"The Gulfstream Hotel, the historic Lake Worth property on Lake Avenue, remains shuttered, its potential unrealized. Asset Holding Company 5 LLC filed a foreclosure lawsuit against CSC Lake Worth Limited Partnership on Aug. 11 in Palm Beach County Circuit Court. The lawsuit seeks repayment of a $12 million loan, plus the foreclosure of the hotel property." Read more about it HERE
Our own Planning and Zoning Board, and member at the time Lisa Maxwell, now a candidate for District 4 running against Commissioner Suzanne Mulvehill, allowed the owner of the Gulfstream, Ceebraid and Adam Schlesinger, to jerk the City of Lake Worth around granting them variance after variance and plan change after plan change just so that we could witness delay after delay. Schlesinger was hoping that the economy would turn in his favor. Our P&Z bent over backwards in accommodating the owner.
Read blog on the Gulfstream Hotel.
Back in July 2005, Schlesinger bought the historic hotel for $12,910,000 paying over double what it sold for only two years before. The hotel is 13,500 sq. ft. situated on 0.399 acres directly across from the Intracoastal Waterway and Bryant Park.
In the meantime, it has been over 5 years that the City of Lake Worth has been without a hotel. Schlesinger says he is trying to "work out" his loan problem.
Charles Celi filed a complaint and it went to an Appeal. Jennings, Golden and Mulvehill voted to grant his appeal and to reverse the approval of the Planning & Zoning Board regarding Schlesinger’s request for a time extension on the Gulfstream Hotel. Read what happened. Celi got the 3 to 2 vote but lost anyway. Clemens and Lowe dissented...just another BAD (corrupt) vote by former Mayor Jeff Clemens who is now running for House District 89 against Steven Rosenblum.
So, now we have the Gulfstream Hotel in foreclosure and Schlesinger owing everyone in the world big bucks. He sure can't claim that the Planning & Zoning Board and Lisa Maxwell or Mayor Clemens didn't do everything possible to vote in his favor against the best interests of Lake Worth.
Lynn, thanks for exposing this and sharing it with us here. This really seems shaddy and makes me so mad now at Clemens. He will not get my vote and likely Maxwell either. In fact, I noticed today that McMow Glass has their election signs all over their property. I just will not shop at McMow ever again either. I am so tired of big business and even a local business like McMow to use their store and business to try to get people like Clemens elected, especially since he destroyed this city and costed us a lot of money. Clemens and McMow stink and they will not ever get my vote or patronage. I think local businesses even if they want to should be careful who they allow to put signs on their property, as it could hurt their business greatly, I now will not go to McMow ever again. Phil is getting too much power in the community and not doing enough for the blighted rundown poor areas.
ReplyDeleteIt is a mystery how anyone can support Clemens after all the damage he did to Lake Worth. Even the Human Rights Council is supporting him because of his vote on Compass. It is all just BAAAAAAAAAD and weird politics.
ReplyDeleteanyone supporting someone because of one issue alone is stupid. In fact, a lot of people did not want to see the old people getting kicked out of the senior center. Shame on the HRC. Maybe they will change their mind in the November election.
ReplyDeleteGeorge D.
Did the old people get kicked out of the senior center, or did they move out west on LW road to a newer, cleaner, safer facility, by their own choice leaving behind an empty building? Not a Clemens supporter and I know facts are not welcome on this blog but you can at least make an attempt.
ReplyDeleteFacts ARE welcomed on this blog. How come then you don't have any? The seniors had NO choice about vacating the Senior Center. In fact. no one asked them. Most do not even have transportation to get them out to the County facility.
ReplyDeleteThis is about the hotel and we need it to open. What happens next?
ReplyDeleteYou are certainly entitled to your own interpretation of the facts, as are the readers who comment. However, Dale’s comments regarding Phil Materio are way off base.
ReplyDeletePhil Materio, co-owner of McMow Art Glass has set the bar for community involvement to the highest standard. To say that he is not doing enough for the blighted rundown poor areas is just plain wrong. Phil has been an active member and supporter of the Tropical Ridge Neighborhood Association for many years. He turns out for clean-ups, community walks and rarely misses a monthly meeting. He has contributed time, money, effort and product from the Art Glass studio to community raffles to support the Haiti Relief effort and most recently for the neighborhood banner project.
McMow Art Glass employs eight Lake Worth residents, of whom 4 are homeowners in the city. The McMow property on Dixie Hwy is beautiful and always exceptionally maintained. I think kudos are in order for any Lake Worth business owner who chooses to get involved in the community and get involved in the political process.
Many business owners have come to realize that the time for hiding at election season for fear of retribution is over. So what if McMow displays signs in their windows supporting candidates that some may not. I’ve never heard a disparaging word on this blog about John G’s or any of the beach tenants for their support of Suzanne Mulvehill and Cara Jennings.
They are as entitled to express their views as anyone else and that includes the opposition.
Phil Materio is a gentleman and I’m proud to call him my friend.
I agree--Phil Materio is a gentleman.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, for any business to publicly support one issue or one candidate over another, is not good business, IMO. You can ask just about any business owner downtown and they refuse to put anyone's sign in their window--other than the usual suspects. Smart move because when you stay neutral, at least publicly, you don't get 50% of the voters pissed off.
There is no interpretation when it comes to facts. Facts are just that, FACTS. Facts are only mis-interpreted when you don't know them, when you don't like them or when you want to spin them to another viewpoint. We see this in elections all of the time and it is sickening. As Wes would say, truth matters.
I am disappointed first that I may have lost a valued customer and second that it is because of preconcieved polictical notions. To set the record straight I have never hungered or positioned myself in effort to gain power. As a matter of fact I feel as powerless as most everyone in the city of Lake Worth. I have only sought to help improve the neighborhood and city in which I spennd most if not all my waking hours. I am obviously not doing enought for some, however anyone who knows me can attest to the honesty and passion that I possess. A business is not successful for 32 years without passion and honesty. As for my support for Jeff Clemons. My family and I have been friends with Jeff since before he was mayor of Lake Worth. If my loyalty as friend is a problem for some so be it.I don't have to defend who I am friends with and why. I value their friendship and that should be enough. Most will understand this position. As for my other political choice, I am a reasonable person and not argumentative. Convince me that I am making the wrong choice for myself and my business. You know where I am my door is always open.Bottom line is that I am free to support whomever I choose and this should go without saying - free from intimidation by anyone. Individuals and business have the right to have their say in their future. Thanks Lynn
ReplyDeleteI've seen the store and the nice murals but I've never been in there. Loyalty is one thing but do you still support a friend if he is a child abuser? a murderer? a politician who wasted millions of dollars of taxpayer money? Why would you?
ReplyDelete