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The wife of Tamarac Commissioner Marlon Bolton uses a separate Shaker Village address for voting and business purposes, official records show. Last week, Bolton voted to spend $1.9 million dollars of taxpayer money to purchase the dilapidated Shaker Village clubhouse. Last May, Praise Experience World Outreach, Inc., a non-profit organization operated by Bolton and his wife, purchased the Shaker Village unit where he resides.

As REDBROWARD reported on Tuesday, Tamarac residents were outraged their tax dollars would be spent on an eyesore owned by a private community. The outrage grew after learning Bolton’s Praise Experience World Outreach could profit from the deal. One Tamarac official told REDBROWARD each Shaker Village homeowner could receive a $5,000 share of the clubhouse purchase.

PLEASANT HILL

Bolton and his wife, Carla Tyson-Bolton, have deep ties to the Shaker Village community. According to a July 2020 lawsuit filed by Tyson-Bolton against the Shaker Village Homeowners Association, the Boltons lived on Ann Lee Lane between 2017 and 2020. The Boltons moved to their current Ann Lee Lane residence in the summer of 2020.

In March 2021, REDBROWARD revealed Broward Sheriff’s deputies reported to a domestic disturbance call from Mrs. Bolton at this Ann Lee Lane address.

In April 2021, REDBROWARD reported North Lauderdale Commissioner Regina Martin, a close Bolton ally, used the same Ann Lee Lane address to obtain a suspicious COVID-19 relief loan from the Federal government.

So why does Mrs. Bolton use a different address for her business records?

According to Florida corporate records, Marlon Bolton and his wife own and operate Tyson, Bolton and Associates LLC. Since its formation in 2017, the Boltons have listed its principal address as 76 Pleasant Hill Lane in Shaker Village.

State records show Mrs. Bolton’s real estate license lists 76 Pleasant Hill Lane in Shaker Village as her address.

State and local records show Mrs. Bolton is registered to vote at 76 Pleasant Hill Lane in Shaker Village.

Marlon Bolton also used this Pleasant Hill Lane address.

Just after midnight on June 28, 2018, Marlon Bolton received a traffic ticket for disobeying a red light in Margate. The ticket listed 76 Pleasant Hill Lane as his home address.

Who actually lives at 76 Pleasant Hill Lane?

Attempts by REDBROWARD to contact the owner listed on property records were unsuccessful.

It appears Marlon Bolton blocked all communications from REDBROWARD.

Is the owner of the Pleasant Hill Lane home a friend or family member of Marlon Bolton?

Does Marlon Bolton have any ties to or interest in any other Shaker Village properties?

Tamarac taxpayers deserve answers before this nearly $2 million dollar deal is finalized, no?

Just days before Lionel Messi plays his first soccer match in Fort Lauderdale, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel censored an editorial written by City Commissioner Steve Glassman questioning the motivation of the newspaper’s criticism of Inter Miami CF and team officials. On Wednesday, the paper published Glassman’s editorial entitled, “Inter Miami is our partner. The city should act that way.” Glassman’s editorial attempted to correct a littany of previous editorials written by editor Steve Bousquet, a Tallahassee resident.

Glassman was not shy. “This newspaper is obsessed with portraying the relationship between the city and Miami Beckham United as “fractured” and relishes in fanning the flames,” Glassman wrote. “Anything remotely heated seems to really ruffle the paper’s panties. Toughen up, Sun Sentinel.”

The Sun-Sentinel made minor grammatical and stylistic changes to Glassman’s piece. But a copy of his original editorial obtained by REDBROWARD shows the Sun-Sentinel deleted an entire paragraph questioning the motivation of its negative coverage.

In this delete section, Glassman wrote:

“Lastly, shame on the Sun Sentinel for once again going after a female lobbyist for simply doing her job and implying that I am ‘running interference’ for her. That I was asked on the phone if she wrote my questions was beyond insulting. I do my work, thank you. And the hypocrisy here is that we all know how another far more controversial female lobbyist continues to fly under the radar. Was her ‘influence’ the reason Ms. Bryan’s accurate article was not the last word on this topic?”

Glassman appears to reference repeated attacks by the opinion page editor on Stephanie Toothaker, a local attorney working for Inter Miami CF/Beckham United. The Sun-Sentinel repeatedly questions Toothaker’s role with Inter Miami and other high-profile projects like One Stop.

Glassman’s line regarding a “far more controversial female lobbyist” flying under the radar appears to be a reference to lobbyist Judy Stern.

Long time REDBROWARD readers are familiar with the lobbying prowess of Stern. Since the November 2022 election of Commissioners Pamela Beasley-Pittman, Warren Sturman and John Herbst, Stern and her daughter Barbra Stern have become fixtures at Fort Lauderdale Commission meetings.

Last November, REDBROWARD revealed how Stern’s longtime friend Steve Bousquet wrote numerous supportive articles about John Herbst, a close ally of the Sterns. Bousquet, a Tallahassee resident, is the opinion page editor of the Sun-Sentinel.

When The Sun-Sentinel endorsed Herbst they touted his dislike of lobbyists. But one lobbyist never mentioned in their endorsement was Judy Stern.

The controversial Stern has been a fixture in Fort Lauderdale for decades. Stern is listed a registered lobbyist in the City of Fort Lauderdale for four companies: Suntex Marinas, The Corradino Group, Skanska USA and Garth Business Solutions.

In addition to her lobbyist role, Stern is campaign manager/consultant.

In fact, despite his alleged dislike of lobbyists, John Herbst used Judy Stern to run his November campaign. Herbst told REDBROWARD that he has known Stern for many years.

But Judy is not the only Stern in Herbst‘s corner. In April 2022, the lawyer for John Herbst wrote a letter to Fort Lauderdale City Attorney Alain Boileau seeking to settle matters surrounding his dismissal as city auditor.

John Herbst’s lawyer is Barbra Stern.

Herbst, a harsh critic of Inter Miami/Beckham United, regularly gets his opinion published in Sun-Sentinel editorials and news reports.

Why is The Sun-Sentinel so comfortable attacking one female lawyer while censoring any (veiled) mention of lobbyist Judy Stern?

REDBROWARD asked Steve Bousquet. As of publication he has not repsonded.

By Kathleen Johnson

Just when you hoped that Tamarac politics would be more above board and transparent than in the past, I find it hasn’t changed much, at least not with some elected officials. Please bear with me as this may seem long, but this shakedown has many issues.

Vice-Mayor/Commissioner Marlon Bolton and City Attorney Hans Ottinot seem to have violated city procedures, Florida Statute, and public policy by a backroom deal in which they conspired to have the city purchase land belonging to a private community, Shaker Village, at Canterbury Lane in Tamarac.

Without full commission approval, a contract was drawn up by the “city attorney” between the City of Tamarac and Shaker Village, even after he was confronted for doing so at a commission budget workshop. I put the city attorney in quotes because Ottinot appears to work at the behest of one commissioner, Bolton, and takes his direction from him rather than the entire commission or what is best for the city, his actual client for which we pay him. And this deal with Shaker Village is terrible for the city.

Make no mistake; this was intentional. If given transparency in the process, Tamarac residents would have spoken out loud and clearly that this deal is terrible for the residents of Tamarac and the residents of any HOAs in the city. Residents spoke out forcefully about the Colony West Golf Course and successfully stopped that project.

Unfortunately, the same night the Shaker Village deal came up for a vote, most residents, rightfully happy with the golf course project being pulled, left the meeting before it was discussed. Very few people knew what was coming and the enormous cost to the city that it would have in more than one way.

This vote and process not only violates city procedure and policies (buying a private community’s land and rescuing them from the liens against them) but there are many reasons it is bad public policy. Each commissioner and the city attorney were advised by real estate attorney and Mayor Michelle J. Gomez, who cited State and case law, and by title underwriters who were consulted for advice on a clear title for this issue (for title searches and insurance issues associated with this purchase owned by 358 homeowners) that this could not go forward because Shaker Village must get the approval of 75% of their HOA members/residents. This is because each resident owns a portion of the common property.

Yet, the attorney and three commissioners refused to heed any warnings and proceeded with the vote to purchase this property, which was a 3-2 vote, so it passed. This violates Shaker Village’s Governing Documents (by-laws) and Florida Statute 718.113 regarding the powers of HOA boards. It sets a bad precedent for any HOA to be able to sell common land without the community’s approval or, as the case here, each owner’s approval. One board of five individuals cannot decide for an entire community, even if they feel it is in the best interest of that community.

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There are reasons for laws such as this, and they are to protect the community as a whole. As the HOA president of Mainlands Four, I know my limitations. Anything of this magnitude is required to have the entire community vote. The Shaker Village Board is no different and has not gotten the necessary votes. If every Shaker Village resident was for this deal, the board would have sought the 75% vote required to make it happen legally, wouldn’t they? Yet they have not done so. Why? Would you want someone else to be able to vote to terminate your ownership of your property without your consent? I don’t.

