Monday, February 15, 2010
Friday, November 6, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
If you want just info about the Nautilus Cove Condo then go to this blog, http://nautiluscondosrules.blogspot.com/, if you want to know about the civil suit against the BOD and Waterstone/NCPCB then you have come to the right place, just keep reading, this is the site you want to look at.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Update:
The Nautilus Cove / Waterstone Suit
For those of you following this civil suit you might recall that it started on June 10, 2008 and on Jan 13, 2009 this matter was scheduled for arbitration May 12, 2009 at 9:30 a.m., at the law office of Hutto and Bodiford in Panama City, Florida. The attorney for Nautilus Cove Condominium is Steven Applebaum who had insisted that the matter go to arbitration and initially they had agreed to the arbitration date.
In the latest nonsense from attorney Applebaum, he writes in part: "I cannot agree to the arbitration that is presently scheduled for May 12, 2009, in the above referenced matter. My assistant scheduled the arbitration date without my knowledge and I have just been made aware of said date . . . my client will not be attending the arbitration . . . and I ask that it be cancelled. In any event my client will not be bound by any decision made at arbitration if you intend to move forward with the arbitration."
Total costs to date are estimated at $25,000 and per florida law the loser pays the winners costs and fees. That means 'when' I win, you, the other condo owners at NCC will pay my all costs as well as the costs of the NCC attorney.
All this was entirely unnecessary if the developer controlled BOD had acted on my 9+ months of complaints about Waterstones' renter using the condos as a dorm for foreign workers. This same Waterstone is now in foreclosure for these 4 condos and owe the BOD over $5,600 in unpaid assessments.
Double click for larger image or print out
For those of you following this civil suit you might recall that it started on June 10, 2008 and on Jan 13, 2009 this matter was scheduled for arbitration May 12, 2009 at 9:30 a.m., at the law office of Hutto and Bodiford in Panama City, Florida. The attorney for Nautilus Cove Condominium is Steven Applebaum who had insisted that the matter go to arbitration and initially they had agreed to the arbitration date.
In the latest nonsense from attorney Applebaum, he writes in part: "I cannot agree to the arbitration that is presently scheduled for May 12, 2009, in the above referenced matter. My assistant scheduled the arbitration date without my knowledge and I have just been made aware of said date . . . my client will not be attending the arbitration . . . and I ask that it be cancelled. In any event my client will not be bound by any decision made at arbitration if you intend to move forward with the arbitration."
Total costs to date are estimated at $25,000 and per florida law the loser pays the winners costs and fees. That means 'when' I win, you, the other condo owners at NCC will pay my all costs as well as the costs of the NCC attorney.
All this was entirely unnecessary if the developer controlled BOD had acted on my 9+ months of complaints about Waterstones' renter using the condos as a dorm for foreign workers. This same Waterstone is now in foreclosure for these 4 condos and owe the BOD over $5,600 in unpaid assessments.
Double click for larger image or print out
Saturday, May 30, 2009
More Delay by Nautilus Cove Attorney
We did not believe we needed to go to arbitration in this matter but it was at the insistance of NCC attorney Applebaum that it was set to be arbitrated June 12th. 2 weeks before hand it was abruptly canceled by Applebaum although it had been set for several months. He said 'an associate' had agreed to the setting and had no authority to do so.
Double click for larger image or print out for file:
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Waterstone Interrogatories
6 additional pages of the actual questions are not provided here, when answered they will be posted:
Monday, January 12, 2009
Throwing Stones at Waterstone
You can find this article at the local blog site:
http://pcbdaily.com/?p=3249
-----------------------------------------------
Waterstone Resorts and Vacation Homes offer vacation rentals all over the state of Florida. On Panama City Beach they claim to manage properties from ten different resorts. The company’s website is full of glowing reviews and recommendations but if someone just scratches the Google search service a little, they will find numerous negative claims about Waterstone. If that is not enough a check of their status with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) finds a C- rating due to a series of unresolved complaints. On a Waterstone blog website there is evidence that the BBB has given them an unsatisfactory rating, but this has not been discovered in any BBB materials as of yet.
“Waterstone Sucks,” seems to be the ringing sentiment of many current and past clients of the company found on blog websites all over the internet.
Jim Pitts, an owner at Calypso Resorts and Towers that used Waterstone, stated that he inspected his unit three times last year and each time the unit was filthy.
“The carpet was so dirty it had to be replaced,” Pitts said. “There was filth everywhere. The walls were marked up, dust and dirt caked on baseboards, light bulbs and even the toaster was dirty.”
Pitts wrote a handwritten note and email to Waterstone stating that he no longer wanted them to manage his properties. His communications went ignored until he sent a certified letter sometime later demanding that tenants be removed from his property and that Waterstone cease any further management of his property.
Pitts also feels that the company is unethical and unfair in their fee structure and maintenance.
“They charge the owner for travel agent fees on top of their own (fees) and they charge the owner for ‘credit card’ use. They will charge the owner a minimum of $22.50 every time they so much as set foot in the unit to do anything,” Pitts said.
“They rip the owners off with the keyless entry crap and owners of Calypso units need to understand that these people are absolutely ruining our investments. They need to be removed from the premises.”
Bill Harris, another individual who has had dealings with Waterstone, has set up numerous blog websites for angered property owners to vent their passions about Waterstone. These can be found at: http://www.waterstonerealty.blogspot.com/,
http://www.calypsoresorttowers.blogspot.com/, http://www.nautiluscovesuit2008.blogspot.com/ and http://www.nautiluscondosrules.blogspot.com/ .
Harris claims that Waterstone owns four units at Nautilus Cove Condominiums and that the company is currently past due on their condo’s quarterly assessments. There is also evidence that the State of Florida has already four outstanding liens against the company for over $118,000. If the Nautilus Cove past due amounts were not paid by the end of ’08 then Waterstone will be facing new liens.
Waterstone seems to find them self in a public relation nightmare. When a company ignores claims from concerned clients, there are avenues that these clients can take to attack the company’s reputation. As of right now, a Google search of “Waterstone Panama City” brings up typical listings for the company. The company should be aware that as these blog websites attract new participants there could be a day, not far off, that one of these blog websites could be ranked by a search engine right underneath the Waterstone website or even above it.
http://pcbdaily.com/?p=3249
-----------------------------------------------
Last Updated: January 12, 2009
Waterstone Resorts and Vacation Homes offer vacation rentals all over the state of Florida. On Panama City Beach they claim to manage properties from ten different resorts. The company’s website is full of glowing reviews and recommendations but if someone just scratches the Google search service a little, they will find numerous negative claims about Waterstone. If that is not enough a check of their status with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) finds a C- rating due to a series of unresolved complaints. On a Waterstone blog website there is evidence that the BBB has given them an unsatisfactory rating, but this has not been discovered in any BBB materials as of yet.
“Waterstone Sucks,” seems to be the ringing sentiment of many current and past clients of the company found on blog websites all over the internet.
Jim Pitts, an owner at Calypso Resorts and Towers that used Waterstone, stated that he inspected his unit three times last year and each time the unit was filthy.
“The carpet was so dirty it had to be replaced,” Pitts said. “There was filth everywhere. The walls were marked up, dust and dirt caked on baseboards, light bulbs and even the toaster was dirty.”
Pitts wrote a handwritten note and email to Waterstone stating that he no longer wanted them to manage his properties. His communications went ignored until he sent a certified letter sometime later demanding that tenants be removed from his property and that Waterstone cease any further management of his property.
Pitts also feels that the company is unethical and unfair in their fee structure and maintenance.
“They charge the owner for travel agent fees on top of their own (fees) and they charge the owner for ‘credit card’ use. They will charge the owner a minimum of $22.50 every time they so much as set foot in the unit to do anything,” Pitts said.
“They rip the owners off with the keyless entry crap and owners of Calypso units need to understand that these people are absolutely ruining our investments. They need to be removed from the premises.”
Bill Harris, another individual who has had dealings with Waterstone, has set up numerous blog websites for angered property owners to vent their passions about Waterstone. These can be found at: http://www.waterstonerealty.blogspot.com/,
http://www.calypsoresorttowers.blogspot.com/, http://www.nautiluscovesuit2008.blogspot.com/ and http://www.nautiluscondosrules.blogspot.com/ .
Harris claims that Waterstone owns four units at Nautilus Cove Condominiums and that the company is currently past due on their condo’s quarterly assessments. There is also evidence that the State of Florida has already four outstanding liens against the company for over $118,000. If the Nautilus Cove past due amounts were not paid by the end of ’08 then Waterstone will be facing new liens.
Waterstone seems to find them self in a public relation nightmare. When a company ignores claims from concerned clients, there are avenues that these clients can take to attack the company’s reputation. As of right now, a Google search of “Waterstone Panama City” brings up typical listings for the company. The company should be aware that as these blog websites attract new participants there could be a day, not far off, that one of these blog websites could be ranked by a search engine right underneath the Waterstone website or even above it.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
The Destin Log of Aug. 13, 2008
Man challenges Destin’s Waterstone with lawsuit over foreign workers
August 13, 2008
by: Fraser Sherman
Bill Harris says he’d have been much happier if he could have avoided a lawsuit over alleged illegal rentals in Panama City Beach’s Nautilus Cove Condominiums.
"I’m 62 years old and I’ve never sued anyone in my life," Harris, who filed suit last month, told The Log. "It was only after nine to 10 months of complaints that I hired an attorney — at that time I thought that just paying $300 for attorney letters to the board of directors and Waterstone (Resorts) would finally do the trick."
Harris, who hired Destin attorney R. Scott Whitehead http://www.whiteheadpa.com/index.jsp to represent him, said he’s still hoping to settle out of court, but although he’s been told the problems are resolved, he’s not yet convinced.
Harris said that after moving into Nautilus Cove in May 2007, he noticed that the condo unit directly above his, owned by Waterstone Resorts Realty in Destin, held seven Asians working at a local resort.
Harris said he complained to Waterstone Resorts, which told him the condo had been rented to one individual and the problem would be dealt with. After leaving for a medical treatment, Harris said, "When I came back, three apartments were involved."
After repeated complaints to the board of directors that this violated the condo association rules, Waterstone and the management company — none of whom returned The Log’s calls — Harris hired the Destin attorney to write to them as a "shot across the bows." When nothing changed, he filed in court.
The lawsuit names Waterstone, Nautilus Cove and two Waterstone employees as defendants.
Since filing, Harris said, he’s been told "the situation is corrected, now they’re renting out more appropriately," but having been out of the area, he doesn’t know if it’s true.
Harris said he’s willing to settle, but only if everyone on the other side agrees to the terms: "I want assurances that this is going to stop and enforce the documents as written. Plus I want my expenses to date paid."Harris said he’s generally disappointed with Nautilus Cove because only half of the 168 units have sold and the rest are now being rented out so "I live in an apartment complex."
Harris has also taken his fight to the Web, posting reports on the lawsuit and relevant documents to nautiluscovesuit2008.blogspot.com.
=========================
This story is available at:
http://www.thedestinlog.com/news/lawsuit_5907___article.html/bill_says.html
Also take a look at:
http://nautiluscondosrules.blogspot.com
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Saturday, June 14, 2008
EXTRA! EXTRA! In a man bites dog case - a condo owner sues his Board of Directors for NOT enforcing the condo documents!
In what must be the laziest condo board in Florida, the Nautilus Cove Condominium Assn. was sued June 10th in a Panama City Circuit Court for 10 months of neglect for NOT enforcing the NCC condo documents. Unit owner, Bill Harris, is asking the Circuit Court to: "Enter an order requiring the defendant condominium association to enforce its own rules and regulations", he is also asking for 'costs' (ie: attorney fees and court filing fees) and other unspecified relief from the Court.
The BOD consists of 3 members, 2 appointed by the Developer, Nautilus Development Partners (Maitland, Fla) and a 3rd, an owner member, Leonard J. DiGiacomo of unit 616, who replaced Ms.Jones who resigned earlier in June. Mr. DiGiacomo had run for the BOD spot initially and got 11 votes in that election but was 2nd to Ms. Jones. He is now appointed to the BOD position.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Shown here are imported foreign workers leaving for work on a typical day. The white Ford van picks them up and takes them to the Marriott, in the evening they return by the same van.
On Sat. 4/9/08 8:30 a.m. 9 workers went off to work at the Marriott. The number of foreign workers living here in 716 & 714 (Waterstone owned Condos) varies as do the countries they are from. Waterstone has ignored complaints to them about the misuse of their rented condos and now 'legal' action seems imminent by a NCC owner who has been complaining about the situation since August of last year.
On Sat. 4/9/08 8:30 a.m. 9 workers went off to work at the Marriott. The number of foreign workers living here in 716 & 714 (Waterstone owned Condos) varies as do the countries they are from. Waterstone has ignored complaints to them about the misuse of their rented condos and now 'legal' action seems imminent by a NCC owner who has been complaining about the situation since August of last year.
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