Sunday, December 5, 2021

The Budget Meeting that Never Happened 11-30-21

 Owners at Riverfront Master Association continue to face repeated obstacles in order to gain clarity on projects and special projects that impact the budget.  


Below is the YouTube video of an attempt to hold a Budget meeting on November 30, 2021.

Ivy representative asked multiple times (prior to the budget meeting) via email to hold either a board meeting or informational meeting so owners are fully informed of projects and line items. Requests were denied to hold either and that FSR could not participate in hosting an informational meeting.




Friday, April 23, 2021

Riverfront Board Meeting Conduct Continues to Deteriorate

 



On April 22 at 3pm Riverfront Board Meeting took place to discuss:

To see the video please CLICK HERE


1. The adoption and appointment of a Litigation Committee requested by Troy Taylor

2. Architecture/Beautification Committee proposed by Christine Michaels

3. Budget/Finance Committee proposed by Christine Michaels.

At the onset of the meeting Christine mentioned that the owners were not properly notified. Mint manager never sent the email notification. The Riverfront Master manager Rolando Cerit (FSR) could have sent email blast as prior manager had done in the past.  Eddie Valdes indicated the Manager fulfilled the minimum requirements.

Minutes of Meeting to approve for July 16, 2020 were missing.

Minutes of Meeting to approve for December 10, 2021 were incomplete.

Troy Taylor and Shahab Karmely appointed themselves for new Litigation Committee to oversee the pending lawsuit where Troy Taylor and Shahab Karmely are the defendants. All owners that were permitted to speak raised concerns that while this may or may not be legal, it certainly was not ethical and opposed such appointment.  Other owners volunteered for the committee. Their offer to volunteer was not considered.

Christine Michaels and Maria Elena Negrin voted against the appointment of Arie Tenzer, Troy Taylor and Shahab Karmely to the Litigation Committee.

Meeting again ended abruptly after outbursts from Troy Taylor and Shahab Karmely. 

Board never discussed possibility of other committees for more owner participation.



Sunday, February 28, 2021

Troy Taylor Resumes Marina Scheme

Yachts have now reappeared at the private boat dock for the Riverfront condos. Do they belong to Riverfront owners? NO.

Per the Riverfront Master Association agreement with State of Florida, Miami Dade County and other government entities, the private docks are meant only for Riverfront residents.

Owners learned on February 25 and 26, that the owner of the Tatami yacht parked at our private docking was not an owner or resident at the Riverfront Association (proof obtained with two recordings) and renting the marina slip. Where's the money going? We know it's not going back to the association.



Per the Restrictive Covenant with Miami Dade County, SIGNED BY TROY TAYLOR, President of the Riverfront Master Association, May 2018:

7. The owner agrees and covenants that commercial powerboats at prohibited at the Property and that the powerboats allowed at the property shall be (a) registered with the State of Florida to the owner of the property, or (b) registered with the State of Florida to a resident of the property who resides at the property. Any powerboat which does not comply with the above shall not be allowed at the property. 

"We paid $300k to build out that marina, yet we can not even use it!" residents exclaim in unison.  "Troy Taylor is renting our marina slip to outsiders for thousands of dollars. Who's pocketing that money? It's definitely not the association". 

"I have a boat. I was waiting for announcement on a fair process,  like an auction to see if I can get one of the two boat slips. That was three years ago. It never happened. Owners were never advised. We just learned one day they were assigned by the President of the Board and Developer to themselves." says another owner.

And the President of the Master and developer Shahab Karmely who are on the Master board have a lease for the marina WITH NO EXPIRATION DATE. An evergreen contract.  

The Reflections yacht which appeared earlier in the month, is listed for rent for $8,500 a night. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~





Thursday, July 30, 2020

Lawsuit charges Shahab Karmely and Troy Taylor for Breach of Fiduciary Duty

 On July 11, 2020, the Ivy Condo as part of the Riverfront Condos, filed a lawsuit vs.

  1. The Riverfront Master Association (managed by FSR, property manager Allan Yepez and Ivonne Herrera), 
  2. Shahab Karmely 
  3. SK Miami River, LLC
  4. Troy Taylor
  5. City Centre Yachts, LLC 

In summary charges against Troy Taylor and Shahab Karmely include:

  1. Engaging in self dealing
  2. Violating terms and provisions of the Master Convenant...deriving a profit 
  3. Unjustly deriving revenue/profits from the rental of Marina slips
  4. Engaging in various acts of self-dealing and other fraudulent conduct
The lawsuit does not charge Maria Elena Negrin or First Service Residential for now. 


