Michael halpern is know in key west for pulling strings to get illegal dealings taken care of.in several cases halpern representing his clients and forcing businesses out of business pulled strings to het his company (fury key west) into a spot and get an occupational license for operating his business illegally...
Anyone reading this should know michael halpern a key west attorey is very bad news. Let us start with how michael works...
First off michael halperns office will tell you if you call hes not taking on new clients and is getting ready to retire to colorado or arizona..
This is not true, halpern uses this offices as a front to try and destroy and minipulate local businesses, basically a thug with a law degree.
Heres how his game works...
First off michale is low key behind the scenes business partner with several businesses in key west. His partnership companys like fury key west are allowed to operate illegally and the reason they are is because of michaels connections with local corrupt officials. For example...
As a business owner myself in key west we operated a tour boat business, after confirming with the city occupational office we would be allowed to get our license to use this boat in the full capacity (49 passengers) we soon found out afterwords they lied.
Because michael halperns fury wanted our space they pulled strings with carolyn walker at the city occupational license section and had her only license us for 23 passengers (less than half our full capacity) because of sigting a parking ordinance in key west that wouldnt allow us anymore passengers, after helping force us out of business the city of key west allowed michael halperns company immediately come into the exact same space and occupy it with 3x the capacity we were allowed.
Do we see something wrong here???
When questioning several officials in key west and carolyn walker you will see by the e mails below they definately lied in order to favor michael halpern and the fury catamaran company.
From: Jency Probert
Sent: Wednesday, April 25 9:04 AM
To: Shawn D. Smith
Cc: John Jones; Gary Addleman
Subject:
Hi Shawn,
I think it would be prudent on the part of the City to allow Gail the opportunity to review the existing file regarding Zero Duval and the parking issues at this location prior to a license being issued to the Fury for their catamaran. Carolyn has been using 'historic' information to base her decision on. However, the parking situation in this area has dramatically changed with the drastic reduction of parking spaces at Mallory Square. As she stated, Ocean Key House at one time, leased parking spaces from the City in Mallory Square (there use to be a gate to the parking lot). To allocate 70 percent of the existing parking spaces for waterfront based activities would seem erroneous in light of the fact that there are only 70 parking spaces at this location (which is 70 percent of what is required for the rooms) as it is. The reason that they have valet parking is to obtain 33 additional spaces (part of a variance). Essentially, they have no additional parking spaces available for any activity or business.
Thanks,
Jency
As you can see by the above e mail from a code enforcement officer jensy probert to city attorney shawn d smith she clearly rviewed the parking ordinance that was enforced on us and the same ordinance not enforced on the fury. Why???
The bubba system at its finest...
As you can see jency probert not only verifies this parking ordinance is not only outdated but does not allow any businesses to operate at this location...
So why are they operating??? Public officials in key westare dirty as hell...
Now let me finish explaining how michale halpern operates...
Michale sees businesses in key west that he wants, he approaches the owners offers them pennies on the dollar and when they refuse to sell he threatens them with lawsuits and tells them it will be alot more costly in litigation than to sell.
I have personally spoke to several business that he has done this to and many are scared to speak out in public for fear of their property and safety. If you go to the monroe county clerk of courts web site and review civil cases im sure you will see several cases halpern has against businesses in key west. That again is from what we have been told by several business owners in key west.
Michael halpers also oversees the southernmost house in key west. Recently he wanted to modify this property and his modification would require needing additional parking. After going to city officials to try and force this through halpern was told he could not convert because there was not enough parking. So what did halpern do?
From our reliable sources we were told halpern decided to target the elderly family next dor to this house and force them t sell so he could use this property as a parking space...
Michale halpern is known for going to the city meetings in key west and if he doesnt get his way threatens them that he will file suit against them. We were told by several sources halpern gets his way alot of the times because the city of key west fears him.
Lets face it... The city code enforcement officer above clearly confirmed to the city attorney uned the same parking ordinance my family was pushed out of business
" there should be no businesses operating at this location under the ordinance "
But halperns company the fury still does and we understand is expanding their operation...
Here is a latter from a resident of key west...
key west resident comes forward...
Heidi
Key West, Florida
U.S.A.
Be Careful in Paradise
Robert provided proof that these people do in fact lie. Why is he given such a hard time? Because he is exposing them? Corruption is rampant in Key West. That is the truth. So just be very careful and listen when people say they were scammed.
Do not believe people online you see trying hard to diiscredit my story. They are the people that will screw you big time...
Local news paper story... Can you find michael halperns name in here???
The galleon settlement:
a case history of incompetence and corruption
when code enforcement officer jim young started getting too close to the truth, avael fired him and took over the case himself. And, under his management, the city rolled over and spread its legs.
By Dennis Reeves Cooper
The agreement signed last week by City officials to settle the long-running Code Enforcement action against the Galleon Resort was a classic case of, at least, incompetence on the part of City staff. And there was probably a tad of corruption mixed in there, too. Well, maybe more than a tad.
This was, in essence, a very simple case, with a lot of obfuscation. The management of the Galleon Resort has been licensed since the 1980s to rent out 96 units. But they have been renting out 122. Thats against the law.
But they might never have ever been caught had the contractor who managed the deli and pool bar not tried to sell that contract.in April of the contractor had a potential buyer, but he had some questions about the liquor license. The license in place required that the resort have at least 120 units.
But, reportedly, something seemed funny to the attorney representing the potential buyer, so he asked the State bureau of Alcohol, Beverage and Tobacco (ABT) to assure him that everything was on the up-and-up. To do that, ABT investigators came down to do a room count.
As part of that investigation, the ABT people contacted Jim Young, who, at that time, headed the Citys Code Enforcement operation. Uh-oh. Young met with the Galleon manager, who readily told him that the resort had 122 units" and even gave Young a brochure that said the Galleon had 122 rooms. Apparently, they had been renting the illegal rooms so long that the manager had probably forgotten that they were illegal.
Young cited the Galleon for renting 20 units without a license.in addition, it was determined that the Galleon had several illegal cave units small rooms, without windows, that had apparently been converted from storage closets. These rooms were reportedly being rented to employees.
Several hearings were scheduled before Special Master Jeff Overby. It was not going to be pretty. After all, these people had allegedly been renting some of these unlicensed rooms for 20 years!
But Michael Halpern, the Galleons longtime attorney, was able to have hearings repeatedly continued. Finally, Overby set a hearing for October 18, and put Halpern on notice that there would be no more continuances.
In the meantime, Young and Assistant City Attorney Kevin Hoyes had reportedly put together a well-documented case. Perhaps too well-documented for Attorney Halperns taste.
Something obviously had to be done to get Code Enforcement off the backs of Galleon management.
So, it was just about this time, probably by pure coincidence, that City Commissioners Harry Bethel and Danny Kolhage decided it was time to speak out at a City Commission meeting. They said they had received stacks of complaints about the gestapo tactics of Code Enforcement although, when asked, neither Bethel nor Kolhage could produce even one complaint. Well, actually, Bethel could produce one. Young had dared to cite one of Bethels sons projects.
Then, Halpern threatened to sue the City for $5 million. That set the stage for City Manager Julio Avael to send a one-sentence email to Joe April, the Citys Building Official, on October 5. At that time, April was also Youngs boss.
Heres what the email said: Lets postpone the Galleon case until I can mediate this situation.
In essence, what Avael did on the eve of the big hearing before Overby was to stop cold all action on the Code Enforcement case against the Galleon. But he did more than that. He took over the case personally, removing Jim Young and Joe April from any further involvement.
Eight days later, Avael fired Young and moved April over to the Engineering Department. Keep in mind that, earlier in the year, when the Mayor and some City Commissioners seemed to ready to fire Julio, it was Halpern who had stepped in to represent Julio at no charge. Julio was obligated to Halpern.
Keep in mind, too, that Julio was already unhappy with Joe April. April was the guy who, back in February of had refused to sign the certificate of occupancy for the new Rum Barrel Restaurant because, he said, there were still problems with the elevator and the electrical system. So Assistant City Manager John Jones signed it.
Two weeks ago, Jones was arrested for impersonating a licensed building inspector. But investigators from the State Department of Business & Professional Regulation (DBPR) think that City Manager Avael coerced Jones into signing the document. After all, it is well known that Julio and Pat Croce, one of the owners of the Rum Barrel, are personal friends.
When Croce was trying to get Code Enforcement to back off on trying to make him comply to the Citys sign ordinance (he had too many signs), he sent Julio an email asking him to intercede.in that email, he addressed Julio as El Jefe.
Subsequently, Code Enforcement got the word: Back off of the Rum Barrel. Go figure. Last December, DBPR investigators actually cited Avael for alleged coercion. He has not been arrested, but the investigation remains ongoing, according to a spokesman in the State Attorneys Office.
Based on what you now know, are you surprised that the Citys settlement basically, Avaels settlement; the City Commission cant vote on it" is a softball settlement? Galleon management did not have to admit any wrongdoing or pay any fines. And 20 of the previously-illegal units were legalized under the settlement.
Under Julio Avaels management of this case, the City just rolled over and spread its legs. We dont know whether or not Julio attended the mediation meetings, the meetings where the settlement deal was negotiated. But if he did, we suspect that he probably sat over on the Galleon side of the table, next to Halpern.
Galleon management did agree to remove 12 units and pay $300,000 into an affordable housing trust fund. Those 12 units were reportedly built below the flood plain and, sooner or later, would have probably been discovered by FEMA anyway.
One source estimated that this deal cost the City taxpayers about $500,000 in terms of attorneys fees and waived fines. But so what? The Mayor and City Commissioners humiliated Avael by refusing to renew his multi-year contract. But they gave him that stupid him in office for another year to pull this kind of crap! Do you think, at this point, that he gives a rats ass about City of Key West taxpayer money?
Last Tuesday evening, at the City Commission meeting, the Mayor and Commissioners approved a deal that will remove Julio from office, perhaps as early as mid-June, or as soon as a new City Manager is hired. He will still be on the payroll as a consultant to the new manager until November. But, hopefully, this arrangement will inhibit his ability to inflict much more damage.
It must be noted, however, as Julis separation package was being discussed Tuesday evening, Commissioners Bethel and Kolhage were falling all over themselves to ensure that Julio got as much going away money as City personnel policies would allow. And some not allowed by City personnel policies.
Were not going to bore you with a long history of the Galleon case, but you might be interested in the following tidbits:
Back in September 1983, the Citys Chief Building Official, James Elwood, wrote Attorney Halpern a letter expressing concern that plans for the Galleon showed a footprint considerably over the allowable gross square footage.in his letter, Elwood also referred to the number of units planned: 96, not 122.
Attached to that letter were some notes and calculations attributed to Paul Cates, the former Building Official. Those notes also referred to 96 units, not 122.
But despite this evidence, Halpern told City Attorney Shawn Smith that, if this case ever went to trial, he was prepared to bring in Elwood and Cates as witnesses to swear that the original plans approved by the City showed 122 units, not 96.
Well, in this case, all the City lawyers would have to do is show the judge the original plans, right? Right. Except that there is one small problem: Incredibly, the original plans have gone missing!
We dont make this stuff up
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