More Reasons to oppose Red Light Cameras

Let's talk about Traffic Cameras industry's contributions to elected officers' campaigns. I don't know if this is the case or will ever be the case with our Hallandale commissioners. But I tend to think that it, the way politics are conducted in this country, I wouldn't be surprised that one day it could be a factor. That would be an unacceptable, and regrettable reason, in additional to what we already know about the traffic cameras as revenue generator and a tax in disguise.

There is one more argument.Many experts are now affirming that these red light cameras could actually increase accidents.

Read on the following excerpt from an article published on Boston.com (affiliated to the Boston Globe) – Nov.13, 2009

Governor Deval Patrick is advancing a plan to make Massachusetts the 25th state to let cameras play traffic officer at red lights, an enforcement measure that many police chiefs and mayors have been seeking for years.

The administration’s push has set off a debate that is already unfolding in other states: whether the cameras are there to improve driver safety or whether they represent a new source of revenue for cash-strapped governments. The way Patrick introduced the measure, in a budget bill, has some detractors saying that it is a money grab.

……a newspaper investigation in Chicago showed that city leaders often place the cameras where they are likely to make money, rather than where they are likely to reduce accidents. And federal government studies say that cameras have actually increased some types of crashes, as drivers are tempted to stop short or speed up to avoid being photographed.

,,.. “By putting it in the budget, they’re admitting it’s about money and not about safety,’’ said Ivan Sever, state chapter coordinator of the National Motorists Association, an advocacy group that opposes the cameras. “That’s not right.’’

Sever said the for-profit companies involved in installing the cameras have been pushing cities to use them as revenue generators as part of their business model. And he points out that studies have shown the cameras actually increase rear-end crashes, perhaps because drivers stop suddenly when they notice the warning signs, only to get hit from behind.

But there are questions about both the money and the effectiveness involved in camera enforcement. Investigations by the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune found that the vast majority of tickets were issued to drivers who failed to stop completely before making a right turn at a red light, a traffic violation that rarely leads to a crash. The Tribune report found that local officials were posting the cameras where they were likely to generate cash, rather than where the most serious crashes were occurring.

And although some cameras have generated $60,000 a month, the city of Dallas had to pull more than a fourth of its cameras because they were not earning enough fines to meet operating costs, according to the Dallas Morning News.

Members of the industry that sells the cameras and their relatives have given thousands of dollars to elected officials at the state level.

Michael Cohen, a spokesman for Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. Murray’s political fund, which has received at least $1,225 in contributions from industry employees since 2005, said the donations have not influenced his support. He has supported the technology for years, dating back to his time as mayor of Worcester.

Senator Steven A. Baddour, the Methuen Democrat who is cochairman of the Legislature’s transportation committee, received a $500 contribution from an account executive at Redflex Traffic Systems last year. He said he supports allowing the cameras but would like to reduce the maximum fine from $100. He said that police chiefs in his district support it and that he had never heard of the Redflex employee.

Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill has received more than $4,000 from an industry official at Affiliated Computer Services and his spouse since 2005. Though Cahill has no direct role in the decision on whether to allow the cameras, spokeswoman Alison Mitchell said “he is absolutely opposed to it.’’

“He feels that it’s a back-door way to raise revenue,’’ Mitchell said.

Henry B. Nathan is a Florida Realtor at United Realty Group Inc.
Visit my website: http://www.condo-southflorida.com
where you can search for Aventura Condos, Florida Condos, Sunny Isles Condos,

More about Red Light Traffic Cameras

I am what you can say a reasonably "good driver".

Throughout my 40+ years driving experience, I have accumulated very few and only minor violations or parking tickets.

So why my "unbalanced" anger about these traffic cameras? It's subconscious I guess.

I am not an aggressive or even a combative person. But, for some reason, I feel that somebody has gone over the top this time.

Perhaps I should direct my wrath on the big bankers, the CDO's creators, or the finance crimes perpetrators.

But traffic cameras might just be a symbol of how honest people can be punished and penalized, while their country is in turmoil, a victim of greed and abuse.

While honorable and law-abiding citizens' life savings have melted in all kinds of creative investment schemes, devised by our educated elite and rubber-stamped by regulators and authorities; when truthful persons of all strata of society are struggling with the mortgage meltdown and the unemployment disaster, all we need now is that our local "elite" adds insult to injury.

Am I exaggerating?

Of course.

I read more comments about traffic cameras:

From "TheNewspaper.com" - July 17, 2010

Traffic Cameras Worldwide Go Haywire
Speed cameras and red light cameras in the US and Australia accused innocent motorists of wrongdoing.
Traffic cameraSpeed cameras in California, Florida and Australia are not living up to their image of providing infallible evidence of traffic crimes. To the contrary, officials must find clever excuses to cover for the mistakes that are uncovered with increasing frequency.
In Hallandale, Florida, the private firm American Traffic Solutions mailed a $125 ticket to Phil Kodroff accusing his car of "running a red light" at the intersection of Federal Highway and Hallandale Beach Boulevard on May 22. The Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel reported that Kodroff's vehicle committed this crime at the speed of 0 MPH.
To explain the lack of speed noted on Kodroff's ticket, Hallandale Beach police spokesman Dwayne Flournoy told the Sun Sentinel, "Zero doesn't mean zero."
A motorist in Capitola, California received a red light camera ticket after his car stopped and made a legal turn from 41st Avenue onto Clares Street, the Santa Cruz Sentinel reported. Police once again struggled to come up with an explanation.
"It may have not been the person involved that tripped the light," Capitola Police Sergeant Matt Eller told the Sentinel.
In San Diego, red light cameras are randomly flashing motorists who have done nothing wrong, generating up to thirty complaint calls every day. Local police told KGTV-TV that the flashing happens when the red light camera reboots.
A Queensland, Australia electronic engineering teacher is fighting an A$200 speed camera ticket he says is clearly bogus. The Gold Coast News reported that Philip Williams' motorcycle photographed in Robina last November at 79 km/h (49 MPH) in a 60 (37 MPH) zone. Williams argued that even the radar device's manufacturer, Gatsometer, said the device should not be used on a curve. Moreover, other vehicles are visible in the citation photograph, and radar is unable to determine which vehicle produced the speed reading (the citation shows a Gatso radar, not a lidar device).

Henry B. Nathan is a Florida Realtor at United Realty Group Inc.

Visit my website: http://www.condo-southflorida.com

where you can search for Aventura Condos, Florida Condos, Sunny Isles Condos

Hallandale Beach: you're not alone

We're not alone.

Traffic cameras syndrome is spreading fast. And people's reaction too.
Authoritative government and abusive over-taxation used to impose bureaucrats will, must have a limit. This is my humble opinion at least...

I'm glad that I am not the only one worrying about police departments peeping in every little thing we do in life. The law must be respected, but let's not forget that we make the law and the law should be oriented to increase the quality of our life, not the quantity of our misery.

From "TheNewspaper.com" - Monday, July 19, 2010

Ohio: Voters In Two More Cities Poised To Ban Traffic Cameras

A pair of Cuyahoga County, Ohio cities are likely to have a public vote on banning red light cameras and speed cameras in November. A sufficient number of residents in Garfield Heights and South Euclid signed a referendum petition that organizers expect to turn in this week, as early as today. Once approved, these municipalities will join Anaheim, California; Baytown and Houston, Texas; and Mukilteo, Washington in voting on the future of cameras on November 2.

Cuyahoga County for Liberty (CC4L) coordinated the signature gathering effort in conjunction with the Coalition Opposed to Additional Spending and Taxes (COAST) which successfully built a coalition to defeat Cincinnati's red light cameras in 2008. CC4L Chairman Grant McCallum explained the reason his group decided to fight the cameras in South Euclid.

"It's clearly an overreach of government, as far as I'm concerned," McCallum told TheNewspaper. "It's a way for local governments to extract money from their citizens. It has nothing to do with safety."

City leaders hope to deploy speed cameras and mount cameras on school buses to issue expensive citations. McCallum says he has more than 500 signatures in hand -- double the 251 required to force the vote.

His most successful tactic has been to direct traffic into a drive-thru petition signing area in parking lots that allow supporters to quickly and conveniently register. McCallum says the support has been tremendous.

"Everyone sees this as just a money-grab -- a scam," McCallum said. "Some people are concerned about Big Brother and electronic surveillance, but the majority of people understand it's just another way for the city to make money.... The support is across all the political spectrum."

Garfield Heights has also lined up more than enough signatures. So far, 2300 have said that they want a vote to end cameras, even though only 875 signatures are needed. Once on the ballot, Ohio voters have always approved bans on cameras. Last November Chillicothe and Heath voted to ban them -- with 72 percent of voters in the latter city rejecting automated ticketing. In 2008, residents in Cincinnati, Ohio rejected red light cameras. Seventy-six percent of Steubenville, Ohio voters rejected photo radar in 2006.

Elsewhere, 61 percent of Sykesville, Maryland voters overturned a speed camera ordinance earlier this year.
In 2009, eighty-six percent of Sulphur, Louisiana rejected speed cameras. College Station, Texas also rejected cameras. In the mid-1990s, speed cameras lost by a two-to-one margin in Peoria, Arizona and Batavia, Illinois. In 1997, voters in Anchorage, Alaska banned cameras even after the local authorities had removed them.

Henry B. Nathan is a Florida Realtor at United Realty Group Inc.

Visit my website: http://www.condo-southflorida.com

where you can search for Aventura Condos, Florida Condos, Sunny Isles Condos

More about Traffic Cameras

Did you get it yet?
I hate Traffic Cameras.
The more I read about them, the more I think about them, the more they represent a symbol of greed by inefficient government, resourceful when it comes to overwhelm citizens with new and creative types of taxation, stingy when it amounts to services provided. Here is another story on CBS4.com about Red Light Cameras in South Florida:

Hallandale Beach Red Light Cam Generates Big Bucks

The City of Miami Beach is expected to add 15 new red light cameras after a vote Wednesday night. The city currently has 10, and assistant City Manager Robert Middaugh says the cameras reduce traffic crashes and promote safer driving.

"It really does create a heightened awareness as people go up and down the streets to pay attention to the intersections and pay attention to the traffic laws," Middaugh said.

While Miami Beach plans to add cameras, Hallandale Beach Commissioner Keith London wants to get rid of the only red light camera in his city. He calls it a hidden tax.

"It's a speed trap, it's a red light traffic trap. It's about the revenue, it's not about public safety," London said.

CBS4's Natalia Zea did some checking and found that Miami Beach issues an average of 1,000 tickets a month, but that is small potatoes compared to Hallandale Beach's camera at the intersection of US-1 and Hallandale Beach Boulevard.

The one red light camera there is giving out an average of 700 more tickets every month than all 10 of Miami Beach's cameras combined.

Hallandale is making a killing off those tickets to the tune of $1 million since January. Some drivers were furious to learn that.

But Hallandale Beach police said there are simply more drivers making rolling turns on red lights at their intersection. 93 percent of the tickets they've issued were for that violation. CBS4's cameras caught plenty of people rolling right on the red.

Middaugh believes Hallandale officers reviewing the video footage and issuing the tickets are stricter on the rolling right turns than Miami Beach cops.

"We're not writing as many tickets as the others and that's okay. We didn't do this for revenue, we did this to reduce intersection accidents," Middaugh said.

Hallandale police deny that. Either way, some drivers we spoke with like Bob Mendola say no matter the speed, the intersection, or the camera the law is the law.

"If it's the law and you break it, you should be ticketed.

I got it Big Brother.

Henry B. Nathan is a Florida Realtor at United Realty Group Inc.

Visit my website: http://www.condo-southflorida.com

where you can search for Aventura Condos, Florida Condos, Sunny Isles Condos

Traffic Cameras - Call it Big Brother's New Tax

Do you still think that Hallandale Beach the "City of Choice" ?

Not anymore for many drivers who, as you will read below, will try to avoid Hallandale's cameras trap.

One Million Dollars in six months! This is the take of the city and they have recently increased the fine from $125 to $158, so that they can share part of this revenue with the State of Florida.

And that's just the beginning.

$158 for not slowing down enough at a red light right turn, seems so excessive and such an hypocritical money grab!

Just more money-generating, privacy-invading, shameful scheme.

Every little chip hammered out of our Constitution brings us one step closer to George Orwell's and Aldous Huxley's perfect universes.

I'll take freedom over the so called "safety" any day of the week.

Big Brother has many Eyes!

Here is what I read today in the Sun Sentinel:

Rolling right turn could cost you $158

Red-light cameras are helping Hallandale Beach raise $1 million

In theory, red-light cameras are supposed to be about safety, curbing reckless drivers from blowing through intersections at high speeds.

But the reality at one South Florida intersection seems more like a game of "Gotcha," with an astounding 93 percent of violations going to unwitting drivers making rolling right turns on red. "This feels like a money grab," said Phil Kodroff, one of almost 11,000 drivers to get snagged by Hallandale Beach's red-light camera since it started snapping away in January.

The city's take by mid-June: almost $1 million.

"Let's be honest about it, we're here to gouge you," said Hallandale Beach Commissioner Keith London, an opponent of red-light cameras. "To say it's about public safety is pretty disingenuous. It's all about the revenue." Love them or hate them, the cameras soon will become fixtures of South Florida life. Now that the devices have gotten the green light from the Legislature and Gov. Charlie Crist, more cash-strapped cities will be turning to them for easy money.

In the past week, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood and Boynton Beach have moved forward with plans to install cameras. They will join Hallandale Beach, Pembroke Pines and West Palm Beach, which already have cameras running. Royal Palm Beach installed cameras in November but has been issuing only warnings; fines likely will start by September. Under the law that took effect July 1, fines for the first offense increased to $158 from $125, with the money now divided between the state and cities.

"The mentality of the South Florida driver is going to have to change," said Mark Antonio, interim city manager of Hallandale Beach. Said Hallandale Beach Police Maj. Dwayne Flournoy: "It's the 'Halo effect.' If you get compliant at one intersection, your behavior will change at all the others."

Kodroff, of Hollywood, said his behavior has changed: He is avoiding Hallandale Beach's camera intersection at Federal Highway and Hallandale Beach Boulevard, along with the businesses on that corridor.

After a steak dinner at the Gulfstream Park casino complex May 22, Kodroff thought he had an uneventful drive home to his beachfront condo. A month later, he opened his mail to find a $125 ticket. His speed when he made the right on red onto Hallandale Beach Boulevard, according to the violation notice: "0." "It's not sensible," Kodroff said. "I hit my brakes, I thought I came to a full stop."

A Miami-Dade judge put the brakes on the cameras in February, when he ruled that Aventura's program was improper. But legislators rewrote state law to allow them. Fines are sent to the registered owners of vehicles. The owners can appeal or get the fine transferred if they weren't driving. Under the new law, the vendor no longer gets a percentage of revenue, but a fixed monthly rate. American Traffic Solutions of Scottsdale, Ariz., dominates the market, managing the programs for all the South Florida cities.

Camera advocates say they make red-light runners think twice before blowing through intersections, reducing devastating T-bone crashes. But critics say the cameras could spur an increase in rear-end collisions, as people slam on their brakes at the last second. "If it's used in the right context, catching people who blow through a light, I don't have a problem with it," said Kodroff, who paid his fine without disputing it. "But getting people making a right on red, if they stop after the crosswalk or are going two miles per hour, seems a little shady."

Hallandale Beach is alone in enforcing right-turn violations

The Sun Sentinel - July 10, 2010 – By Michael Mayo.


Henry B. Nathan is a Florida Realtor at United Realty Group Inc.

Visit my websites: GoldenIsles-homes.com

and Golden-Beach-Homes.com

and The Beach Club Condos

Foreclosure Roundup

And it goes on and on. The worrying state of business in the US and in Florida is nowhere more evident than in the empty store fronts, deserted shopping centers, warehouses, office buildings.

And in South Florida, we are not the exception. I read daily about bank foreclosures on commercial real estate.
Is this an opportunity?
Unless you believe that the United States will sink like a rock, you must have some confidence that, at a certain point, there will be a real recovery.

Not a recovery sustained by Federal "injections" of money to artificially and temporarily reduce unemployment. But a real change in the economy, when things will revert to what we have known not so long ago. Days when you just go through the newspapers' classifieds and promptly find yourself a decent job. As it was in the good times when worldwide immigrants would flock in search of our number one wealth: Jobs.

Then everything will be alright. People will perhaps reduce their addiction to consumption, live in smaller homes, drive in smaller cars; but everybody who is reasonably trained and educated never be denied of an opportunity to work.

This will be the day when we won't read any more stories like what follows.
And it with this mentality that you could invest today in commercial real estate, because the opportunities are here and tomorrow will possibly be another day.

I read in the South Florida Business Journal - July 2nd, 2010

Magnolia Shoppes hit with foreclosure

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Half of the Magnolia Shoppes in Coral Springs was hit with a foreclosure action by a commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) fund.
Wells Fargo Bank, as a trustee for a CMBS fund originated by Countrywide, filed a foreclosure lawsuit on June 11 against Westview Shoppes Fla, according to Broward County Circuit Court records. It concerns a $12 million mortgage issued in 2006.
Westview Shoppes Fla owns the eastern half of the Magnolia Shoppes, at 9525 and 9545 Westview Drive. Tenants include Anthony’s Coal-Fired Pizza and Mega Discount Liquors. The developer bought the 64,011-square-foot property for $6.2 million in 2004.
The west side of Magnolia Shoppes, which includes a Regal Cinemas movie theater, and its outparcels are owned by different companies and not included in the foreclosure lawsuit.
According to an April report by CMBS analysis firm Trepp LLC, Westview Shoppes Fla was more than 90 days late on the $11.9 million remaining on its mortgage.
Miami attorney Lee Mackson, who represents Wells Fargo and the CMBS fund in the lawsuit, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

Juno Beach townhome project defaults on $22M loan

A stalled townhome project near the Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach is targeted for foreclosure.
Branch Banking and Trust Co. filed the foreclosure lawsuit on June 29 against Seminole Ridge LLC, along with managing members Kenneth Page, Matthew J. O’Connor and Gaile Irwin, according to Palm Beach County Circuit Court records. It concerns a mortgage last modified at $21.8 million in 2007 by Colonial Bank, which failed in 2009. BB&T acquired its assets under a loss-sharing agreement with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
Seminole Ridge obtained approval from Juno Beach to build 31 townhomes at the site in 2007, but little construction has taken place. The site is located at the intersection of Ocean Drive and Celestial Way and it stretches to U.S. Highway 1, about a block from the ocean.
Fort Lauderdale attorney Richard B. Storfer, who represents BB&T in the lawsuit, was not immediately available for comment.

Townhome project loses $22M foreclosure

Coconut Grove-based Bridgeloan Investors won a $22.3 million foreclosure judgment against the developer of the Townhomes of Oak Lane in South Miami.
The judgment against 5700 Dev LLC was based on a $17.9 million mortgage, plus interest and fees. Colonial Bank originally granted the mortgage in 2003, but it was sold to Bridgeloan Investors.
The judge also denied Gamma Construction’s claim to collect on a construction lien.
The site is set for online auction on Sept. 27.
Planned for 40 townhomes, Oak Lane is on the east side of Red Road (Southwest 57th Avenue) between Southwest 74th Street and Southwest 76th Street. The developer is affiliated with George Allen Luxury Homes of Miami, according to its website.

Capital Loft foreclosure puts county loan in peril

If the $22.7 million foreclosure judgment against the Capital Lofts project in Miami goes through, Miami-Dade County’s $1 million loan to the developer could be wiped out.
Aventura-based investment group Capital Loft Miami won the judgment on June 25 against 117 NE 1st Avenue LLC over a $21.1 million mortgage, plus interest and fees. It targets the 47 unsold units in the project at the same address as the developer.
Following a renovation and conversion into condos in 2008, only 13 units were sold. The county gave the developer a $1 million loan to promote affordable housing units, but the judgment in favor of the lender, which is managed by Guy Sharon, has priority over the county’s debt.
Unless the property sells for more than the $22.7 million judgment at the Sept. 20 online auction, Miami-Dade will be left empty-handed.

N.J. investor buys Palm Beach building

An office building in the town of Palm Beach could be headed to a New Jersey real estate firm after its owner lost an $18.6 million foreclosure.

Henry B. Nathan is a Florida Realtor at United Realty Group Inc.

Visit my website: http://www.condo-southflorida.com

where you can search for Aventura Condos, Florida Condos, Sunny Isles Condos

Bella Mare Condos in Aventura

BELLA MARE is one of my favorite condominium buildings in Aventura.

The last addition at Williams Island is a stunningly modern, functional and architecturally rich project, that overlooks Biscayne Bay and adds a new dimension to Aventura luxury living.

Breathtaking views, architecture that is a celebration of Florida glorious light, spacious floor plans, full services and recreation. Luxury in every detail.

All units have east and west views, and no hallways. Private elevator to each unit’s foyer.

You should visit the Bella Mare just for the experience.

Amenities include:

Marina

Tennis

Pool

Spa

Fitness Center

Club House

Billiard

Library

Security

Business Center

Restaurant

Front Desk

Playground

Storage

Property Management

Laundry R

oom

Please click here to review all listings for sale and rent at The BELLA MARE in Aventura

Henry B. Nathan is a Florida Realtor at United Realty Group Inc.
Visit my website: http://www.condo-southflorida.com
where you can search for Aventura Condos, Florida Condos, Sunny Isles Condos,

Hallandale Beach Blues - 2010

The City of Hallandale is having a nasty dispute, that can be seen on several blogs, between some of its commissioners, residents, and some condo association societies.

The fact is that, after years of paying the City Manager incredibly high salaries and benefits, it appears that this Manager wasn't even going to work most of the time.

They have finally decided to fire him.

The dispute is apparently about paying him now 11 months of severance package, plus health insurance for life, I think, and some additional benefits. And that the total bill could be almost a million dollar.

Some time ago, and looking at the high property taxes in Florida which we had to endure during the last few years, due to the accelerated increase of assessed values, I wrote that our cities cannot understand that, since we are in a period of recession, they have to learn how to spend our money more wisely.

I wrote a few times, on how they found the turnaround way of avoiding what our legislators had mandated: reduction of taxes.

This is an example.

The City manager, recently fired, made apparently between $250,000 and $450,000 a year (depending on whose information you read).

If in fact he made these last figures, I bet that not even the City manager of Los Angeles, Tokyo, or Paris would match it. That's really something to brag about!

Hallandale Beach is a city of about 40,000 residents. Schools are some of the worst in the state.
Services are very expensive and considered inferior.

But the City Hall is impressive...

You just draw your conclusions.

Henry B. Nathan is a Florida Realtor at United Realty Group Inc.
Visit my website: http://www.condo-southflorida.com
where you can search for Aventura Condos, Florida Condos, Sunny Isles Condos,

I like this book

FAME and OBSCURITY - By Gay Talese.

I discovered this writer recently.

An Italian (born Gaetano Talese) who wrote in the New York Times, years ago, his portraits of famous people are delightful. In this book: Frank Sinatra, Joe DiMaggio, Joe Louis, Peter O'Toole.

If you are a fan of good writing, you will enjoy Talese, a writer and a non-fiction painter of vivid portraits.

The book also includes The Bridge, a chronicle on how the Verrazano-Narrows bridge was built in New York and a history of the "boomers", builders of bridges and skyscrapers.

And there is some more in the book that I will leave you to explore.

Sorry, it's supposed to be a Real Estate Blog, but it's a lazy summer day.

Henry B. Nathan is a Florida Realtor at United Realty Group Inc.
Visit my website: GoldenIsles-homes.com
where you can search for Golden Isles Real Estate

Books I'm reading

The Jews of Arab lands
A History and Source Book
By Norman A. Stillman - 1979

Some might know that I am an Egyptian Jew.

The subject, therefore, has periodically fascinated me.

Norman A. Stillman, an Associate Professor of History and Arabic at the State University of New York at Binghamton, has written a classic book of reference on a subject that has not attracted as much attention as it should. At least, this is the opinion of people like me, who are very close to becoming the "Last of the Mohicans" of a millenarian civilization in the lands of the Middle East.

In our days of erudite analysis and opinions about the roots of the Israeli-Arab conflict, re-reading this book can put them in a new perspective.

While it is generally accepted that Jewish life under Islamic rulers was fairly acceptable in contrast with medieval European persecutions, Norman Stillman's book brings about some significant facts that could definitely alter this line of thought.

The book is divided in two parts: the History and the Sources.

I was mostly interested in the Sources which is a vast and rich collection of translations and excerpts of Notes and Documents now existing in Archives, Museums and Public Records.

While I must acknowledge the often more tolerant Islamic rulers, Jews as members of the "Dhimmis" or non-Muslim minorities, were in fact a discriminated and persecuted part of that society, with variable experiences and rights according to the ebb and flow of thirteen centuries of Arab and Turkish rule. So, if you heard of pogroms, massacres and injustices in the lands of Europe, they have also existed here.

Both parts of the book are enlightening. Of course, the book was written by a Jew.
But Stillman's intelligence and wide perspective validate this substantial contribution to Middle East History.


This is not the usual posting on a real estate blog. But this is also my personal blog and I have been told that I can post here whatever goes through my mind.
It doesn't mean that you have to stop selling or buying homes from me. God Forbid.
Take it as a cup of Turkish coffee, while we take a pause and relax.

Reading books is sadly an "endangered species" in human culture. Lately, I am reading more books and less newspapers, websites, and magazines. Don't ask why.

Commenting about a good book is perhaps as good as giving my friends a good restaurant address, do you agree?



Henry B. Nathan is a Florida Realtor at United Realty Group Inc.
Visit my website: Golden-Beach-Homes.com
where you can search for Golden Beach Real Estate

More conflicts between buyers and developers

Buyer goes after Related assets in condo lawsuit

A Coral Gables law firm is seeking to garnish Related Group assets for failing to pay a condo depositor despite a Miami-Dade Circuit judge’s order.

The company was ordered to pay Rafael Maldonado $16,388 after Circuit Judge Jon I. Gordon sided with the would-be buyer, who demanded the return of a portion of his down payment after he failed to close on the condo under a 2005 contract. Maldonado’s attorneys, Robert G. Post and Carlos A. Romero with Post & Romero, say it’s a story they’ve heard too frequently since the housing market crashed: a developer engaging in delaying tactics and not returning deposits.

The funds remain in an escrow under the control of Chicago Title Insurance. Romero said the company will not release the funds without authorization from Related. Romero’s firm filed a motion for a writ of garnishment against the company Monday. Escrow account managers at Chicago Title’s Florida offices did not return calls for comment before deadline. Although the April 13 judgment does not state when the funds should be paid, Romero cites a state law that allows for collection on the judgment after 10 days if the defense doesn’t post bond or seek an appeal. Monday was the 27th day.

“It seems to me that if the developer just wanted to pay, it would have done so in 2009 without making an innocent party jump so many hoops unnecessarily. These delay tactics continue to be seen and felt by innocent buyers,” Romero said.

He said the developer’s in-house counsel, Elizabeth E.S. Hollander, is now coming up with reasons to justify delaying payment. “This in-house counsel took the position that they had a ‘reasonable amount’ of time to pay the judgment,” Romero wrote in an e-mail Monday. “The judgment neither reflects nor provides for postponement of payment for any time, let alone a reasonable period of time.” Hollander, Related’s assistant associate general counsel, argues the judge’s order could be interpreted to allow the company to disburse funds at a later time, according to an e-mail provided by Post & Romero. Hollander declined comment.

The company’s lead attorney in the case, Related vice president and associate general counsel Betsy McCoy, did not return calls by deadline. The final judgment ordered the company to pay Maldonado a portion of his deposit. He put down $59,780 on a $298,900 unit on the 11th floor of the Arquitectonica-designed 500 Brickell West Tower condominium. Gordon ordered Related to return 25 percent of the deposit plus interest as required by the purchase contract. When Maldonado found the unit in 2005, the Puerto Rican attorney thought it was a perfect fit.

He was looking for a small condo near the heart of the city, a place to stay during short visits to see his mother and sister. The one-bedroom unit was just a few steps from the gym, on the same floor as the swimming pool and had a sunset-view balcony. When the housing bubble burst, the condo lost value, and Maldonado — who represents developers — decided to pull out of the deal and keep a portion of the deposit. “The worst part is they sold the apartment to someone else, and they haven’t paid me my miserable 25 percent.

I’m losing a considerable amount of money,” Maldonado said Tuesday. “I’ve been dealing with canceling this for over a year now.” Related, which uses the motto “Redefining cities and skylines” on its Web site, was one of Miami’s most prolific condo builders during the boom years and became a national leader in the industry.

Like many other developers, Related went into contraction mode, recently pulling out as a partner in the Trump Towers luxury condo in Sunny Isles Beach.

Henry B. Nathan is a Florida Realtor at United Realty Group Inc.
Visit my website: GoldenIsles-homes.com
where you can search for Golden Isles Real Estate

BP's disaster, Offshore Drilling, and Florida

In September 2009 I endorsed, on this blog, the opposition, by some Florida West Coast politicians, to offshore oil drilling outside Florida Gulf Coast.

For many people, and many of our elected officers, it might have seemed "sensible" to accept taking high stake risks to feed our appetite for fossil energy, as opposed to seeking renewable and non-polluting ways to power our vehicles, factories, and homes.

Is it the easiest way to go?
Nobody is saying so.

Will it work at once?
No

Is it the only long-term solution?
Hell yes!

Is it only about Global Warming?
Not really.


Is it about a healthier life in a less polluted environment?
Sure.


Is it economically practical? Won't it destroy our present way of life?
It might not work for a few years, until our present civilization adapts, but nobody can envision a different road to ensure human life for centuries to come.

Will it be a factor in world-wide human happiness?
I believe it will. Lack of adequate sources of energy is a large factor of poverty in many third world countries.

Will it make sense for the US?
It should. Unless you think that dependency on Middle East Sheikhs, Iran's Mullahs, Chavez & Co., is beneficial to our economy and world's democracy.

What is the cost associated to making these big changes happen?
If you factor in the costs of Irak,and other historical wars and conflicts originated in oil dependency, and oil business, it might actually be pretty cheap.

Will somebody lose in these proposals? Why are so many of our policy makers favoring the "drill-drill" ideology?

Actually somebody might have a problem with renewable energy. Perhaps the Big Oil conglomerates? But even these corporations could gradually switch to renewable-energy if they were willing to sacrifice for a few years part of their exorbitant profits.


Here is what I read today in the news, that provoked my thoughts:

From FloridaRealtors.org :

Oil issue dead in Florida for now

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – May 4, 2010 – Gov. Charlie Crist declared the issue of drilling off the Florida coast effectively dead Monday as he monitored the latest news surrounding an oil spill caused by an explosion on a BP rig last month.

"It hasn't happened in Florida, but it happened in Louisiana and we may suffer as a result of it," he said. "But I think the timeliness of when this occurred is pretty extraordinary when you think about it because there may have been legislation in this last week that would have permitted it, but for this occurring."

Incoming Senate President Mike Haridopolos and House Speaker Designate Dean Cannon have pushed for offshore oil drilling in Florida for the past two years. The two have held hearings over the past year on the subject to garner support for the proposal. With the two of them set to lead the two chambers come November 2010, oil drilling was expected to become a major part of their platforms.

A committee led by Cannon had even released a report talking about the potential benefits of drilling.

But when the oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico exploded, the two incoming leaders were less fervent in their support of drilling, saying they needed to monitor the situation closely and tour the coastal areas.

"We're going to take the entire summer and fall to see, first and foremost, what happened in the Gulf," Haridopolos told reporters last week. "It gives me great pause. But a tragedy does not stop all progress."

Nearly every major candidate for office has weighed in on the issue. Chief Financial Officer and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink called for disaster loans and an oil spill task force Monday afternoon. And Attorney General Bill McCollum said last week that he would veto Cannon's proposal if he were governor because it involved drilling too close to the shore.

"If I'm governor, he'll face a veto on my desk if he brings it up the way it is now," McCollum said last week.

State Sen. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, who is running for attorney general, put out a release saying he was "inalterably opposed" to drilling. What potential Cabinet members think matters because under the proposal as it was last floated, the Cabinet would ultimately decide on new leases.

"I don't think we need to study it, I think we need to reject it outright and put the entire idea where it belongs: in our rear view mirror," Gelber said.

Scott Maddox, a Democratic candidate for agriculture commissioner, held a press conference Monday asking all candidates for Cabinet positions to sign a pledge saying they would not support offshore oil drilling in Florida.

"No state in the nation is dependent on its beaches for tourism the way Florida is," he said.

His Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Bartow, also released a statement saying he was "deeply concerned" about the economic and ecological impact of the spill.

"It is clear to every elected official, from the President on down, that consideration of any new exploration closer to shore needs to be taken off the table and we need to have a thorough investigation into what happened and the inability of the industry to effectively respond," Putnam said.

Henry B. Nathan is a Florida Realtor at United Realty Group Inc.
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