This letter goes out to all our friends at:
The complaint (online internet report)
Sarasota County Board of Realtors, Manattee County Board of Realtors, Siesta Chamber of Commerce, Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, Kinghts of Columbus (Sarasota), Kiwanis Club of Sarasota, The Car Dealers Association of Sarasota, The City Commissioners of Sarasota County, Lee Wetherington Homes, Arthur Ruttenburg Homes, US Homes, Medallion Homes and The Sarasota Herald Tribune
Please let me take this time to introduce myself, my name is Jody Holland. Most of you know me through one or more of our companies. Many of you know we have owned and still operate several businesses in Sarasota County, Manattee County, and soon Lee County. Alot of you know me from our real estate offices, investment offices, or our electronics store. (soon to be stores) What this will be in reference to is facts that are happening around many of us every day. I come to you all because you all are the ones that can make a difference!
This whole story starts with my girfriend, and again many of you know her and her disabilty she lives with everyday. Many of you were at Michaels On East when I spoke of how she can not read or write. I might add she is a quick learner. I spoke of how the school system passed her through, even giving her a high school diploma.
She also worked for two of our personal companies and did a fantastic job! She accelerated in everything she set out to do, however working for immediate family businesses can be very difficult sometimes.
One morning we were at the beach after my salt water sunrise swim when I spotted a help wanted sign in the window of the concession stand. I filled the application out for her and she got the job. She was so happy, the people were very nice and they liked her! She fit in well, worked hard and progressed, learning all phases of the concession business.
The owners beleive in paying their employees more than fair market wages. This was great, she was working on her own. Now is when the problems start coming in. The manager whom hired her left for personal reasons. The next manager was the sister of the first one; however not at all like the sister. This particular manager allowed her husband, along with others to smoke pot and knowingly use other drugs. Now all of a sudden this manager gets another job. It gets worse.
The next person "in line" for the job is a very young girl. Her negative and scared history started when she was expelled from school due to a drug related incident. Yes a high school drop out. She got this job on the beach and now here we are. Of all people to get a mangerial position was this person. As she has taken over as manager she has surrouned herself with all very young kids, or I could say so called semi-adults.
They smoke pot before work, during work (in the walk in cooler) at lunch hours etc. There are a few of them that go on all night drug benges, and still come into work.
Now we all can imagine the way the minds are all working out at the beach these days. The entire crew with the exception of my girfriend and possibly one other employee in the icecream shop that have a clean mind. We all understand that this is kitchen type help, but I will do everything in my power to stop this type of behavior on Siesta Key.
I will also add that this would go for anywhere in Sarasota that I am around or any of my friends or loved ones. My girlfriend is scared she might loose her job. They meening five of the employees ride to work together, party together, and formed a "click" at work towards my girlfriend.
I myself have been threatened by employees. Most of this started when the owners were in Las Vegas on their hard earned vaction. The old saying is "when the cats away the mice will play", and that they did.
Coming into work high every day, drug deals out of the side kitchen beach door. They screamed profanity as if it were normal language. One of the girls was so drugged up she was leaning on the gift shop window as she tried to work. She could hardly keep her head up. She was slurring her words. Her eyes drugged out looking.
I was there in the morning too drop off my girlfriend (seeing as how she can not drive due to her disability) when I witnessed all of this. Sometimes I will sit under the main pavillion just enjoying the surroundings, other times I will go to the beach and put in my time collecting water samples, seaweed etc. For Mote Marine Laboratories.
This particular morning I was just simply enjoying what our tax dollars. The pavillion. As I sit back and watch these "kids" that are working out there, I questioned this girl about what kinda night she had. I meen she looked horrible. She told me they ate some kind of bars or something and was still drugged up. She proceded to tell me about her night and how she could not remember the room, or how she got where she was. We are not talking about a night of just drinking either. We are talking about a girl that is under 21 that is on drugs. She admits to this behavior.
To make it even worse her mother was hired, and yes she is part of the drug problem also. Stoned at work etc. This I am sure is the kind of people we want running our cash registers greeting our customers etc. I came out and told them that their behavior will be stopped! I do not own the place or lease the place, but I feel as a local business owner I will come to you all to figure out how we can clean our beach up and our community.
I might add we personally have major investments on Siesta Key. We do millions of dollars in sales a year in all of our businesses, and I do not intend to sit back and allow these "punks" of our community take control of our beaches and our business to the wonderful tourists that come down here and spend their money.
Furthermore I have no intentions of my girlfriend being harrassed or bullied from these "punks". I will also add that these people have even tried to slander me in ways of saying that I am the one on this, or I am the one doing that. The only way they can stike at me is accusing me of things. Well they got one thing right. I am angry as hell! I was the one whom worked with the police on helping clean up the Gulf Gate area.
The cocaine along with other drugs were horrible. I offered a store front accross from a local bar in Gulf Gate. I offered names etc. I new alot of people from my businesses, and I also new whom the bottom feeders were. I was the one that was in and out of bars on a constant basis, from the satellite commercial end of our electronics store. I have zero tollerence for drugs.
Some of you know my grand parents were murdered from someone we know was on drugs. One was slashed in the throat, and my grand mother whom was bed ridden was knifed to death. So I will say it again. Anyone near me that is using or on drugs that I know of will be turned into the authoritys. I also have had a girlfriend die from drug related problems which is another story. This particular girlfriend had gotten an $800,000 settlement, and died at 23. I myself left her when the drugs took her entire life over. I tried to get her help but it just never worked.
I am reaching out again so I can save our reputation as a good family area. I myself and our family have prospered on this coast and we have lived happy heathly lives. My girlfriend of which I might add eight years now does not need to put up with this type of behavior. The biggest problem is she does not know where to go, how to get help on this matter, or whom to tell.
As of this date I am writing this letter all the employees are still employed by Sunrise sunset Concessions of Siesta Key Inc. The slaps on the hands are simply not working.
Again, I will say I personally know a couple of the owners myself, and I will say these people are top notch quality people. They are extremely nice. They have however run other businesses which surprises me that they would put up with this nonsense. The only thing I can come up with is they just do not beleive all this is going on.
As I am closing this letter, I urge each and everyone of you to go out to the beach. Sit under the pavillion, listen to some music and "try" to enjoy yourself. When I started to try to clean our problems up they caused me problems. The one thing is they are not going to stop our powerful business community. We live in a wonderful area here. We have the best police forces, the best schools, the best coast lines, and the best people keeping it all this way. If you would like to contact me on any of the above reference please feel free to do so.
POSTED AFTER THE FACT: The Sarsota Sheriffs officers assigned to Siesta Key Beach informed me that I was not "allowed" to be around the concession stands. I can only walk through the pavillion area if I am going to the beach. Who the hell would want to patronize this ill-run bussiness. (lol)
The Sarasota County sherrifs that are assigned to this location are the same ones whom:
1) Made one of the "druggie" employees dump out a bag of pot in their office at the beach. NO ARREST WAS MADE!
2) Witnessed the "druggie" manager hit a parked car from their office at the beach. Laughed about the incident. NEVER FILED A POLICE REPORT OR CONTACTED THE OWNER OF THE CAR!
3) Asked me if I could obtain illgal DirecTV access cards or if I knew how to program them since I am a satellite dealer. One of the officers bragged of how his brother-in-law uses an illegal card. (I might add this is a federal offence)
PS All the Sarasota County Beach Officers eat for free at the concession. And regulary go into the kitchen and bullshit and cook for themselves...
They have become friends with these indesireable people. And are helping corupt our beutiful community..
Jody
Sarasota, Florida
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