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Backup Documents 06/23/2015 Item #10B Low-income H.O.M.E. buyers up $1 million on house gains,yet charity, county hit by Br... Page 1 of 4 1 lc j. #gym 1 q IS 10)2311 worst Page My Account Journalist's Oath How it Works Why it's Needed Newsroom Newsstand Copyright Patrol Credibility Kelp 1 An ePublishing marketplace for journalism, ideas and expertise. Patent Pending Search Search City -any state- L-.� Register ;! Stories l News flubs ,–.. Search Desks -any city Logit Low-income H.O.M.E. buyers up$1 million on house gains,yet Username charity,county hit by Brock, HUD Find and subscribe to News Hubs Journalist's Info Submit View News Hub —subscription based - Subscribe J Gina Edwards w publications, $ __.._._.7 cnbv Account Type:Journalist�sr video shows or pREss The Beats podcasts—in the City Desk Naples-Marco Island,Florida V�Profile&Work Newsstand,Track Investigations History all your Paid Story 1 Credibility:100%Positive(1 ) subscriptions in Local Government Paid Videos 1 Has credibility the"My State Government Newsstand"area Login to follow this story Is Balanced and of your Watchdog Business&Real Estate Login to forward story to a friend Objective City dashboard, Shows Respect Science&Environment Share This Story On: Acte with Courts Cops& independence �ya National Politics �i t7 Is a watchdog WATCHDOG Curt Education Member since:10/16/2009 .PRESS. Open Government View Journalist's Other Stories Watchdog The Watchdog Technology View Journalist's News Hubs City ePublishing Wire:Gel Email Alerts marketplace has Medicine&Healthcare some of the ...................... ....... ( .._._...._............. strictest Embed Wire alert Opinion&Commentary •.....__._._......__......_......_....._....___.' credentialing Report Abuse requirements in Food&Health journalism.Look for the Watchdog People&Profiles Description City Press icon to find authentic Data&Indicators journalism ced The Arts Low-income H.O.M.E. buyers up$1 under Faith&Religion million on house gains,yet charity protect credibility and county hit by Brock& HUD al�� and journalistic Sports integrity. 1 over red tape . Humor&Satire City iDesk ^e�� HUD is requesting county repay$427,472 CC federal grant Watchdog city In-depth Stories on People, BLOGGER Politics&Business Sloggers pledge By Gina Edwards to standards of This Story is Free!! quality and to abide by Naples City Desk marketplace Get access to the Naples rules. In the business world,the results would be City Desk Archive fo only applauded:The low-income families who $4.99 a month. City Calendars purchased from the charity H.O.M.E. have houses today worth almost$1 million SEE RELATED STORIES I t 3015 s M T N T F S more than the monthly mortgages they from the archive: 31 1 2 3 4 5 6' owe. 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 County disputes HUD, 14 15 1.6 17 18 19 20! If the low-income buyers were to sell the Henning seeks to sue 21 22 23 24 25 26 27. 28 293J12 ' ._ .... _. 4 houses today,they would be required to political rivals on 7 :......_ pay back all the government subsidies year old H.O.M.E. ' Search they received from federal and state grant http://www.watchdogcity.com/newsstandstoryinfo/5 07-Lowincome-HOME-buyers-up-1-... 6/23/2015 Low-income H.O.M.E. buyers up $1 million on house gains,yet charity, county hit by Br... Page 2 of 4 (7/U or j s money—including a$427,472 Slowcase pass-through grant that Collier Countybuso,cause in Vu•c€' ad: received from HUD. ' ists� 'ub•^°ke �' : n announcement Updated: HUD requires vpe:n9, 1 0 And if they were to sell today,the low- Collier County to pay e Z ; income buyers would still be in the black back feds$427K p FNEESo SEARCH by$400,000,based on a Naples City related to H.O.M.E. Desk analysis of Zillow value estimates for grant the houses. H.O.M.E.has already given Collier The government would get back all its County$427,472 worth of notes money. And the low-income buyers would make $400,000. Activists from 20 churches: Collier But elected Clerk of Courts Dwight Brock, Clerk's excess red lobbying HUD officials last year—about tape holding up fed the now seven-year-old grant—told money for homeless, federal housing officials that he was needy concerned the low-income buyers are victims. He said buyers were"potentially victimized"because the mortgages and St.Matthews House no longer notes exceeded the appraised values of seeking fed funds because of the houses when they were purchased. Clerk;$1 million fed money left not spent last year Officials from HUD's Miami office appear to be persuaded by Brock based on a letter to Collier County sent June 8,2015 H.O.M.E. lawyers ask that asks the county to pay back all federal law $427,472 the county spent on the enforcement to H.O.M.E.grant. In its recent letter, HUD said"Our review of appraisals disclosed investigate Brock, that mortgages exceeded appraised others for abuse of value." power Appraisers,though,submitting the reports Fed scrutiny needed so other wrote that values in the area were charities aren't harmed by unfair audits,HUD grants admin, depressed because of the amount of H.O.M.E.says foreclosures at the time. Brock: Federal Now house values are bouncing back. housing officials not satisfied that The notes are worth money—$427,472, 2008 H.O.M.E. grant or the total amount of the federal grant. was properly The notes were designed to do something accounted for government rarely does: Recoup investment. Repayment of the zero- interest notes is due in 30 years or whenever the house resells,whichever is Docs turned over in sooner. So, if the buyers flip the houses at Naples City Desk market value,they have to pay back the public records notes that secure the charitable and lawsuit show government benefit they received. deeper involvement by Brock, staff in The 11 blighted houses purchased and audit rehabbed by H.O.M.E. collectively are now worth almost$1.9 million based on More than 300 pages of key Zillow estimates reviewed by Naples City documents surface after Brock's Desk,or almost$1 million more than the office said all public records low-income buyers owe on their monthly turned over mortgages. http://www.watchdogcity.com/newsstandstoryinfo/507-Lowincome-HOME-buyers-up-1-... 