Despite absentee landlord, work underway to fix sinkholes at shopping center

Tax dollars are now being spent to repair a set of sinkholes at Cortez East Plaza, as an absent property owner continues to ignore county officials and his tenants. Work began Monday to repair the sinkholes the property owner, Bradenton Associates LLC, has refused to fix.

While the landlord has stopped spending money for repairs to his property and hasn't paid money he already owes the county, it hasn't stopped them from collecting rent.

When business owners near the fenced-off sinkholes began suffering financially because of the sinkholes, the property management company Franklin Street acknowledged it was issue that needed to be resolved. Franklin Street asked businesses to prove income had declined and business owners showed them the numbers.

"They said, 'Wow, this is significant,'" said Deon Sarlls, owner of Plato's Closet. "Since then, I've tried to contact Franklin Street, who will only say that all rent checks will no longer go to them but straight to Bradenton Associates."

Bradenton Associates, with Thomas Graner being listed as the agent and Mike Lembo as the manager, have gone silent.

Manatee County has code enforcement action pending against Bradenton Associates, but county officials have not been able to contact Bradenton Associates. Business owners, too, have not heard from Bradenton Associates in some time.

"The last time I heard from them was two years ago," Sarlls said.

Last month, the county commission approved spending up to $250,000 for emergency repairs, to address public safety issues. Crews will dig out the sinkholes to allow a nearby tributary to Wares Creek to flow freely once again. The hope is that the work will stop underground erosion and reduce flooding risks for nearby residents.

The county will make every legal effort to make the property owner pay for the work but the county will likely have to get in line with other lien holders, County Attorney Mitchell Palmer said last month.

The work won't include repairing the parking lot.

"It's frustrating," Sarlls said. "To me, it's going to do nothing in particular in getting us operational parking. People think we are closed when they drive by and see what's going on. Rumor has it that the property owner will be going into bankruptcy so what happens then? We are already looking for a new location. There's no reason to stay."

Like Sarlls, many of the nearby businesses are happy something is finally being done to make some repairs, but they don't think it will be enough to help them to survive in the long-term.

Joe Bsam, owner of World Nails, said the appearance of the site looks bad.

"It's been a negative impact to my business," he said. "It's bad for business."

Other businesses bound by corporate rules not to speak to the media said they wish they could. "Oh, I have an opinion and I would love to give it," said one store manager.

Around the corner from Plato's Closet is a laundry mat that Dulander Senato has been going to once a week for six years. She has seen the crisis grow from a small hole to what it is today.

"It started to slowly collapse with a small hole and then one day that part of the parking lot was just gone," she said. "I'm glad the county is doing something so that can only be a good thing."

Audi Fischer is a frequent visitor to the plaza, often spending time at a friend's nearby business.

"It's been going on for three years," Fischer said. "The guy used to do some work on other smaller sinkholes in the parking lot, but after Hurricane Irma he just stopped completely. You worry about walking around here because you don't know what's going underneath your feet. The bottom line it has to be fixed because it's only going to get worse."

Despite eliminating its property management company, stopping costly repairs and collecting rent every month, Bradenton Associates still owes about $14 million on its mortgage. The owners are attempting to sell the property for $17 million.

In the work that started Monday, crews are expected to take about a month to dig out the sinkholes and free up water flow.