Anna Maria city treasurer Maggie Martinez and her husband, J.C. Martinez, have filed a civil suit against a Florida company that lists Flora Webb, wife of Anna Maria Commissioner Chuck Webb, as its president, secretary and treasurer.
The attorney registered for the company — Florida Island and Ranch Lands Inc. — is Chuck Webb.
The Martinez suit, filed Sept.10, asks for the return of their security deposit on a house at 522 68th St., Holmes Beach, that they leased from FIRL through Webb’s law firm.
In the lawsuit, the Martinez family denies it owes damages that Webb submitted. The suit seeks dismissal of the claim for damages and a return of the $800 security deposit.
The property is listed in the Holmes Beach local business tax records as an annual rental, according to city clerk Stacey Johnston.
The Martinez lease ran for more than two years in increments of six months May 25, 2012, to July 25, 2014. A new lease was signed every six months. While Florida’s resort tax law requires rentals of six months or less to pay the local resort tax of 5 percent, Sue Sinquefield, of the Manatee County Tax Collector’s resort tax collection office, said if there is “continual residence by the same people starting on the seventh month, it would become a resort tax exemption.”
Webb said FIRL Inc. has all the required licenses to rent its properties on an annual basis. The properties owned by the company are both annual rentals, not vacation rentals, he said.
The company also owns two units at 3200 Sixth Ave., Holmes Beach, that are listed as annual rentals with Holmes Beach, according to city clerk Stacey Johnston. Webb said the units have been rented annually to the same tenants for the past several years.
Webb said the lawsuit was a “typical tenant-landlord issue and the judge will decide.” He had no further comment.
Maggie Martinez and her husband said it’s a civil matter and declined comment. The couple are represented by Bradenton attorney Crystal Golm.
Golm said her clients would have no comment on the case.
A hearing date is scheduled in Manatee County Civil Court for 9:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 14, before Judge Robert Farrance.
The FIRL 68th Street property also is the subject of a foreclosure action by Wells Fargo Bank.
This man is a hypocrite, he’s saying rentals are bad, but is himself a landlord. Is this more of the do as I say not as I do? The Manatee County Court has a lot of information on the rentals he owns – under the the guises that they’re owned by an LLC. The LLC as well as the LLC they were sold by all list him or his wife as the only members of the LLC. Not to mention he’s also making very racist and antisemitic – he’s calling the city a “ghetto”. ThThat word is a very hurtful word to jews who suffered in the ghettos of Poland. As well as describing the city a part of a city in which members of a minority group live, especially because of social, legal, or economic pressure. Maybe he’s referring to the way he keeps his house – vehicles without engines, over grown yard. Or maybe he’s just trying to distract from the fact he only called for the moratorium to stop the construction of a home next door to his. Tare that into consideration as you go vote.
Karma is a cold, cold witch!