Bolton, using his pressure and private meetings with the HOA Board to get this deal done, stands to benefit financially from this deal, not only with this deal but in continued financial gain. How? Because he, using the name of his church (which is a whole other issue), purchased the Shaker Village residence where he is living. He (and his church) would be assessed for monies owed to the city if this deal was not done and for needed infrastructure for Shaker Village.

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Shaker Village and its residents owe the city around $12 million in code violations and fines to date. Some of it is against individual owners, and at least $3 million is against the HOA for the common area property on which the destroyed clubhouse sits (meaning all owners collectively owe that money). That would necessitate the funds to collect the fines through a special assessment against each homeowner. Bolton (by proxy through his church) is a homeowner.

The contract that Ottinot drew up states that all money owed in debt is to be wiped clean so that each home and the common properties have clear title, meaning every homeowner in Shaker Village benefits financially from this sale, and Tamarac taxpayers suffer monies that should rightfully be collected to assist all residents in keeping our taxes low.

The residents of Shaker Village would no longer owe money collectively or individually, meaning Bolton gains a tremendous financial advantage at the expense of Tamarac taxpayers. He refused to recuse himself when confronted about this conflict of interest and that he should not be voting on this project. In addition, he gains financially as Shaker Village will no longer assess for the upkeep of the property, utility bills, and insurance, which will result in a drop in insurance and maintenance fees, all of which will now be the taxpayers of Tamarac’s responsibility. Why should we bail out a private community that mismanaged funds, refused to work with the city to rectify things, and be burdened with the bill for a dilapidated property for years?

So $12 million in public funds will not be collected. Then another $12 million will be spent. There are many other reasons this is bad for Tamarac taxpayers.

The deal calls for Tamarac to pay Shaker Village $1.94 million for the property valued at 1.25 million. The entire three tracks of the common area were valued at 1.94 million, but we are only purchasing one (1) track! One! Why are we overpaying? Why are we paying at all? They owe the city $3 million for fines against that property. Now we not only wipe out their debt but pay for the privilege to do so. Unacceptable.

Again, the money paid would belong to the residents of Shaker Village. Bolton benefits personally, either because he will get that money directly or it will be used to repair the infrastructure that is needed and required, negating Bolton’s property being assessed for that improvement cost as would typically occur, not to mention the future financial gains outlined. That doesn’t even include the recommended $8-10 million to tear down and rebuild the clubhouse into a community center that could only hold about 75-100 individuals with only 25 parking spaces when we have a community center two miles down the road.

It would also include a shared use agreement between Shaker Village and the city. Why is the city entering into a Shared Use Agreement with a private community to use a city-owned facility? Again, Tamarac taxpayers would foot the bill for a community center and all future expenses – insurance, upkeep, building maintenance, and utilities.

The list goes on, to the tune of approximately $100,000 per year. Also, it sets a precedent for other HOAs, mine included, that see the unfairness of this. Why should all Tamarac taxpayers rebuild someone’s clubhouse for them when they were given insurance money to rebuild their clubhouse but did not, and then give them extra/special privileges to use it? If the city owns it and we taxpayers are paying for it to be built, SV should have no more rights to use it than any other resident of Tamarac. Why is this special shared-use agreement even required in the contract? Is it even legal?

If you keep track of the numbers, this deal will cost Tamarac taxpayers, us, $24 million minimally and at least $100,000 per year in upkeep and maintenance.

The city attempted to work with Shaker Village in 2019 to repair the clubhouse, but the community did nothing. Now they are asking the taxpayers of Tamarac to absorb the costs. How is this fair and equitable for all residents of Tamarac?

To summarize, the deal sets a poor precedent. It burdens taxpayers with legal fees (much of which Ottinot will collect as billable hours), payouts, and unfair and unwise practices that fit the needs of one Commissioner at the expense of the others and one community of 358 at the expense of the 72,000 residents of the city.

This project is not in the best interest of ALL residents of Tamarac. The contract between the City and Shaker Village may be signed by July 31. It cannot go forward.

We, the citizens of Tamarac, deserve to be heard on this issue. $24 million of our hard-earned money is at stake.

Developer 13th Floor Homes won approval for a 335-home development on a shuttered golf course property in Tamarac, after overcoming an alleged extortion scheme that threatened to derail the project.

