To my Fellow Residents of Baywinds:

As you all know, we purchased our clubhouse from Lennar in 2005 for the sum of $5.9 million dollars. Gary R. Nikolits is the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser. For the year 2005, our clubhouse had an appraised value, including the land, of $1.595,895. In 2006, this rose to $1,929,856. And in 2007, it rose to $1,958,332. Therefore, it appears that we paid roughly 4 times this property's assessed value.

In defense of this transaction, one might say that the assessed values are purposely low. Then double the assessed values and the math still does not add up. Go on the Property Tax Appraiser's website and see what your homes are worth. Then do the math on the clubhouse.

When the Plaintiffs in the lawsuit pending against numerous defendants and the Association brought their lawsuit, these Plaintiffs were vilified by the people who spearheaded the purchase of the clubhouse. Lies were spread that we wanted to block the purchase. More lies were spread that we wanted to buy the clubhouse ourselves. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The question is - on what basis did the Board of Directors, its President and its Treasurer, purchase this clubhouse? Has anyone seen an appraisal by a certified property appraiser, setting the value of this clubhouse before we bought it? Has anyone seen an engineering report concerning this clubhouse? If so, let them come forward and furnish the details of same that were never furnished to the community at large. When we entered negotiations for the clubhouse with Lennar, did we engage a professional real estate consultant? Not to my knowledge. We relied on the expertise of 11 people without expertise.

Subsequent to this purchase, our clubhouse roof was badly damaged by hurricanes. It took these 11 people a year and a half to have the roof replaced, during which time our $5.9 million dollar clubhouse was subject to water leaks and mold accumulation. The air conditioning system broke down. The electrical system falters. Many of you claim there is a bad mold infestation in our $5.9 million dollar clubhouse. Where, may I ask, is the report on the mold?

When Alexander Graham Bell tested the telephone, his words to his assistant were: "What hath God wrought?" The question here is: "What hath our Board wrought?" When Secretary Seward purchased Alaska for $7.5 million dollars, many called this "Seward's Folly". What do we call our clubhouse purchase and subsequent custodial care thereof?

Just think, if the Board of Health condemns our clubhouse for mold and closes it, we still have to pay the mortgage. All of us are responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of this clubhouse. All of us are responsible for the mortgage on this clubhouse.

Howard Horowitz