Sun-Sentinel 10/14/2007

We would like to thank Lisa J. Huriash for this fair and balanced article on the former Aztec Mobile Home Park.

--------------------
Margate mobile home park to make way for new housing community
--------------------

By Lisa J. Huriash

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

August 14, 2007

Margate

A new housing community will be built on the site of one of the city's last mobile home parks.

The City Commission has approved rezoning to allow Aztec Estates, a 102-acre mobile home park, to become a 707-unit development. The new gated community — which does not yet have a name — will consist of 93 single-family homes, 468 townhouses and 146 condo units, according to the zoning application.

The development will be south of Southgate Boulevard, on the east side of State Road 7.

"It's going to be a very nice development," said former state Rep. Jack Tobin, lobbyist for Uniprop Manufactured Housing, which owns the site. Tobin said the development will have a "myriad of price ranges from affordable housing to maybe $300,000- to-$350,000 townhomes and single-family homes."

A construction date is not set yet; Tobin said the owners are taking a wait-and-see approach, in part to see when the housing market improves.

In addition, "everything is on hold until [Uniprop officials] find a partner or sell the project," Tobin said.

While the city awaits the new development, people displaced from Aztec said the move was traumatic.

That includes resident Patti Pye, who moved into Aztec with her husband less than two years before getting their notification letter to leave. The Pyes, who live off their Social Security checks, sank $65,000 of their savings into a three-bedroom trailer with a 9-by-12-foot master bathroom.

Last October she moved out, her manufactured trailer separated into two pieces and hauled four miles away into another Margate trailer park. Her carpeting was cut in half so one piece, which included the master bedroom and bathroom, could go first. The next day, the rest of the trailer — including the dining room, kitchen and second bedroom — was loaded on a truck and driven to its new spot.

During this time, the Pyes stayed at their son's friend's condo in Pompano Beach. They lived there a month until water and electricity could be hooked up to their trailer and inspected.

"We were very fortunate," she said. "If we didn't have that place to go, we would have had to be paying in a motel for a month. Disaster isn't the word for it. All your life's savings right down the drain."

She said her neighbors moved to mobile home parks in north Broward and Davie.

"Some went to live with relatives, their homes were too old to move, and others went into rental apartments," she said. "People were just frantic. They were cussing up a storm, they cussed those people at Aztec. They said 'We lived here 20 years and this is what we get? We get booted right out of here?'"

Aztec Estates at one time had 645 home sites, but only about 184 were occupied last year when Uniprop notified residents of the pending change.

Tobin attributed the loss of residents to damage from Hurricane Wilma in 2005 and attrition.

"It was a loser for Uniprop to continue to operate as a mobile home park," he said. "People aren't buying mobile homes like they used to."

Aztec residents aren't alone in being forced to make a change for growth: 243 owners evacuated the Rancho Margate mobile home park off State Road 7 last year so 412 townhouses could be built. Permits are pending for construction to begin there.

This leaves Pye's new home of Coral Cay, formerly known as the Colonies of Margate, as the last remaining mobile home park in the city.

Lisa J. Huriash can be reached at lhuriash@sun-sentinel.com or 954-572-2008

Copyright (c) 2007, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Visit Sun-Sentinel.com

COMMENTS Showing posts 1 - 10 of 10

Robert Perkis Lake Worth, FL Reply » |Report Abuse |#1 Saturday Oct 13

Jack Tobin works for the city of Margate as a contract employee as their lobbyist to the Broward Commission and the legislature in Talahassee. He also represents the Margate Chamber of Commerce and developers like Uniprop who owns Aztec MHP and United Homes Internation who owns Rancho Margate MHP before the Margate Commission. In my opinion residents become second class citizens in the eyes of the commission when going up against anything Mr. Tobin wants.

In my opinion both mobile home parks in Margate were closed illegally. State law s723.061 only allows a park to close for a legal change of use. As both parks were closed before they were rezoned, they were closed without a new legal use in place. The home owners had an absolute legal right to object to the rezoning of their park prior to its closing. The article makes it perfectly clear there was no change of use ready to go at the time the park was closed.

"A construction date is not set yet; Tobin said the owners are taking a wait-and-see approach, in part to see when the housing market improves.

In addition, "everything is on hold until [Uniprop officials] find a partner or sell the project," Tobin said."

In my opinion and in the opinion of the Florida Attorney General State law s732.083 requires a determination be made there is adequate and suitable housing available within city borders affordable to the mobile home owners before the park can be rezoned. Both parks were closed prior to the rezoning and no such determination was made.

After Wilma when Rancho Margate was closing Aztec reported having 646 lots with only 45 available for Rancho Margate mobile home owners to relocate their homes to. They also housed hundreds of F.E.M.A. trailers at double the usual lot rent. They closed two parks in South Florida prior to Aztec they could have moved homes to Aztec from but didn't. They went on selling homes to people right up to the day they announced the park would close. One of the reasons people aren't buying mobile homes like they used to is park closings like these have ruined the market even for the new hurricane resistant manufactured homes. Why would anyone buy in a park that won't give a buy back guarantee if the park should close.

I find it hard to believe city employees are willing to work for projects that do in their residents and commissioners will vote for them based on the residents no longer being here for the next election. What will you do when they come for you?

Frenchie Pompano Beach, FL Reply » |Report Abuse |#2 Sunday Oct 14

Tobin's real job is raising campaign contributions for the city fathers from the companies he shills for. Everyone who pays wins, why else would they hire him, eh?

fcw151 Boynton Beach, FL Reply » |Report Abuse |#3 Sunday Oct 14

developers suck they are just like the republicans anything for a buck,as a matter of a fact they are the republicans,vote all the republicans out all of them.

VOTE THEM OUT Lake Elsinore, CA Reply » |Report Abuse |#4 Sunday Oct 14

Robert Perkis writes "In my opinion residents become second class citizens in the eyes of the commission when going up against anything Mr. Tobin wants"

One of the problems with Margate and I am sure other cities is that no one comes to the meetings unless there is something that directly involves them, just as you started coming Mr Perkis when Ranchero was up for rezoning. Until the residents start making the commission accountable to them(the residents) it will continue to be same ole same ole. No city business should feel they have to come before the commission with a lobbyist. Mr Tobin has so much power because he has been given so much power, but the power of a resident can be just as powerful if used properly. One way to make the commission accountable is to have meetings broadcasted live so more residents can see what happens at a meeting. Another is to go out and vote, Margate has a 10% voter turnout, 10%, isn't it about time the residents take back their city? The commissioners work for you not the other way around.

Marc Weitzman AOL Reply » |Report Abuse |#5 Sunday Oct 14

Are you guys joking? Have you ever heard of property rights? If the mobile home park owners are upset they should have tried to buy the park. How can you ask a business to continue to operate at a loss? You cant, it's just not reasonable.

Pat Lake Worth, FL Reply » |Report Abuse |#8 Sunday Oct 14

The true story needs to be told. These people are not the local heroes the Sun-Sentinel makes them out to be. I lived in a lovely little community called Rancho Margate. Yes it was a trailer park, but it was all friendly senior citizens who kept their homes tidy like you'd keep a 57 Chevy. When the time came our park was sold to a developer United Homes they hired a sleazy lobbyist who uses the name Jack Tobin to represent them who is also a Margate city employee. They all owe him big time for favors and squeezing tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions for them, the guy always has his hand out. They sat there on their platform all high and mighty pretending there was nothing they could do to help us when their benefactor was doing us in. They even had the nerve to lecture us that it was the man's property so there was nothing they could do to prevent our park being closed, when it was their own employees lying in reports that our park was run down and recommending the developer's plan. This guy Tobin works the back rooms violating the sunshine laws making deals with city planners and pressuring the commissioners and city lawyer so when his stuff comes up there is never a problem all five vote yes and it's a done deal. There was one brave woman in our park called Merna who had the courage to fight them with legal aid, I pray she can find justice for us all.

