Where Psychos Tread

We first began to hear complaints about him shortly after the Homeowners Association (HOA) was turned over from the builders to the homeowners and the HOA board was elected. 

He was chosen as the board president. Let's call him Mr. French. Not after the beloved butler on Family Affair, but because he is from......you get the point. 

For the most part, we dismissed the complaints. The complex was being kept nice, money spent for upkeep and maintenance. I wasn't thrilled that they maintained the same property managers that the builders used though. I had had a run in with them with our first renters. Nasty emails threatening to deny our renters mainly because they were insisting upon obtaining the renter's social security number and bank account information. 

For one thing, the rent was due to us, not the property manager. There was no cause for them to have this information.  And secondly, perhaps even more telling was the fact that we were renting to CANADIANS. They didn't have social security numbers. When I finally had it out over the phone with the property manager Nazi's, they complained that the renter didn't include the information on the second car. Except there WAS no second car. I sarcastically said, "do you honestly think they are driving TWO cars from CANADA?"  

If there is an industry scam anywhere, Florida property managers are it. Unless it's a big firm, more often then not, the person submits high maintenance bills from their relatives, $50 to change an outdoor resident entry light, etc. 

But I digress. 

Mr. French was on the board for the first couple of years. When the board changed, they hired a different property manager and that's when things began to get nasty.  Mr. French was furious over not being on the board, but he went really psycho when they found discrepancies with the former property manager and he was insistent they keep her.  

Not sure of the data she took with her, but she provided him with everyone's email address in the complex and that's when the bombarding of the email began. 

Let me be clear, this man is not stupid. He once owned his own computer company and apparently made quite a bit of money from it. He is also well versed on the laws on HOA's in Florida. That doesn't mean he abides by them, but uses them to spread lies about the board ever since his unelection. 

By law, a resident is allowed to inspect all the records of the HOA on the premises of the property manager. After his sweetie was fired, he went to the new property manager and preceded to take all the records HOME. I believe she tried to stop him, but to no avail. 

It was at this time that someone located the information that is now readily available online. Arrest records with mugshots. Mr. French had previously lived in a related community just north of us where he also was on the board. When that much larger community began having issues with him, unelecting him also, he had a encounter with either a lady on the board or the property manager. 

In short, he assaulted her and was arrested. I'm assuming that's why he moved to our complex. 

And became our problem. 

Every couple months or so, we get an email from him charging all kinds of malfeasance of the board. As an example, a couple years ago the County Commissioners found a drainage ditch was not up to code. Our builder is long ago bankrupt and the county gave us a couple years to fix it.  Last year, the time was up and the county indicated we must fix the expensive issue or the complex would lose their Certificate of Occupancy. 

Yeah, I think we all know what that means.  But apparently. Mr. French suddenly wasn't aware of the laws, saying that the board could not spend the $30,000 without 2/3's of the residents agreeing. Which is simply only true if it's a voluntary expense. 

Last month he sent an email that said because the available immediate cash dropped $125k, that they board was "missing cash". That's like saying because you had $3k in your bank account last month and paid your $2k property tax bill leaving you with $1k this month, you "lost" $2k. 

He has threatened and harassed every person who has been on the board since his booting. He now files lawsuit after lawsuit. Last year he insisted the board refund fees because they had "excess cash".  When. Mr. French discovered he couldn't sue the board for everyone's refund, he sued for his own.  Of course the board cannot refund one person's fee and not everyone's not to mention there was not excess cash, only slightly above the required reserves. It seems Mr. French has forgotten about reserves. 

Monday was the board elections for 2014. Of course he ran again, sending more lies and accusations out before the election. It has gotten so scary, that we have one of the largest residents to sit next to him, just in case. 

He interrupted the meeting twice, first claiming that one of those running for the board was ineligible. First, his English is very poor and no one could understand the word "ineligible". Second, last year the association 2/3's this time had voted that the board members could run for more than two consecutive terms. He knows all this, but doesn't care. It was a little like attempting to pull out the immunity idol after the tribal council vote. 

After the election results were announced he stood up again and then didn't like it that everyone groaned, loudly. He said that the board should settle one of his lawsuits because it would cost the association $30k to defend his $500 idiotic lawsuit. 

Then he complained about being served a 30 page cease and desist and protective order from the board.  The board has retained the same attorney the assaulted woman had from the other complex and he believes they can enjoin him from even attending the meetings.  A guy behind me yelled out, "how does it feel."  Appropriate?  Maybe not, but he has harassed so many people here no one cares. 

I really really wanted to yell out, "I'll GIVE you $500 to put your place up for sale and MOVE". Alas, I am not the type to do that. 

We sat in the back and during the entire meeting I was thinking that it was good there were so many people in front of us. Honestly, no one would be shocked if this guy shows up and starts shooting everyone in sight. 

I have no idea why one person apparently loves to start serious issues with his own neighbors everywhere he goes. Well, other than he may well be mentally ill.  Last time we were here, one of the neighbors on the board came and looked at the gun Bob had recently bought. That's how scary this  Frenchman is. 

Out of 187 units, he got six votes. 

(Yes, I could get him to stop sending email to us, but then I wouldn't be aware of his crazy rantings.).