Organized Crime and Disorganized Reporting -- 102 Bridge Street (Former M&M Market in St. Augustine's Lincolnville Community)

On or about July 1, 2010, the newly appointed City Manager, John Patrick Regan, P.E. ordered a continuing undercover investigation into crack cocaine sales and organized criminal activity at 102 Bridge Street, at the M&M Market. He was in office two days at the time.

In November 2010, the M&M Market was raided, and its owners, the Patels, were prosecuted for selling drugs, selling drugs for food stamps, and other racketeering crimes.

The City of St. Augustine filed a civil forfeiture action, winning a settlement whereby the Patels gave up possession, the market closed, while paying off the mortgage company -- all without three years of litigation and expensive attorneys fees. One of the Market operators is still in state prison.

In the 3.5 years since the raid, hundreds of thousands of dollars n city money was effectively SAVED because the number of police calls at the intersection of Bridge Street and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was vastly reduced. No longer are armed, dangerous men standing guard outside the building, wearing hoodies.

The building was once the home of Thomas Jefferson's granddaughter. The city held the property, kept it up, maintained it, eliminated an organized crime hangout, removed the gasoline tanks, remediated the pollution and now neighbors and visitors can walk and drive by without living in fear. (I once walked by when it was M&M Market, and I walked swiftly.)

On Monday night, the City Commission voted 3-1 (Commissioner Crichlow recusing himself as the project architect) to sell the property, which will have its inauthentic additions removed, its Victorian splendor restored, get moved closer to the street, and have an energy-efficient Victorian-style home built next door by BEHST Builders and Jon Benoit, working for David and Sandra Corneal, the new owners.

The deed is restricted to allow only seven residential housing units, with the possibility of a restaurant replacing one unit.

The newly remodeled and enhanced Jefferson granddaughter's property will be worth about one million dollars and pay $7500 in annual poperty taxes, an increase of $250,000 in present value.

Count our blessings.
1. Organized crime eliminated.
2. Seven new modern code-compliant housing units.
3. A quarter million dollars in additional tax revenue (present value) over 30 years.
4. Thomas Jefferson's granddaughters St. Augustine home restored.
5. Some 80% reduction in violent crime arrests at the intersection of MLK Blvd and Bridge Street.
6. Some $70,000 worth of police time annually that can be allocated for other uses (like solving hit and run accidents).
7. The realtor, Irene Arriolla, worked pro bono, for 3.5 years, without commission, to sell the property to a buyer who would not open another dodgy store selling beer and tobacco products.
8. Ms. Arriolla recruited a title company to do its work for free.
9.The City is financing the deal for three years, and can take back the property if there is any violation of the terms.
10. The property will be permanently deed-restricted and limited to seven housing units (or six and a restaurant).

"The most profound thing I did as City Manager," City Manager John Regan told me.

Caveat: There was one "twelfth hour offer," actually an "offer to negotiate," not a firm cash offer, as Mayor Joseph Boles said, but it was rejected.

As former Mayor George Gardner wrote in his newsletter, "the offer is lower, but financing, savings on real estate commission, and community peace of mind, more than make up for it."

So as you drive into and out of Lincolnville on MLK, just remember the days when, 2007-2010, there were 1110 police calls (about one per day), often for violent crime, police cars often parked on the property, suspicious characters conducting a regional crack cocaine market, crack cocaine being sold for food stamps, and people afraid to walk outside.

Has your quality of life improved?

Does that sound like a "Loss" to you? Perhaps only to people who contend that a gun kicks back FORWARDS. (If you don't know who and what I'm referring to: Watch CNN Monday and Tuesday, March 3 & 4, 2014 at 8PM and 10 PM for details, or read the New York Times article and watch the PBS Frontline story to learn more.

What do you reckon?

I am writing this after reading "City loses over $80,000 on Bridge Street property," the histrionic online headline of the faux Fox News "Historic City News" (operated by MICHAEL GOLD f/k/a "MICHAEL TOBIN," who is the former fundraiser for SHERIFF DAVID SHOAR, f/k/a "DAVID HOAR").

Some people say MICHAEL GOLD still works for DAVID SHOAR, and for development interests like the WHETSTONE-MAGUIRE family.

Some people still practice Lashon hara.

Some people still "know not that they know not that they know not" (in my former client, retired FBI, HUD and EPA Special Agent Robert E. Tyndall's eloquent phrase). They have the right to remain silent under the Fifth Amdment.

The air is a lot cleaner since WLLIAM BRUCE HARRISS left as City Manager (going to work for Sheriff DAVID SHOAR, the former City Police Chief, whom HARRISS and GOLD helped to elect Sheriff in 2004). The people are freer. M&M is closed (which HARRISS and SHOAR could have done at any time).

Nattering nabobs of negativism?

Uninformed reporters?

Sloppy editors?

Forgive them all.

Enjoy the day in Lincolnville and St. Augustine.