From Minutes of November 21, 2019… note there is no council discussion or public comment regarding a $539,000 purchase and no disclosure the property was under contract as of the day before with Chris Sante for $539,000:

Note that the manager stated the Village could “place three affordable units on the property.” Is there already a plan to demolish the existing CBS two-story structure that is 2,576 sq ft of interior space and three separate living areas?

December 11, 2019 – Village provided a $1,000 check for deposit on 292 Gardenia to Hershoff Lupino law firm.

December 12, 2019 – Chris Sante signed an assignment of contract – turning over his contract to purchase to the Village, acknowledged by Seth Lawless. No further action by council to expend village funds before the purchase agreement was assigned to the Village by the manager.

December 12, 2019 - Council meeting, the council voted to reserve 9 affordable housing allocations for the Gardenia Street Project mentioning the three lots purchased on April 1, 2019 and the fact 292 Gardenia is pending. No acknowledgement as to how the purchase became “pending.”

January 2, 2020 Tenant at 292 Gardenia got note from Chris Sante (Sante is not on council and no longer had a contract on the property) asking her to leave. And he was working with the Village to get her two more weeks and that the seller (John) owes her 4 months rent at $1,300/month since he has to evict everyone. According to Helen, the tenant, she paid $1,300 in rent for January and then as a result of Village pressure found a place for $1,700/month… more than she could afford. According to tenant, Sante suggested that she would get the $400/month extra it cost for rent plus moving expenses since she had to move prior to the end of her lease.

Click to read the story from Free Press about tenant Helen Grekel 

January 9, 2020 the council voted to expend $589,000 to purchase the home at 292 Gardenia that was under contract for $539,000 - $50,000 less than this. Cannot find evidence that the extra $50,000 was spent based on review of financial records.

The resolution to spend $589,000 to purchase a non-waterfront home that would later be demolished by the Village so the property could be developed for affordable housing passed with no discussion. 

TAB 11: Resolution Authorizing the Village Manager to Execute Documents and Expend Funds for the Purchase of a Parcel on Plantation Key for the Purpose of Affordable Housing Development. Village Attorney Roget Bryan read the title of the resolution. Village Manager Seth Lawless presented the staff report recommending approval. Mayor Mike Forster opened public comment; no comment was offered. Councilwoman Deb Gillis made a motion to approve. Councilman Jim Mooney seconded the motion. Council voted and the motion passed 3-0.

January 13, 2020 – closing on 292 Gardenia $539,000 – closing statement included a credit from the seller to the Village of $1,300 for last month’s rent that seller was holding for tenant. And 13 days of prorated rent.

According to tenant, she spent days moving. Never got any money from John Mannix, the seller, Sante, or the Village for vacating before the end of her lease. Without the money owed (last month's rent and security deposit), her financial circumstances were dire using limited savings to pay higher rent and another first, last and security for the new rental.   

While the closing statement shows the last month’s rent of $1,300 was credited to Village by seller on January 13, 2020, the Village did not pay the tenant her last month’s rent. While she had months left on her lease, she moved. While still moving, her A/C was removed. The Village was cleaning up the property and left piles of junk at the foot of her stairway that she had to climb through – cut her foot on glass – right through her shoe. As a single mother with children in the local public school, she struggled to find appropriate housing in the middle of the winter season. Without the money owed (last month's rent and security deposit), her financial circumstances were dire having used limited savings to pay higher rent and another first, last and security for the new rental. Not able to hire a mover, she moved as much as she could of her personal property herself but had to leave her furniture behind. Helen was a park ranger at Lignumvitae State Park. She now has left the Keys – could not afford to stay. 

Click here to view the Closing Statement

January 23, 2020 Chris Sante was appointed to council

February 10, 2020, the Village applied for a FEMA grant for construction of eight new single family, 2 bedroom 1 ½ bath affordable housing units, as rentals. The grant requested was for $2.911 million to cover the developer's construction costs, including contractor’s fee of $310,017, site preparation, and other expenses. The grant specifically named the Key Largo Lions Club Foundation as the developer, represented by their board president and founder, Chris Sante, also a member of the Islamorada Village Council. The Lions Club Foundation was never approved as a qualified affordable housing developer by the Village. No evidence was found in minutes of public meetings where the Council approved this organization to potentially be the recipient of a $2.9 million grant. An outside consultant prepared the grant application.

Click here for grant application for nearly $3 million in funding for developer, with Councilman Chris Sante representing the developer. Included in the grant application was a request for funding of $10,500 in relocation expenses for the tenant.

The grant application stated that the Village had the property appraised and paid fair market value. A public record request was made to get the appraisal. The appraisal was done by the seller, not the Village. It was dated August 2019, months before the purchase agreement was finalized between the seller, John Mannix and buyer, Chris Sante, and then assigned later to the Village by Sante. The appraised value was $510,000, $29,000 less than the purchase price. A significant fact in the appraisal was the value of the CBS three unit building that the Village intended to demolish as all comparable sales were developed, not vacant lots.

Click here for Mannix appraisal.  

April 11 2020 The grant request was denied for numerous reasons including the developer not being a qualified entity. 

Click here for an email from the grant writer informing the Village Manager of the denial.  

Habitat for Humanity had been previously qualified by the Village as an appropriate entity to do affordable housing projects. Perhaps they should have been considered as the developers for this project and the nearly $3 million grant.

August 17, 2020 – Village applied for a demolition permit for house.