Friday, July 17, 2020

Developer Shahab Karmely verbally attacks female board member

 



In a zoom board meeting of July 16, 2020, developer Shahab Karmely of SK Properties, attacks female board member C Michaels calling her "disturbed" and having "mental health issues".  Fast forward to 42:30.

This was the third meeting within a year where the developer commandeered the meeting demanding that property manager Allan Yepez of FSR, end the meeting, thereby not permitting owners to ask questions. 

Click here to view the YouTube Video



Friday, May 29, 2020

MINT Condo elections a Fiasco

 The Mint Condo elections were fraught with problems: 

  • After owners conducted extensive research regarding the availability and reliability of e-voting, they reached the conclusions of its viability and requested the board to implement it. It was denied by the board of directors.
  • Management failed to accurately check records and had originally eliminated an owner from the ballot. Owner was 
  • Instructions for voting were unclear and cumbersome. 
    • Example: it was never made clear that owners could submit ballots on the day of the election
  • The Mint failed to include election for the representative to the Master Association per the bylaws. This appears to be an attempt for the current board member, Troy Taylor to remain on the board of the Master Association. This is also a clear sign that management (FSR) and the condo attorney (Siegfried Lerner) failed to guide the Mint condo in election procedures outlined in the bylaws.
  • According to the manager, there were insufficient votes to reach quorum.
  • At the annual meeting of May 28, 2020, Troy Taylor made a motion that he remain as President. Owners present demanded that board members select a new President, calling for a new leader to replace Troy Taylor.  With the pressure in the room, 3 of the board members agreed.
  • Owners, via the inspection of records process, discovered that the management failed to inspect the voting certificates. In this process it was discovered that the Treasurer, Jose Perez, is the spouse of an owner which is prohibited by an amendment of the bylaws.  Currently, Mr. Perez remains on the board. When owners inquired how can this be, the response was that the original bylaws take precedence. Outside condo attorneys stated this is not correct.
By several accounts the Mint association elections were invalid. Mint owners have the option to file charges via the DBPR within 60 days of the election, or file a lawsuit against the Mint Association. 

The management company for the Mint Association is FSR (First Service Residential). 

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Endorsement of Mint Candidates for May 28, 2020 Elections



Dear Mint Owner,

As the Mint elections are quickly approaching on May 28, 2020; we are writing to strongly endorse the attached candidates running for Mint Board under the banner ‘Mint Owners for Board Integrity’. It’s time for a change!

  •  It is imperative Mint Owners become fully informed on the complex election procedures. Your vote is critical. We need 20% voter turnout to have a valid election, otherwise the current board will remain (as it has for the last 7+ years.)  It’s time for a change!
  •  The vote is a rapidly evolving situation, and by the time you receive this letter, the voting “rules” and even candidates may again have changed!  Please check our Facebook page “Mint Owners” daily.  We will post important information there.


  • It is expected that our Mint Board members serve with respect, integrity and transparency. However, in the past several years, Mint Owners have been raising concerns regarding questionable events and the lack of response and transparency by the Mint Board.  This pattern and these concerns have extended to the Master Association as well, which affects all three buildings. (The President of the Master is also the President at the Mint). Some of the alarming concerns have been noted on a blog http://www.riverfrontcondosmiami.com (with input from various owners.)
  • Recently a group of Mint Owners conducted thorough research regarding electronic voting to ensure a more reliable, efficient, convenient, and cost-effective voting process, especially considering that 70% of Mint owners reside overseas and we are in the midst of a Pandemic.  Unfortunately, even though 70 owners formally requested electronic voting, it was denied three times by the Mint board for the upcoming elections.
  • Thankfully, exceptionally well qualified Mint owners have stepped forward.  They are running together, not against each other - there are five open seats being elected for the Mint Board.  This team has committed to serve with ethics and transparency to serve all owners, not their self-interests and ensure greater community involvement. We will soon have our second "Meet the candidates” via Zoom and it will be a great opportunity to ask questions, hear from them directly and meet other Mint owners.
    • Juan  Admad
    • Robert Anderson
    • Greg Beebe
    • Zonia Caicedo
  • Lastly, and most importantly, for your vote to be valid, if your unit is owned by an LLC, a Corporation, a Partnership, or more than one (unmarried) adult, you must have a "voting certificate" on file. To ensure your vote is valid, please visit https://www.facebook.com/mintowners/ for further instructions or contact Mint Owners at mintowners@gmail.com.

  
Sincerely,
Riverfront Owners Action Group

Other helpful links: