Miami Police were present with tow trucks on Grove Isle at 6am this morning
Extremely rapid action by our Board and lawyers halted the latest parking action by the 4 Grove Isle developer. An emergency injunction was issued in our favor at 8.19pm on Sunday. This court order was shown to the police at 6.00am this morning. The police then ordered the developer’s tow trucks off the island. The Board expects the matter to be addressed in court later this week.
A copy of the Board’s latest memo regarding this matter follows below (click image to open).
GI Board memo regarding injunction regarding developer’s parking action (click image to open)
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Northeast Coconut Grove, Miami, FL, USA
went to court today. , any. word?? Ms Helen legal fees over. 510. apts is peanuts. 500 apts times. $ 1,000. is a half of. ONE MILLION DOLLARS
Where do the other club (yacht and tennis) members park – are they paying? Are they now going to block traffic every night waiting for their kids.
To 75 and Montana. This is not a sports blog. Please keep the comments relevant to the issues.
the judges decision on the 60 spaces in building 3. garage. is going to be. MAJOR. , if we lose that we have super serious problems. !!!! we better bring in our. A. team of attorneys
hope our condo att. points out to judge. those 60 spaces. in garage 3 where counted in 1977 agreement so each apt would have 2 spaces. , developer. might own garage. but. we own the spaces. 30 apts in building 3 would be UNSELLABLE. WITH NO PARKING
75 you are right. He is pushing his luck.
club. 17….condo. .,7. end of first
club under investigation for steroid use
Fernando has written the best response so far.
Although I spend less than 50 days a year on Grove Isle, I have owned a unit since 1989. Never in that time period has the Association faced so many different, difficult issues, and this includes Hurricane Andrew. In the last 15 months, we have learned of the Avila proposal to build an 18 story tower, litigation over dues payment, and potential massive capital improvements expenditures. The Board proved itself unable to deal with these issues and a group of concerned residents formed Preserve Grove Isle. (PGI) to take up these issues and provide this website as an open forum to provide information and get feedback. Since the last election, the Board has become more engaged and communicative, but these three major issues require technical expertise and many hours each week. It is time now for the residents who have benefited from the efforts of the few to contribute to the process and not just offer comments on the website. Get involved. Volunteer to take on organizing a meeting, doing outreach, lobbying politicians. These are non-technical tasks that just require some will and effort. Post a notice on the site of what you are willing to do to be part of the effort and not just an armchair quarterback.
The Developer must be desperate to implement the parking restrictions!!!! He will be hurting the tennis program more than anyone else–does he want Cliff Drysdale out????!!!! Also, this is costing him.
AS A SIGN OF DISAGREEMENT WITH HIS APPROACH. PLEASE STOP USING THE CLUB FACILITIES!!!!
CONGRATULATIONS
WE MUST FIGHT ANY WRONG DECISION THAT THIS PEOPLE PRESENT AGAINST OUR PROPERTY.
THE SAME WAY THAT YOU DID NOW WITH THE SITUATION FOR THE PARKING SPACE ON THE THREE BUILDING
THANKS
Bravo for the superb action. It is encouraging to feel so very well supported by the Board.
How does the developer think he can change unilaterally 30 years of shared parking? Wasting lawyers, police and our time. Great job mr developer.
VERY SAD DAY HERE AT GROVE ISLE TODAY
We should stop asking ourselves rhetorical questions. It really doesn’t matter why or how this guy behaves the way he does. (BTW it’s MONEY and he doesn’t play by our rules). Let’s call a meeting amongst residents and set up a laundry list of things we need to address immediately such as:
Draft another letter to be sent out to city officials and employees
Pick political candidates running for a commissioner’s seat who will publicly endorse our cause
Identify influential neighbors that will lobby politicians for us and assign someone to contact them
Organize another visit to our neighbors on the other side of the bay
Formally request an ethics investigation into what seems to be corruption in the whole process
Discuss what we will do, going forward, with club dues.
Schedule a follow up meeting within 2 weeks
We can keep doing our version of “outcry light” and second guessing this guy’s every move or we can assume OUR responsibility. I agree with previous posts, legally, this will be a long process. Politically, it should be quicker and open to scrutiny. In a way, we are responsible for this vulture landing on our island. Let’s hope he doesn’t nest. (do you remember the recent duck plague? crapping al over?)
