City of Daytona Beach buys 20-foot strip of land from campaign financer for $320,955
Therese Doan Daytona Beach City Commission
The City Commission's unanimous approval of the purchase was not done at a public meeting; it was adopted quickly through the consent agenda on 5/7/08 without public discussion after Commissioner Dwayne Taylor made the Motion to Approve which Commissioner Rob Gilliland seconded.
Items on the consent agenda are not discussed nor open for public comment and are regularly adopted in group. This method of effecting substantial expenditures by the City Commission has been widely criticized in the past as showing a lack of transparency and circumventing Florida sunshine laws.
The City's documentation indicates that the parcel was appraised at $137,000 in December 2005 and that it ordered a new single appraisal in January 2008. The new appraisal showed the property's value increased to $266,400, an appreciation of almost 100% during that period.
The end of 2005 is widely recognized as the peak of the recent real estate bubble. During the subsequent period of 2006-2008, Daytona Beach real estate properties, both commercial and residential, have seen substantial decreases in values due to the real estate crisis and the mortgage meltdown. For the first six months of the current year 2008 alone, the decrease has been 13% according to data tracker Zillow.
According to the city-ordered appraisal, the value of the Permanent Utility Easement portion of the strip of land "increased" from $2,500 in Dec 2005 to $75,600 in January 2008. This represents a 3,000% increase in valuation. None of the Commissioners made any inquiries nor expressed any reservations at this inordinate amount.
In his letter requesting the purchase, the Deputy City Manager indicated that "The City is not required per the interlocal agreement to proceed with this project" but he recommended its approval nevertheless.
According to the Volusia County Property Appraiser's office, Doan's parcels, which include the small 20-foot strip of land sold to the city, have a Just Value of $31,000 (Parcel 5305-08-13-0063) $28,000 (Parcel 5305-08-13-0062), $20,000 (Parcel 5305-08-13-0061), and $20,000 (Parcel 5305-08-13-0060), for a total market just value of $99,000.
The city is only purchasing a 20-foot strip, a 5,425 square feet fraction out of the approximately 22,000 square feet of Ms. Doan's parcels. Ms. Doan uses the unimproved property as a temporary parking lot during special events for the use of employees in the Main Street area. The temporary parking lot site plan was approved in 2007. The map below shows the strip of land lying inside Ms. Doan's parcels.
5 comments:
These people have brought so much shame to our city with their malfeasance, it is just amazing to me how no one has yet been prosecuted.
In the 50's, 60's, 70's Daytona had real entrepreneurs. Like Tom Stead the Cohenn Family and France's and Harry Doan. They made Daytona Beach a destination. What remains are mostly the heirs to these empires.. These heirs are just plain lazy people, and they don't deserve what they have got. They are unwilling to take risk. They would rather spend money to corrupt city government than to create an atmosphere inviting to business entrepreneurs and Central Florida tourism.
If it wasn't for the Bike weeks the business that Harry Doan left Therese would have failed a long time ago Maybe somebody that would run them in a responsible manner would have them now. She hasn't done anything to promote or improve any of them outside of maintenance since Harry flipped his airplane.
There is nothing to do in Daytona. No reason to come here outside the events. When 4 or 5 people run a town like a Parker Brother's Monopoly game eventually all the creative types just move on. Daytona is a waste of time a ghost town. these opportunist have sucked the life out of it.
In the words of Forest Gump.... Stupid is as Stupid does.