Palm Beach County Focus of Resale Probe: Time Shares Replace Mortgage Fraud as #1 Complaint in State

One tattooed executive died of drug toxicity. His female partner survived multiple arrests to rake in an estimated $4 million a month.

Palm Coast, FL – March 30, 2010
 


By Charles Elmore: Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
West Palm Beach – One tattooed executive died of drug toxicity. His female partner survived multiple arrests to rake in an estimated $4 million a month.
That’s only part of the story behind the new No. 1 source of fraud complaints in Florida.
Time-share condo resales have replaced mortgage scams as the leading producer of complaints to a fraud hot line, according to the Florida Attorney General’s Office. And Palm Beach County has emerged as the epicenter.
Ten of 17 time-share companies subpoenaed by the attorney general’s office this month are based in Palm Beach County, and the office has pending litigation in two West Palm Beach cases.
This grimy, shadowy world was not exactly what Millie Pimentel of Middletown, N.Y., pictured when she got a call from Creative Vacation Solutions, which listed a respectable-sounding Flagler Drive address in West Palm Beach.
Company officials said they had checks waiting for more than $20,000 to buy the time share she had purchased in Orlando for $5,000, she said. They just needed $1,200 for title fees — and almost $1,000 in other charges.
She did not know the waterfront address was a rented mail drop. No buyer materialized. Follow-up dealings, including a written contract, promised to provide only marketing and advertising services.
5 replies
  1. George Edward Chuddy
    George Edward Chuddy says:

    Palm Coast Timeshares

    COVER STORY
    Palm Coast Blossoming as New Hometown
    PALM COAST, Florida-This rapidly-growing planned community is becoming the ‘Resort hometown’ planners at ITT Community Development Corporation envisioned ten years ago.
    The ‘hometown’ aspect of life in Palm Coast is evident everywhere. Citizens are involved with community growth, activities and challenges. Local government and ITT-DCDC play strong roles in planning for and meeting those challenges successfully.
    the ‘Resort’ envoronment is Florida at her finest. Palm Coast golf courses and all-surface tennis club have earned national recognition. Complimenting these are five miles of beach, a new Palm Coast beach club with pool, waterways and a marina for boating, community-wide landscaping, and a waterfront hotel and timeshare resort for vacationers and visiting friends.
    It is an atmosphere that attracts new industry, stores, services and more than 100 new residents each month to Palm Coast.
    A BRIDGE TO THE BEACH
    SPANNING THE WATERWAY Construction progresses on a high-level bridge that will put Palm Coast residents only minutes from Palm Coast beaches. Grand opening? Summer, 1988.
    The PalmCoaster Winter 1988 p. 1
    Palm Coast Resorts are Picture Perfect
    PALM COAST, Florida – If you’re not among the lucky 11,000 or so who live here all the time, you can still enjoy the Palm Coast life for a week or two or more, at vacation resorts amont Florida’s finest.
    Seeing is believing, so we shall let pictures do most of the talking:
    A pelican’s view of the people’s paradise…the Palm Coast Beach, and new beach club, a place in the sun for cavationers and residents.
    The Sheraton Palm Coast Resort and Palm Coast Marina…early evening.
    The Harbor Club vacation-ownership resort…villa surrounding Oak Tree Island
    You’ve seen the photographs. Now see the real thing. For Harbor Club sles information-vacations for a lifetime-contact your nearest Palm Coast sales office or call toll free, 1.800.874.1828 and ask for the Harbor club at extension 870.
    To reserve your waterfront room at the Sheraton, call 904.445.3000 , or toll-free, 1.800.325.3535. Palm Coast property owners can arrange for a holiday through area sales offices.
    The Palm Coaster Winter 1988 p. 10
    Globetrotting Palm Coasters…more than 1,300 Harbor Club vacation weeks have been sold, many to Palm Coast residents. Why? To be part of the worldwide Resort Condominiums iInternational excnange network, over 1,350 resorts fro the isles of Greece to the mountains of North Carolina.
    Things to do on my Palm Coast Vacation…
    -Lounge like I never lounged before in the shallow end of the Oceanfront Pool ( early ’88)
    -Shoot at least one bird ( on the golf course, of course)
    -Fulfill my Wimbledon fantasy on grass tennis courts
    -Visit fantasy in real life…Disney World, two hours away
    -Explore Palm Coast by foot, on the walking paths
    -Explore the night life in Henry’s Good Spirits lounge
    -Try body surfing in the ocean, at least once
    -Try sun bathing on the sand, more than once
    -Try to stay one more week, maybe two, maybe three, maybe…
    The Palm Coaster Winter 1988 p. 11.

  2. John Boy
    John Boy says:

    Time Share Fraud

    This has been going on and hasn’t received the attention from the AG that it deserves. Instead this fool is spending his time campaiging for higher office and persuing suits against Health Care Reform. Two more good reasons to keep this turkey out of public office. He has not done his job all a long but has no guilt about drawing a salary and seeking another office. Turn this fool out for good.

  3. George Meegan
    George Meegan says:

    Bridge takes toll on Hammocks

    The tolls on the bridge can no longer be justified, as the state requires that the tolls can be extended only for improvements needed for the increased traffic Traffic is not beyond projections, so the tolls must come down date certain. That date is less than two years away. The attempt by the Hammocks to incorporate, did not work, as the books told the story.The HDDC mixes the toll funds with all the other services it provides like water, sewer, lighting and utility property. The tolls provde funds to lower those cost that would be paid by the homeowners as common fees, if the bridge funds were not in the mix. The tolls also serve as a way to keep out traffic and make the Hammocks more exclusive.It was built back in the late 1980’s and then sold to the HDDC when ITT pulled out in 1999.

  4. Toby
    Toby says:

    Reply to BB

    I for one appreciate George’s vast store of historical information about Palm Coast. Of course, I love history. I believe we can best appreciate the present if we understand how we got to it.

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply