Condo feud boils over as neighbors sic city on neighbors
Sun Sentinel
Larry Barszewski
02 February 2016
Vantage View condominiums in Fort Lauderdale is in the midst of a condo
war that has led to almost 60 complaints being filed with the city of
Fort Lauderdale for remodeling work done in individual units without
required city permits. That's about a third of the units in the
21-story North Ocean Boulevard building.
(Larry Barszewski / Sun
Sentinel)
A feud among owners at Vantage View Condominiums could land a lot of
unneighborly neighbors in hot water with the city.
Since September, the city has received almost 60 anonymous code
complaints against individual unit owners accused of doing remodeling
work without a permit. The 40-year-old, 21-story structure at 2841 N.
Ocean Blvd. has 174 units.
"In my time as mayor, it is the most complaints I've seen in any one
building, and the highest percentage of complaints," Mayor Jack Seiler
said. "There's a lot of people in the building that are upset at other
people, and they're turning them all in."
So far, city code enforcers have brought cases against four units and
are requiring their owners to get the work properly inspected and
permitted.
All of the complaints — mostly for bathroom and kitchen remodels but
some for air conditioning units —will be investigated, said city
spokesman Chaz Adams. He said the city counts on neighbors being the
city's eyes and ears.
It is not clear what sparked the feud, but some say it centers on the
performance of the condo board and management company.
Judy Llewellyn, whose unit was the first to be cited by code officers,
said she takes full responsiblity for not knowing that permits were
required when she remodeled her bathroom.
But Llewellyn, who says the city action could cost her $4,000 or more,
called the flood of code complaints against others "a witch hunt."
Unit owner Robert Moskal disagrees. He said he doesn't know who was
behind all of those complaints to the city, but he has filed his own
complaint with the state against the board and management company.
"If an electrical fire starts, it's affecting the whole building," he
said.
Indeed, uninspected construction work can endanger neighbors who share
walls and common space, said Donna DiMaggio Berger, an attorney who
specializes in condo law.
That's why the city imposes penalties, fines and in some cases orders
the unpermitted work torn out. It doesn't matter whether it was a
previous owner who did the remodeling.
Condo board president John Finucane admits some—but not all—of the
units that are the subject of complaints had unpermitted work done.
Commissioner Dean Trantalis questioned the motives of those turning in
their neighbors.
"To have that many, clearly there's an orchestrated effort to wreak
havoc upon the unit owners," he said.
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HOA dispute gets stinky in Jupiter
WTSP 10 News
Staff
02 February 2017
JUPITER, Fla. -- A disgruntled resident has apparently found a stinky
way to get back at his HOA president by putting feces on his car. Twice.
In October, according to CBS 12, Alexander Ankudinov was seen on video
putting feces on the Dodge Charger that belongs to the Riverwalk
Homeowner's' Association. The president told police he was being
targeted by a resident who had disagreed with HOA rules. Police
gave Ankudinov a warning.
Then on Jan. 19, police were called back to the neighborhood after
woman reported she found feces on the HOA president's car. He was out
of town so she cleaned up the mess to prevent damage. Again, video
showed that the man who left the feces was Ankudinov.
The HOA president told police Ankudinov had been harassing him on a
regular basis. The owner said he was driving a golf cart once and
Ankudinov nearly crashed into him with a car. The owner also told
police he feared Ankudinov would become more aggressive and harm other
staff members.
last week Jupiter police arrested Ankudinov and charged him with
stalking. He's free on bond.
According to Ron Perholtz, the owner of the car, the dispute began over
a boat storage unit. The HOA rules state that to have a boat storage
space you must own a unit in the complex.
Ankudinov, however, told CBS12 he sold his unit in 2013 but kept the
power of attorney, not the title. He added that he is the owner of the
unit, but it wasn't filed in Palm Beach County.
Then, the HOA took away the storage space and now Ankudinov is suing.
Ankudinov said the substance on the car was not feces—it was
cleaning solution. He said he put it on the windshield of the car.
