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Former Plantation Mayor Lynn Stoner wrote an official letter with false information that helped a developer in the city secure $102 million in loans, according to new documents from the county’s inspector general.

Stoner in 2020 used the city’s letterhead to tell Strata Group, LLC’s lenders that the company had resolved $181,000 worth of city code enforcement fines, according to a 42-page preliminary report from the Broward County Office of Inspector General (OIG).

The OIG report adds further details to the four charges, including one felony charge, that Stoner is expected to be arraigned for Monday morning. She is expected to plead not guilty to charges that she falsified a record, engaged in official misconduct and illegally influenced a building official, according to State Attorney Harold Pryor’s Office.

These charges carry a maximum of eight years in prison. Stoner’s current batch of legal woes come on the heels of another 238-page report from the OIG, out in February, detailing campaign report violations. She was fined $1,200 for those issues, which she chalked up to sloppy bookkeeping.

Stoner’s defense attorney, Larry Davis, declined to discuss the latest from the OIG, noting that 30 days are allowed for a response. But he did reiterate earlier comments that Plantation has a strong-Mayor form of government.

“Mayor Stoner was exercising her administrative authority pursuant to the city’s charter,” Davis said.

The OIG report notes that the developer had been a donor to Stoner’s 2018 campaign and a political committee that had produced materials that benefited her campaign — a total of $26,000 between Stoner’s personal account and the committee. Stoner, first elected to the City Council in 2011 and then as Mayor in 2018, ran for re-election in 2022 as well, but was defeated in a challenge from City Council member Nick Sortal.

Much of the report focuses on Stoner’s conflict with a city building official who was fired later and issues involving the developer, which is building a multiphase development in the city currently.

“The building official told her he would not waive the violations because the developer had still not corrected the violations,” the report reads. “He also told her he would not write the letter because it would be illegal. Mayor Stoner replied that she would write the letter and then hung up on him.”

Days after Stoner’s letter reached the lender, Strata and the lender were able to close on a loan, the report says.

Sortal declined to comment on the situation or say how this might impact city issues.

The question of whether Stoner’s photograph should remain among a gallery of Plantation Mayors’ pictures came up at the last City Council meeting June 7. Sortal told the assembled that he had taken Stoner’s image down at the request of city employees.

“They were quite animated and very upset,” Sortal said, explaining why he took it down. “They feel like this room should inspire people.”

But the other City Council members want it back up — even if the outcome of Stoner’s current troubles results in her conviction.

“This wall, the Mayor wall, that’s a document of history,” said City Council member Timothy Fadgen.

Stoner is facing charges of official misconduct, a third-degree felony; falsifying an official record, a first-degree misdemeanor; and two counts of influencing a building official, a misdemeanor.

A homeowner in Florida is appealing to the City of Plantation to put up a guardrail on a stretch of road behind his property after cars slammed into his home on three separate occasions.

The backyard of Jonathan Phillips' home runs along the busy stretch of North Nob Hill Road near NW 6th Court in Plantation.

He said they had their first crash in 2015, which also happened to cause the most damage.

“It was a vehicle that went the wrong way in traffic and plowed through three backyards and took out the whole side of our house," Phillips said. "It crashed right through the bathroom, and my grandmother was in the bathroom moments before it happened, so that would have been really bad because the whole room looked like a bomb went off basically inside there."

The second crash, a hit-and-run, happened two years later in 2017 at 4 a.m. Phillips said he reached out to the City of Plantation many times until a guardrail was installed in the median, but he claimed it hasn’t fixed the issue as it’s not protecting the homes in the area.

In April of 2021, another car ended up in Phillips’ backyard, and each time he’s had to clean up the expensive damage left behind.

“The first one was the most severe one where it actually took structural damage, and that was hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage, and I’m still kind of in debt today,” Phillips said.

Phillips said he resorted to putting up storm shutters at times to protect his home from cars, but wants a new guardrail behind his house so he can feel at ease again inside his home.

"It’s not really a safe feeling in this house," he said. "Especially when you hear a car go by really fast or hear horns going off. It is kind of unnerving because you don’t know what going to happen or if somebody is going to crash again."