Robert Perkis Fort Lauderdale, FL Reply » |Report Abuse |#9 Sunday Oct 14

Marc Weitzman wrote: Are you guys joking? Have you ever heard of property rights? If the mobile home park owners are upset they should have tried to buy the park. How can you ask a business to continue to operate at a loss? You cant, it's just not reasonable.

Do you understand property rights? The courts don't view them as a solid block of rights, but more as a bundle of sticks that can be bent and twisted to fit the needs of the community. We restrict property rights all the time with zoning, easements, right of way, etc. The park was zoned for mobile homes, that's it nothing else. The owners were taking in some money, now they are taking in none and are still paying the same property taxes for the land. They sold homes right up to the week they closed, then told their customers they were screwed we're not giving refunds and we're not going to help you beyond what the law requires which isn't much. As to whether or not the business was making a profit, we have to take their word for it. They sold new homes right to the end and later said their manager didn't know the park was closing, ya right!

Rick Fort Lauderdale, FL Reply » |Report Abuse |#10 Sunday Oct 14 Who is Aztec kidding? they overcharged for lot rent, did virtually nothing for the problems, many created by them. Then groan because folks fled, fed up with being ripped off by them, and passed the lost fees on to the remaining so their profits didn't drop until the passed the point of no return, and bailed out saying Thanks for letting us take you for all you're worth suckers, now get lost!"

What Hollywood, FL Reply » |Report Abuse |#11 Tuesday Oct 16

A taco truck (remains of a abusive comment edited by Topix staff)

Mitch Pompano Beach, FL Reply » |Report Abuse |#12 Wednesday Oct 17

First of all the aritcle dose'nt have the facts right - after the hurricane the park it's self substained very little damage - some of the much older HOME'S were worse than others. But, The majority of the 680 site 80% occupied community faired better than some 30Year old concrete block homes in the area - mine was fine a couple roof shingles blown off - YES REAL ROOF SHINGLES!! Fema and Uniprop entered into an agreement that allowed FEMA to bring in displaced people from who knows where, 250 FEMA TRAVEL TRAILERS -TEMPORARY HOUSING - NOT PERMANENT MANUFACTURED HOMES - to which Uniprop Made a pretty easy 1.5 MILLION to lease vacant sites & put a unit where ever they could,(CITY OF MARGATE APPROVED ?????????) under contract for 18 months. at no cost to the displacee,rent free,free electric water ,food stamps, cash cards ect.. We still had to pay rent,electric - life as normal.

As time for them to leave grew near & permenant resident's getting **** at the riff raff that FEMA brought into the community and UNIPROP ALLOWED -NO BACK GROUNG CHECK THAT WE ALL HAD TO PAY FOR and the fact that these are/were our well maintained Home's. The reference to184 HOME sites that were still occupied was AFTER UNIPROP Threw everyone else out with monitary scare tatics, like not being able to use the FLMHRP- if we dindt leave by a given date.( Florida Mobile Home Relocation Program , Which alocates funds to move a home to new location,AFTER THE CITY HAS APPROVED A CHANGE OF LAND USE!!!)

After we spent thousands of dollars in hotels bills ( 2 MONTHS ) and etc.Our home now resides in Coconut Creek for a year now. They petitioned for change of land use (How nice)-- Which the state and city of Margate are suppose to approve First,to protect the leasee. Well ,that didnt happen - We all got screwed by big bussiness and local government who did'nt stand up for the residents, but their Bank Account's & wallets they sit on got bigger- Thanks Losers- Have fun with the new and improved traffic delima at 441 & Atlantic,441 & Southgate

Showing posts 1 - 10 of 10

Questions, comments, or suggestions?  Send us feedback

Home, News Articles, Change Of Use, Comments, Guest Book, Statute 723,
Legal Links, Coconut Creek, Paloma Lakes, The Urban Group