to
forward
that email to your attention.
As to the status of the violations of the building code
committed by
the
Diversified Construction Company; as you are aware, and
were advised
by
myself and my staff, a Stop-Work Order and a Notice of
Violation was
issued to the Diversified Construction Company for
having commenced
work
beyond the scope of approved permits, and was further
instructed to
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Page 10 of 17
submit full set of plans, documents and permit
applications that
fully
reflect the executed and up-to-date value of
construction. The
violation
Section of the Building Department provided you the
copies of the
Notice
of Violation.
MIAMIBEACH
Hamid Dolikhani, Building Official/Acting Director
BUILDING DEPARTMENT
1700 Convention Center Dr., 2nd fl, Miami Beach, FL
33139
Tel: 305-673-7000x6753 / Fax: 305-535-7513 /
www.miamibeachfl.gov
Weare committed to providing excellent public service
and safety to
all
who live, work and play in our vibrant, tropical,
historic community.
-----Original Message-----
From: Catherine Fingal [mailto:monticat 1515@mac.com]
Sent: Monday, November 14,2005 10:07 PM
To: Dolikhani, Hamid
Cc: Peter D'oench; Montoya, Rhonda; Hemstreet, Tim;
Villarreal, Andy;
lfingal@yahoo.com; City Manager's mailbox; Dermer,
David; Cruz,
Simon;
Garcia, Luis
Subject: MAISON GRANDE/DIVERSIFIED CONSTRUCTION
Mr. Dolikhani,
Please let me know when and how I may obtain the
information I
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Page 11 of 1 7
requested by email on Nov. 7th, and 10th requesting ALL
correspondence
(emails, written letters, phone logs, etc.) between the
Maison Grande
Board of Directors, namely Calvin Kohli and the M.B.
Building
Department, as well as ALL correspondence between
Diversified and the
M.B. Building Department (emails, written letters, phone
logs, etc.).
Is it also possible to issue an official
letter from the Miami
Beach
Building Dept. to the unit owners at the
Maison Grande with the
facts
concerning the Violations from
9/28/2005?
I t has also come to my attention that
Diversified has applied for
additional permits, again with false
valuations of the work here at
the Maison Grande. To date, I have no
knowledge of any official
investigation into the false value
declarations on the Diversified
Permit applications for the Maison
Grande. Is it legal for
Diversified to continue to undervalue
the price of the work done at
the Maison Grande? If not, what
department is responsible for
prosecuting this issue? The Building
Department has been given
documents showing that Diversified has
done over 5 million dollars
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Page 12 of 1 7
worth of work on the Maison Grande so
far, and more that 2 million
dollars in work pending.
I realize you must be quite busy, but please understand
the urgency
of
this matter.
The Board is telling the unit owners that Diversified
has a "Master
Permit," which is untrue, according to the information I
received at
the meeting with you on September 26th 2005.
We have paid for work which is not up to Miami Beach
building codes,
we
have paid Diversified at least $82,200.00 in "permit
fees" which was
never paid to the Building Department, and to add insult
to injury we
are again being forced by the Board to pay for
additional work to be
done by Diversified.
I look forward to your response.
Best Regards,
Catherine Fingal
From: Catherine Fingal <monticat1515@mac.com>
Date: Thu Nov 10, 2005 9:25:42 AM US/Eastern
To: "Dolikhani, Hamid" <HamidDolikhani@miamibeachfl.gov>
Cc: Peter D'oench <pdoench@wplg.com>,
RhondaMontoya@miamibeachfl.gov,
TimHemstreet@miamibeachfl.gov,
City Manager@miamibeachfl.gov,
Andy Villarreal@miamibeachfl.gov, Lfingal@yahoo.com
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Page 13 of 17
Subject: Re: MAISON GRANDE/DIVERSIFIED CONSTRUCTION
Mr. Dolikhani:
Thank you for the documents you so kindly provided me
with. However,
I
think you misunderstood my request, and I would like to
send you
another request.
According to your response to me on October 11 th, 2005,
emails and
correspondence to City staff are considered public
information.
Given this fact, I am again requesting ALL
correspondence (emails,
written letters, phone logs, etc.) between the Maison
Grande Board of
Directors, namely Calvin Kohli and the M.B. Building
Department, as
well as ALL correspondence between Diversified and the
M.B. Building
Department (emails, written letters, phone logs, etc.).