According to Plantation Mayor Nick Sortal, the city has heard his appeals and is vowing to do something about it. Sortal visited Phillips' house and said he has pushed for the city to approve the funds, around $84,000, to install a new guardrail in the grassy area behind the house.

“I want them to approve it. I feel like it’s in their best interest to approve it," Phillips said. "And the goal is to not have anybody get hurt so hopefully, they install the guardrail. I’m not saying that it will be a fail-safe, but it’s better than nothing."

It is up to the Plantation City Council to approve the funds to install a new guardrail. The item was on the agenda to be discussed at Wednesday's city council meeting.

Former Plantation Mayor Lynn Stoner was arrested Tuesday after being accused by Broward County prosecutors of falsifying business records to allow a developer to proceed with a project despite code violations.

Stoner, who lost her re-election campaign last year, is facing a felony charge of official misconduct and three misdemeanors, including two counts of influencing a building official and one count of falsification of records, prosecutors said in a press release.

The charges center around the development of Pixl, a 330-unit apartment complex being built by Strata Group LLC, a subsidiary of Plantation-based Invesca Development Group. Prosecutors say Stoner “attempted to coerce, trick, persuade, or otherwise influence” a building official in April 2020, asking him to “do her a favor” and write a letter that said Strata had resolved or eliminated building code violations at the Pixl construction site at 4400 South Sunrise Blvd.

Court records show the code violations hadn't been fixed and that the mayor was seeking the letter “to help the developer obtain a loan,” according to a statement from the Broward County state attorney’s office. When the building official refused to send the letter, prosecutors say Stoner wrote the letter herself.

Stoner is also accused of approaching the same building official between July and September to try to get the official to allow Strata to start construction at the development without a proper permit. Invesca obtained an $85M construction loan from Madison Realty Capital on the Pixl project in September.

Invesca had previously secured a $102M construction loan from Madison Realty in April 2020 to complete another apartment complex in Pompano Beach and start funding the Pixl project. Pixl was approved by the Plantation City Council in April 2019, the South Florida Business Journal reported.

Stoner’s attorney, Larry Davis, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel that she would plead not guilty to the charges.

“Plantation is one of only two cities (in Broward) that have a strong mayor form of government,” Davis told the Sun Sentinel. “Mayor Stoner was exercising her administrative authority pursuant to the city’s charter.”

Stoner faces a maximum of eight years in prison if convicted, according to the state attorney, and was released from jail Monday after being booked on the charges.

She became mayor in 2018 after serving on the Plantation City Council for six years but lost her re-election bid in November.

Invesca didn't respond to Bisnow’s request for comment. The company was founded by Christopher Longsworth in 2001 when he was a teenager, and he ran it until December 2020 when he died at the age of 36.

The Pixl development, originally billed as a virtual reality-themed apartment building, was slated for completion by the end of 2022 but is still under construction, according to a website promoting the project. It’s the second portion of a three-part master-planned development being built by Invesca.

Pixl is adjacent to Strata, a 21-building community with 147 townhouses that Invesca started multiphase construction on in 2016. The third phase of the development, a 10-story office condo building called Modulus, has yet to break ground.

(WSVN) - A Plantation woman has no plans to stop working, even at the age of 101. Her dedication to the career she loves is being honored in a special way. Kevin Ozebek shares her story in today’s 7 Spotlight.

If you’re a tennis player in Plantation, chances are you know Norma Fink.

Norma Fink: “Pardon me while I answer. Norma speaking, may I help you?”

You can find her manning the registration desk at the Frank Veltri Tennis Center at the city’s Central Park.

When she’s not taking court reservations…

Norma Fink: “What time do you want? Three o’clock, hmm.”

She’s entertaining her coworkers.

Norma Fink: “So they gave me something that looked like a torch and they said, ‘And let the games begin!'”

At 101 years old, she has plenty of stories to tell.

Norma Fink: “One-oh-one and seven months. Seven months were important. The first hundred were easy.”

Norma has spent more than half her life working as a tennis court attendant for the city.

Employee: “Norma in the ’70s. This is her city ID card.”

She started working at the tennis courts at Plantation Community Center in 1972, after she and her husband moved to South Florida.

Norma Fink: “The next thing I know, I’m playing almost every day, because I can’t do the house all day.”