Let’s give this cause our 100% effort. Let’s commit to maintaining our property values and lifestyles. Let’s do something real that we can follow up and measure results. Let’s do something that will allow us to say “I really gave it my best” and not, “Oh, its business as usual with these greedy developers and crooked politicians”. Thanks PGI and the Board.
This needs volunteers willing to work as a group in coordination with the board.
Does that mean you’re in?
I know how difficult a task it is.
I am on another PGI project already. Please contact Board and PGI direct. Thanks
Mike, sorry, but I need to call you out on this one. I believe you have done a good job at illustrating Fernando’s point.
Not offering any new ideas or solutions. On the contrary, pointing out how difficult a task may be.
Keep expecting the Board or PGI to continue carrying the water for us.
As busy as we all are, ideas don’t take much of our time. If we are out of ideas, we may consider not torpedoing those of our fellow residents.
I for one propose contacting someone from the Herald or Miami New Times. I will get approval from the Board on this one. However, many things can be done as residents that do NOT require consent from either the Board or PGI.
Fernando
Congrats!
Perfect summary.
I spend less than 100 days per year in Miami, but please count on me, this is a complex issue and demands our assistance for the volunteers that are heading our reaction.
Not that it matters but I am curious how Avila’s armada of tow trucks at 5:30 a.m. gets a police escort. The presumption is that Avila must have called the police and said “I own a parking garage on Grove Isle with many cars parked illegally. I notified them that at 6 a.m. Monday I was going to start towing them and I expect there may be resistance. Therefore, Miami City Police, my tow truck armada needs an escort”.
Shouldn’t the Police be required to corroborate that statement by Avila before assuming he has the authority to start towing our cars from a garage he purportedly owns where our cars are “ illegally” parked? Couldn’t anyone fabricate a story and tell the Miami Police they need an escort for any action, legal or illegal, they feel like taking?
This seem a little Putinesque.
Congratulations!!!
Guillermo Camacho 407 bldg 2
Nice going. Thanks!
>
We rent! Does this leave us out of the controversy which is so bizarre as to be “you’ve gotta be kidding”. We’ve lived in Coconut Grove for many, many years and seem some really dumb things but this takes the cake! Where is the outcry? Doesn’t anyone seem to be concerned. I hear nothing…….which is really scary! Who is behind this? Where is Mr. Sarnoff – never heard a word from him?
Good questions: Is the city and law only in the hands of the developers?
Grapevine covers the story: http://coconutgrovegrapevine.blogspot.com/2015/02/tow-trucks-are-lurking.html#links
Crazy bullshit already going on here.. And it’s about to get a whole lot worse!
Anita, Let’s keep the language in check.
You guys are absolutely right. Very few people have been outspoken about this issue. PGI has pretty much been the only voice for the residents. They have volunteered their time, build a website and spend THEIR money. As always, many of our neighbors only react when they really feel the sting, as in losing parking privileges or having to go into their pocket books. Most don’t go to the meetings or leave early for a drink at the club. Don’t be fooled, these uninvolved residents are also at fault for getting us into this mess.
Just look at the outcry over the parking spaces. This is nothing compared to what will happen if the troll is allowed to build. But residents don’t seem to care what will happen 2 weeks from now. Let’s face it, few residents will end up fighting and opposing Avila. Thank God the PGI group has capable people who really care about the island and all its residents.
Thank you, Maria Camilla.
A few members of PGI have spent hundreds of hours and their own funds researching information and constructing a forum to make the case against Avila’s development. They have also been working to have the Capital Improvements Committee take a more professional approach to reduce the costs of the work that is necessary to maintain the integrity of our Island and make the process more transparent. They have also lobbied the Board to remove the attorney who has not pursued the dues lawsuit in a timely fashion and to have club dues put in an escrow account rather than continuing to fund Avila’s operation. Until recently, this has been met with hostility and obstruction by the Board, and apathy by most of the residents. It’s almost comical that Avila, in doing something so stupid as the parking memo, has managed to galvanize the residents on so many fronts in a way that PGI, with all its good work, has not. We can only hope that more support for PGI and its positions will be forthcoming.
Full agreement.