Also, my questions regarding the possibility of the
Building
Department
issuing a letter to the 502 unit owners at the Maison
Grande, as well
as the legality of Diversified
undervaluing the cost of the work at the Maison
Grande-and the
department responsible for prosecuting such offenses
remaIn
unanswered.
Thank you for you attention to this matter, and I do
apologize if the
wording in my evious request was unclear.
Regards,
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Page 14 of 17
Catherine Fingal
From: "Dolikhani, Hamid"
<HamidDolikhani@miamibeachfl.gov>
Date: Wed Nov 9, 2005 5:40:39 PM US+D/Eastern
To: monticat1515@mac.com
Cc: pdoench@wplg.com, "Montoya, Rhonda"
<RhondaMontoya@miamibeachfl.gov>, "Hemstreet, Tim"
<TimHemstreet@miamibeachfl.gov>, "Villarreal, Andy"
<AndyVillarreal@miamibeachfl.gov>, lfingal@yahoo.com,
City Manager@miamibeachfl.gov
Subject: Re: Fwd: MAISON GRANDE/DIVERSIFIED CONSTRUCTION
The Building Department Violation Section has made
copies of all
relevant violation cases. Please stop by or have someone
stop by the
department to pick up the copies.
Hamid Dolikhani
Acting Building Director
305 673 7000 X6753
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld
-----Original Message-----
From: Catherine Fingal
To: Dolikhani, Hamid
CC: Peter D'oench; Montoya, Rhonda; Hemstreet, Tim;
Villarreal, Andy;
lfingal@yahoo.com; City Manager's mailbox
Sent: Wed Nov 09 16:05:38 2005
Subject: Fwd: MAISON GRANDE/DIVERSIFIED CONSTRUCTION
Mr Dolikhani,
On Nov.7th, I sent you and E-mail with several questions
and
concerns.
To date, I have received no response from you.
These matters are very important to the 502 Residents at
the Maison
Grande. Weare being misinformed to by the M.G. Board
of Directors and Diversified Construction in reference
to the permits
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Page 15 of 17
and lack thereof for the ongoing construction project.
You are in the
unique and hopefully unbiased position to bring all the
facts to
light.
If you cannot or choose not to respond to my queries,
please let me
know this as well.
I am forwarding the last message I sent, and hope you do
respond.
I look forward to your response,
Catherine Fingal
Begin forwarded message:
From: Catherine Fingal <monticat 1515@mac.com>
Date: Mon Nov 7, 2005 1 :25:34 PM US/Eastern
To: Hamiddolikhani@miamibeachfl.gov
Cc: Peter D'oench <pdoench@wplg.com>,
City Manager@miamibeachfl.gov,
RhondaMontoya@miamibeachfl.gov,
TimHemstreet@miamibeachfl.gov
Subject: MAISON GRANDE/DIVERSIFIED CONSTRUCTION
Mr. Dolikhani:
I am respectfully requesting all correspondence
between the Building
Department of Miami Beach and the Maison Grande
Condominium Board of
Directors, as well as correspondence between the
Building Dept. of
Miami Beach and Diversified Construction in
reference to the Permits
and Violations since the commencement of work by
Diversified on the
Maison Grande Building in 2003.
Please let me know when and how I may receive
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Page 16 of 1 7
these documents.
The Board of Directors at the Maison Grande have
written to all unit
owners in a letter received on 11/05/2005,
claiming that there was a
"Master Permit" issued by the Building
Department for the
construction
work done by Diversified.
Is it also possible to issue an official letter
from the Miami Beach
Building Dept. to the unit owners at the Maison
Grande with the
facts
concerning the Violations from 9/28/2005?
It has also come to my attention that
Diversified has applied for
additional permits, again with false valuations
of the work here at
the Maison Grande. To date, I have no knowledge
of any official
investigation into the false value declarations
on the Diversified
Permit applications for the Maison Grande. Is it
legal for
Diversified to continue to undervalue the price
of the work done at
the Maison Grande? If not, what department is
responsible for
prosecuting this issue? The Building Department
has been given
documents showing that Diversified has done over
5 million dollars
worth of work on the Maison Grande so far, and
more that 2 million
dollars in work pending.
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Page 17 of 17
Thanking you for your attention to this serious
matter, and your
prompt response.
Best Regards,
Catherine Fingal
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