6/23/2015 Low-income H.O.M.E. buyers up $1 million on house gains, yet charity, county hit by Br... Page 3 of 4 (4 045 Those estimates likely don't capture the Appraisals added property value of the extensive reviewed by Brock's remodeling work H.O.M.E.did to fix up the own staff 2 years foreclosed and blighted houses.The ago document , . 0 8 houses H.O.M.E. bought to fix up and construction Brock resell had code violations and damage says not proven and they received extensive remodels with new kitchens, roofs, baths,A/C units, Elected auditor Brock flooring,appliances and other upgrades. sics law enforcement on 2012 political H.O.M.E.,with permission from county challenger over staff, had planned to use proceeds to housing grant keep its home buying/rehab/reselling program for low-income buyers going. But Naples City Desk investigation: the foreclosure crisis erased need for Internal documents show Brock affordable housing and after H.O.M.E. allegations false,misleading shut down in 2010,it assigned the notes to Collier County so the county can collect. Brock told Naples City Desk last year that H.O.M.E.'s assignment of the $427,473 in notes to Collier County didn't count as a return of income to Collier County because Collier Commissioners hadn't voted to officially accept the notes. In his letter to HUD, Brock wrote that H.O.M.E. attempted to assign the notes to Collier County"with no evidence of acceptance." One of the H.O.M.E. houses was resold in 2013, according to official land records reviewed by Naples City Desk,but it's unclear whether the county collected on the$35,000 note. The$427,472 in notes are an asset and Brock is the county's official accountant and custodian of funds. • An investigation by Naples City Desk in 2014,"Good Deeds: Punished," -- found that Brock's staff urged county officials to not accept the notes from Click to View Detailed Analysis by H.O.M.E.in 2011 and pull a vote to accept the notes from Collier Naples City Desk Commissioners'agenda. Use Control at Top Right H.O.M.E.was founded by John Barlow,the retired CEO of Safelite to Zoom In&Out Glass Corp.,the largest auto glass specialist in the country. Barlow personally financed the purchase of five houses for H.O.M.E. and he secured private donations including some granite countertops for the low-income buyers.Think Extreme Home Makeover. H.O.M.E. Board member Gina Downs ran in 2010 against Collier Commissioner Georgia Hiller,who " : at that time was a Brock ally. Exasperated with the red tape and what he considered a harassing audit, Barlow ran for office against Brock in 2012. Barlow and Downs filed a successful complaint with Florida s Commission on Ethics against - w Collier Commissioner Tom Henning that resulted in a$500 http://www.watchdogcity.com/newsstandstoryinfo/507-Lowincome-HOME-buyers-up-1-... 6/23/2015 .Low-income H.O.M.E. buyers up $1 million on house gains, yet charity, county hit by Br... Page 4 of 4 /1 p fine for Henning in 2013. Brock re- H.O.M.E. bought this foreclosure house 123//5 opened an audit of H.O.M.E.a in Golden Gate for$65,000 with federal month later. grant money, remodeled it, and then sold it to a low-income buyer for Now, Henning is asking his fellow $136,000 in April 2009.The buyer is 1 0 . ,, Commissioners to vote on making monthly payments on an Li Tuesday to ask the county affordable$87K mortgage.Zillow says attorney to investigate suing the house is now worth$236,000. Barlow and other board members of H.O.M.E.,which had an all- volunteer board and no paid staff and is no longer operating. Barlow and his attorneys say actually H.O.M.E. board members are the victims of a political vendetta by Brock. H.O.M.E.attorneys sent a letter to HUD officials in Washington saying Barlow and H.O.M.E.board members have spent a great deal of money and time defending themselves against a false smear campaign by Brock. Brock claimed vindication in a press release he sent out following HUD's letter from its Miami Office requesting that the county return$472,472 saying he raised the issues now being raised by HUD. Reporting By:Gina Edwards Date:June 22,2015 Contact Gina Edwards at ginavossedwards©gmail.com or by phone at 239-293-3640. uubscebe Other Images E.f' '„At Paid Story You don't have permission to view.Please pay for this story to gain access. Paid Video Ask a question or post a comment about this story No comments have been posted yet. Please login in order to ask the seller a question. Copyright•i;2015 Watcbtt'xa City LLC.At rights reserved. Home i About Us I FAQ I Staff Bios I Contact Us Designated trademarks and bi ams are the proixsrty of their respective owners. 4760 Tnmiarn:'Fred N.Ste IA,Naples,Florida 34103 Use of this Web site constitutes acceotz xe of the sites uses Agreement and Privacy Policy. 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