Van Horne loses the Halsema Building.

[Midway ®]

A masterfully obvious post, midway.  However, if one does not wish to visit the Courthouse but instead wants to know of rumors one would post the sort of thing I did.

Apparently not obvious to you at the time of your post, though. I am just trying to be helpful. Why the mean face?

Why deal in rumors when you can amble across the street and have facts?

Do you prefer rumors?

As previously posted, this information is also available on-line, for all you couch-potato types.

[RiversideGator]

As you may not be aware, the documents in a court file hardly show the entire picture.

[Midway ®]

As you may not be aware, the documents in a court file hardly show the entire picture.

Any more information on Van Horne's properties?  Are any others in foreclosure?  Are any for sale by the banks?

oh, ok. I guess those court filings could not answer these questions, then?....Or are you just looking for gossip? Or, perhaps his state of mind? 

Does anyone know how Van Horne feels about these events? What's his state of mind?

RG wants to know.

There, I've put out the call, replies should be pouring in shortly, you can thank me later.

Your friend,
Midway

[Springfield Girl]

Good, since SPAR would not take a stand on these buildings or others with the owner.  I am glad the banks are finally stepping in. I hate to see any vacant buidlings, but I would rather them be vacant then rented to drug dealers or left to slowly crumble, of course they aren't right across the street from any of the LOLAS so why would they care?!
[/quote]
As a female I am in the minority of board members, there are four of us. I am also in the minority age wise at 40 something. The majority of members are younger. I in no way resemble a LOLA, (little old lady) and I don't think my fellow board members fit or would appreciate this description either. It would be nice if people would realize that we are not all powerful like some think or complete idiots trying to sabotage the neighborhood as is the opinion of others. We are volunteers that do what we can for the neighborhood we love. It is so easy to sit back and complain and I would say to anyone that thinks they can do a better job please step up to the plate, we could use the help.

[jbm32206]

I'll gladly take your spot, and so would many others.

[jbm32206]

Looks like Van Horn's hurt his tenants too....way to go! 

For months, the JEA says it’s tried to contact Craig Van Horn of Symbiosis Investments LLC. It says Van Horn owes them just over $29,000 for water bills on 11 of his properties.

“This is one of those difficult ones for us because we know the tenants have paid their utility bills…unfortunately the person they paid who’s responsible did not pay JEA”, says Gerri Boyce spokeswoman for the JEA. The energy authority says it tried contacting Van Horn 18 times before finally getting a hold of him…It says the only time anyone actually ever spoke to Van Horn was when he told them he was terminating his water connections at all of his properties.

“This one with this many service points I believe is one of the largest”, says Boyce. She says dozens of tenants are affected. Making matters worse, Boyce says private tenants are not allowed to assume individual responsibility for the water lines. She says the as long as the outstanding bill remains in Van Horn’s name, the main water lines cannot go to private citizens.

We tried contacting Van Horn over the phone and at his office. His property manager told us he would try to get Van Horn to call---he never did. Also, the location of his office according to his website was not accurate. “Not only did these tenants lose 30K collectively---when you think about it in the big sense JEA customers have lost 30 thousand dollars”, says Boyce.

It is uncertain if Van Horn has made any payment arrangements with the JEA. The energy authority tells us if he doesn’t pay, that money will have to be eaten up by it’s operating budget.

http://www.cbs47.com/content/topstories/story.aspx?content_id=ca9f487f-c4cb-4a3d-999f-b218ca94a295

[jbm32206]

Doesn't it though....

[uptowngirl]

Hoe did JEA let it go for so long? Or is this just one month worth of water bills? I know one month when I was out of town I paid my electric water bill two weeks late and they had already sent me a notice they were going to turn it off in three days time!!! What the hell???!!!

[jbm32206]

Not sure how long it's been going on, but it's clear that he's taking the money and not paying the bills. How low can someone get...what makes it worse, the tenants can't have the bills changed into their names, because he owns the properties.

“This one with this many service points I believe is one of the largest”, says Boyce. She says dozens of tenants are affected. Making matters worse, Boyce says private tenants are not allowed to assume individual responsibility for the water lines. She says the as long as the outstanding bill remains in Van Horn’s name, the main water lines cannot go to private citizens.

[alta]

Say goodbye to Van Horne.  His falsely built empire is crumbling.  He's probably been using the money to take European vacations.  There are two sides to every story.  I had a similar incident as uptowngirl several years ago before I went to auto pay when I forgot to make my payment.  The next bill had a notice to cut off my utilities.  This story sounds a little suspicious.  I wonder if the tenants there didn't pay either because they were aware about the landlord.  Only time will tell.     

[downtownparks]

I think he was robbing Peter to pay Paul. I would be mildly surprised if he has pocketed any of the money, I think he was shifting things around in order to try to keep something afloat, so save, as Alta put it, his crumbling empire. He failed.

Lets hope who ever comes in and buys up the remnants have a better plan in place.

[jbm32206]

First of all, the responsibility falls clearly in Van Horns lap. He was paid by the tenants, and he didn't pay his bills. I don't see where there's any mystery to it...he screwed up, he's losing his property and he screwed the tenants along the way.

[alta]

Utility bills should be the responsibility of the tenant. Stupid rules enacted by our all knowing goverment agency that the citizens have no authority to inflluence. The tenants and JEA have nobody to blame but themselves. If JEA is so concerned about people like Van Horn not paying the bills then change the policy.

[jbm32206]

I have to disagree, how is it the tenants fault, when they've paid the money to the landlord (Van Horn) and he didn't pay JEA? It's not up to JEA either...it's all Van Horn's responsibility, which he failed to take care of.

[alta]

The tentants don't make policy to pay their bills.  JEA can change the policy to have the tenants pay them for their own utility bills.