The Tamarac City Commission voted 3-2 early Wednesday morning to grant final approval to a rezoning and land use change for the Woodlands Country Club, just west of the Florida Turnpike on the south side of Commercial Boulevard.

Both the rezoning from “recreation” (RC) to “residential estate” (RE) and land use change from “commercial recreation” to “low (5) residential” apply to 165 acres of the 275-acre Woodlands property.

The city commission also voted 3-2 on first reading to negotiate a development agreement with 13th Floor for its planned residential redevelopment of two 18-hole golf courses and a clubhouse at Woodlands.

The development agreement with Tamarac would require 13th Floor Homes to build as many as 335 single-family homes on at least 165 acres of the 275-acre property. Estimated asking prices for the homes would range from $700,000 to more than $1 million, Scott Backman, an attorney for 13th Floor, told commissioners.

The agreement also would require 13th Floor to maintain at least 160 acres of open space at Woodlands. Other amenities would include a swimming pool and a new clubhouse.

In addition, the agreement would require 13th Floor Homes to contribute $925,000 to homeowner associations whose members live near Woodlands, $670,000 to the city to support affordable housing (or $2,000 for each house planned at Woodlands), and $150,000 for a street improvement study, among other payments.

The rezoning and land use change culminated a yearslong effort by 13th Floor Homes to redevelop Woodlands that began in 2017, Backman said. Outreach meetings with residents in the Woodlands area led to more than 100 revisions to 13th Floor’s residential redevelopment of the Woodlands golf courses, he said.

Among other revisions, 13th Floor gradually reduced the density of its Woodlands project to 335 houses from its original plan for 795 residential units, including 315 houses and 480 townhouses and apartments, Backman said.

“Our team has worked collaboratively with the community over the past several years to bring this plan to fruition, and we are excited to see development commence,” 13th Floor Homes said in a statement on Wednesday.

About 890 single-family homes surround the golf courses at Woodlands Country Club, which began operation in the early 1970s. Many of the owners of those homes lined up to publicly criticize 13th Floor’s redevelopment project during the Tamarac commission meeting, which began at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and ended at 2:11 a.m. Wednesday.

Among heated moments during the marathon debate over Woodlands, one Tamarac resident paused while addressing the city commission to exchange raised middle fingers with another resident at the meeting.

About 12 years ago, the declining popularity of golf led members of Woodlands Country Club to sell the golf property to ClubLink US Corporation, a Pompano Beach-based company that owns a network of golf courses available to its membership.

ClubLink paid $4.2 million in 2011 for the Woodlands golf property at 4600 Woodlands Boulevard in Tamarac, property records show.

ClubLink now has a contract to sell Woodlands to 13th Floor Homes for an undisclosed price, according to the land use and rezoning applications that ClubLink filed with the city.

Woodlands Country Club closed in 2020 during the pandemic. The club is now permanently closed, according to a recorded message on its telephone.

During its attempt to gain city approval for its planned redevelopment of Woodlands, 13th Floor overcame an alleged attempt by a father and son to extort the company’s managing principal, Arnaud Karsenti, by falsely claiming that the company built homes on other golf properties that were contaminated.

Bruce Chait and his son, Shawn, both face one count each of racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering and organized scheme to defraud, and six counts of extortion. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested the father and son in March 2021 and charged them with harassing Karsenti in an extortion scheme that began in 2012.

That year, the Chaits allegedly started threatening to file lawsuits against 13th Floor with false claims of arsenic contamination on some of the company’s development sites, unless Karsenti paid them $1 million.

A decade ago, Karsenti foreclosed on a loan secured by a golf course that he seized from the Chait family, which led Bruce Chait to harbor “ill will” toward Karsenti, according to an FDLE affidavit.

Bruce Zimet, an attorney for the Chaits, told The Real Deal on Monday that the father and son are free on bond and the state’s case against them is in the discovery stage.

In September 2021, the Tamarac City Commission fired former city manager Michael Cernech after the FDLE accused him of working with the Chaits in their extortion scheme. Cernech was charged with conspiracy to commit racketeering.

Tamarac Dispensary Expands Company's Retail Presence to 45 Locations in Florida and 128 Nationwide

Located at 6899 N University Drive, Curaleaf Tamarac will expand medical cannabis access in the western half of the state's second most-populated county. Patients can choose from a wide variety of high-quality products including Select Nano Bites, Select Squeeze, Select Bites as well as the Company's proprietary gravity-fed vape pod, Cliq by Select. Last week, Select's first solventless product, Select Live Rosin vapes began rolling out across the state. Curaleaf first began serving Broward County in 2018 through its Deerfield Beach location, however this new location is Curaleaf's first location in West Broward County.