Her time playing on the courts led to her eventually volunteering to help maintain them

Norma Fink: “And I’m working, two or three days a week. I’ve enjoyed every thing.”

Norma was transferred to the Frank Veltri Tennis Center after it was built in 1981. With currently more than two dozen courts, Norma has plenty of work.

Norma Fink: “After 9:30, forget about it. Forget about it!”

Staff members and players threw Norma a party in 2021 to celebrate her 100th birthday. She’s getting another big honor this year, serving as the Grand Marshal for the city’s Independence Day parade.

She got a sneak peek at the classic car that will take her along the parade route.

Driver: “Norma, we have a date on the Fourth of July.”

But she didn’t stay for long. She says she needed to get back to work.

Norma Fink: “Only three that aren’t taken, the other ones are for the tournament.”

Norma says the key to living to 101 years is to simply enjoy life.

Norma Fink: “Celebrate it. I celebrate every night.”

And in her case, it doesn’t hurt to have a job you love.

Norma Fink: “Thank you for calling, bye now.”

Kevin Ozebek, 7News.

If there’s someone or something you think we should feature, send us an email at 7spotlight@wsvn.com.

Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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South Florida-based development firm Merrimac Ventures has broken ground on Merrimac Plantation, a new multifamily development on the rise in the City of Plantation, Florida. Located at 1711 N. University Drive, Merrimac Plantation will total 293,945 square feet with 306 rental apartments across two six-story midrise buildings. Construction is now underway and slated for completion in 2023.

Apartments will range from one- to three-bedroom layouts, featuring modern stainless-steel appliances, high-end European cabinetry, elegant quartz countertops, and smart locks and thermostats. Amenities will include a double height lobby, club room, pool, covered terrace, barbecue grilling stations, two exterior courtyards, fitness center, a co-working and business center with private offices and conference rooms, a resident ‘hangout’ lounge, dog park and dog spa, electric vehicle charging stations, and available Wi-Fi connectivity throughout the property.

“Once completed, Merrimac Plantation will meet growing demand for market rate rental housing in Central Broward County, which is experiencing an influx of new residents drawn to the area’s accessible location, appealing quality of life, and proximity to several major employers,” said Nitin Motwani, Managing Partner of Merrimac Ventures.

Merrimac Plantation will provide residents an appealing live, work, play environment, with the property’s strategic location adjacent to the Plantation Midtown Business District, an 860-acre master-planned development featuring 2.5 million square feet of retail and restaurants as well as 3 million square feet of office space. Also within close proximity is the Plantation Pointe Office Park, the Westside Regional Medical Center, and the Plantation Walk mixed-use redevelopment. Large retail outlets nearby include the one million square foot Fountain Shoppes lifestyle center and the 2.4 million square foot Sawgrass Mills. Residents can also enjoy Plantation's Central Park, a 103-acre park with a multitude of sporting activities.

Broward County’s City of Plantation is a growing, vibrant municipality and one of South Florida’s most desirable suburban neighborhoods, with a residential population exceeding 94,000 and a daily workforce of more than 55,000. As Plantation’s thriving business community continues to grow and attract major companies, the City is already home to some of the region’s largest employers including Motorola Solutions, Aetna Insurance, TradeStation, Virgin Voyages, AmSurg, Baptist Health, Magic Leap and Chewy. Plantation is easily accessible to major highways including the Florida Turnpike, and is within a 20-minute drive of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and Port Everglades.

Merrimac Plantation is the newest addition to Merrimac Ventures’ growing portfolio of developments across South Florida. The firm’s current projects include the Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Fort Lauderdale Beach; Riverfront East, a new mixed-use development underway in the heart of Downtown Fort Lauderdale that is currently home to the popular outdoor event venue The Wharf; the recently opened Flagler Village Hotel, a dual branded Hilton Tru/Home2 Suites property adjacent to Brightline’s train station; an 11-story boutique condominium planned for 530 North Beach Road in Fort Lauderdale Beach; 1350 South Ocean, an approved 27-story, 92-unit luxury condominium tower along the beachfront in Pompano Beach; 317 North Federal, a 716-unit multifamily development in Fort Lauderdale; and Miami Worldcenter, a $4 billion, 27-acre master planned mixed-use development underway in Downtown Miami.