If memory holds true, I recall Palm Beach Polo owner Glenn Straub having violations and lawsuits way back when I arrived in Wellington, back in the early 1990s, and it appears that nothing has changed with half a dozen open lawsuits at present. Unlike most citizens who receive letters of violations and fix them with some alacrity, Mr. Straub appears to be different, whether it is deep-pocket entitlement, love of litigation or just forgetfulness, I haven’t a clue.
As a businessman, and obviously a successful one, he should know golf courses are in decline across the entire nation, especially Florida, but he has responsibility to neighbors and the village to keep a minimum standard maintenance program on them.
His attorney Alexander Domb, of “longer grass along walkways near the driving range was ‘necessary’ to keep passersby safe” fame, doesn’t explain the surfeit of grass/weeds that have occupied a “preserve” for years, and some large undeveloped “golf course” areas that appear unkempt, in violation of village minimum aesthetic requirements.
If Mr Straub were to put as much “necessity” in these areas as he does in forcing Palm Beach Polo residents to keep up their properties, no problems would exist.
At least three mayors and as many village councils have experienced these property violations from Straub, so I seriously doubt his accusation of “total harassment” has any validity, and a short perusal/viewing of these sites would conclude the given violations as proper, and just as us lowly smaller property owners like me must comply with reasonable codes, so should Mr. Straub.
Certainly, he bailed out the area when he purchased it, and certainly it is a pinnacle in upscale property development, but the fallow fields, etc… must be addressed/maintained, as is his responsibility. It should be pointed out that his detractors include many in his developed areas in Palm Beach Polo, not just the village code enforcement.
George Unger, Wellington
George Unger needs remedial writing/English lessons. He is/was in need of writing a coherent/readable paragraph that is understandable/readable and needs to avoid/ignore the synonyms/thesaurus function on his computer.