Curaleaf continues to scale its operations in the largest medical market in the U.S. Using a tailored retail approach rooted in patient education and advocacy, the Company has served nearly 300,000 patients through its 45 dispensaries across Florida. Curaleaf's recent momentum has doubled its Florida market share over the last year.

"We are excited to deepen our roots in the Sunshine State and serve even more patients in Broward County," said Matt Darin, President of Curaleaf US. "Our team is grateful for the continued support of Florida's medical cannabis community as we offer convenient and accessible patient experiences through our growing retail presence."

To celebrate the grand opening of Curaleaf Tamarac, the Company will offer half-priced products and double rewards points beginning Friday, April 1 through Sunday, April 3. Prizes and gifts with purchases will also be offered on Friday, April 1st.

For more information on store openings, along with product offerings and hours of operation, please visit https://curaleaf.com/dispensary/florida.

About Curaleaf Holdings Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. (CSE: CURA) (OTCQX: CURLF) ("Curaleaf") is a leading international provider of consumer products in cannabis with a mission to improve lives by providing clarity around cannabis and confidence around consumption. As a high-growth cannabis company known for quality, expertise and reliability, the Company and its brands, including Curaleaf and Select, provide industry-leading service, product selection and accessibility across the medical and adult-use markets. In the United States, Curaleaf currently operates in 23 states with 128 dispensaries, 26 cultivation sites, and employs over 5,600 team members. Curaleaf International is the largest vertically integrated cannabis company in Europe with a unique supply and distribution network throughout the European market, bringing together pioneering science and research with cutting-edge cultivation, extraction and production. Curaleaf is listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol CURA and trades on the OTCQX market under the symbol CURLF. For more information, please visit https://ir.curaleaf.com.

Forward Looking StatementsThis media advisory contains forward–looking statements and forward–looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements relate to future events or future performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward–looking statements or information. Generally, forward-looking statements and information may be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or, "proposed", "is expected", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases, or by the use of words or phrases which state that certain actions, events or results may, could, would, or might occur or be achieved. More particularly and without limitation, this news release contains forward–looking statements and information concerning the opening of a new dispensary in Tamarac, Florida. Such forward-looking statements and information reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to the company with respect to the matter described in this new release. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, which are based on current expectations as of the date of this release and subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Additional information about these assumptions and risks and uncertainties is contained under "Risk Factors and Uncertainties" in the Company's latest annual information form filed March 9, 2022 which is available under the Company's SEDAR profile at http://www.sedar.com, and in other filings that the Company has made and may make with applicable securities authorities in the future. Forward-looking statements contained herein are made only as to the date of this press release and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. We caution investors not to place considerable reliance on the forward looking statements contained in this press release. The Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed, approved or disapproved the content of this news release.

INVESTOR CONTACTCuraleaf Holdings, Inc.Investor RelationsIR@curaleaf.com

MEDIA CONTACTCuraleaf Holdings, Inc.Tracy Brady, VP Corporate Communicationsmedia@curaleaf.com

SOURCE Curaleaf Holdings, Inc.

Butters Construction & Development signed Sonny’s Enterprises to fully lease a 201,000-square-foot warehouse the company will build in Tamarac.

This will be a consolidated headquarters and distribution facility for Sonny’s Enterprises, one of the largest manufacturers of car wash equipment. It is currently in several locations in Tamarac.

Malcom Butters, CEO of the developer, said the firm signed a 10-year lease and space should be ready in October 2023.

Hiatus Industrial Venture LLC, a joint venture between Coconut Creek-based Butters and New York-based BlackRock, purchased the 12.55-acre site at 5601 N. Hiatus Road for $16.23 million. The office building is in the process of being demolished and vertical construction should start in November.

The site is just off the Sawgrass Expressway near the Commercial Boulevard exit.

Cushman & Wakefield's Chris Metzger, Rick Etner Jr., Christopher Thomson, and Matt McAllister represented the landlord in the lease.

The office market for older buildings in the suburbs has been shaky as more companies permit remote work, but there’s strong demand for industrial space. Car washes are a growing business, as numerous investors are opening locations in growing population centers around the country.

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