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LLC

H.A.C.E.R.

John Perez, President of HACER.

HACER.CLUB.LLC@GMAIL.COM

Hispanic - American Cultural, Educational and Recreational Club

Jan. 2017

Is Poinciana, Florida, Controlled By Corporate America?

With Poinciana's board of directors elections coming up in February, what
is the politics in this homeowners' association? Who controls Poinciana?
Is it the politicians, residents, homeowners, the management company or
board of directors? The elected board of directors are supposed to run and
oversee the association. But who picks the board of directors? And who
are the individuals whose names appear over and over in different Poinciana village boards and are candidates for reelection? Sometimes you just
have to follow the money.
Lets look at the different players in Poinciana.
AVATAR/AV HOMES
Lets start by looking into Avatar Holdings, Inc., (Avatar) the developer of Poinciana. Avatar,
founded in 1933, is a Florida registered company with a principal address in the state of Arizona. It has operated in business sectors such as finance, insurance, utilities and manufacturing. More recently, the company established itself as a builder of active adult communities
for people 55 and older, and by serving the housing needs of move-up buyers.
On February 12, 2012, it was reported that Avatar changed it's name to AV Homes, Inc., (AV
Homes).
A search of the Polk County and Osceola County property appraisers offices shows that AV
Homes owns countless properties in Poinciana under the name of Avatar Properties, Inc.
ANTHONY IORIO
Anthony Ioria Represents AV Homes in Poinciana. He is the Vice President of Development
Services for AV Homes. Some people say that Iorio is AV Homes in Poinciana.
(Continued on Page 4)
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Official: Puerto Rico government could collapse if no steps taken

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico The administration of Puerto Rico's
new governor warned on Tuesday that the U.S. territory government could shut down if dramatic measures to offset the economic crisis aren't taken soon.
The warning came as officials released new data provided by the
previous governor during the transition process that it says shows
the crisis is even worse than previously believed.
"If we don't make a dramatic adjustment, there could be a total collapse in upcoming
months," said Elias Sanchez, the governor's representative to a federal control board created
last year to oversee Puerto Rico's finances.
He told reporters that the extent of the fiscal crisis is still unknown, in part because of a lack
of communication between public agencies. Overall, Puerto Rico is seeking to restructure its
nearly $70 billion in public debt, and the island has defaulted on millions of dollars' worth of
bond payments since August, angering creditors who have filed multiple lawsuits.

CORPORATE GREED
When a man decides to start working, he
does so for two reasons. One reason revolves around a career, while the other
revolves around money. Money is a necessity, but when a man gets his hands on this
necessity, the necessity almost inevitably
becomes greed. Sadly, man does not greed
for just money; his greed can also extend
to power and property. Greed, only up to a
certain point can be justified, beyond that
certain point; it is really nothing but a killer.

Corporate greed controls political will.

Aaron B. Powell

Behind the facade of elected government

are a bunch of corporate controlled gangsters running the country.
Steven Magee

Corporations are like protean bacteria;

you hit them with accountability and they
mutate and change their names.
Doug Anderson
A true democratic society is supposed to
serve its people, not big businesses. The
welfare of its citizens, not corporate pockets. But when you have corporations buying the seats of our political leaders, who
do you think they will serve?
Suzy Kassem
The banks can and do create money
And they who control the credit of the
nation direct the policy of governments
and hold in the hollow of their hands the
destiny of the people. Reginald McKenna
The money power preys upon the nation in times of peace and conspires
against it in times of adversity. It is more
despotic than monarchy, more insolent
than autocracy, more selfish than bureaucracy.
Abraham Lincoln

The report states that the island's Department of Education has a $230 million deficit, the
police department a $45 million deficit, and that the Highway Authority owes suppliers more
than $500 million.
The report also states that Puerto Rico's largest public university has $91 million deposited in
the Government Development Bank that it cannot access because of an ongoing debt moratorium. In addition, officials say the bank, which oversees the island's debt transactions, turned
over its routing number last April and has not issued a check since. All of the bank's deposits
have been moved to private banks.
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H.A.C.E.R.
Puerto Rico Pensioners Suffering Because Of The Government Created Fiscal Crises
The vast majority of municipal pension systems in the U.S are underfunded but Puerto Rico's are essentially
unfunded with only $777 million in net fiduciar y assets and a $49.5 billion pension liability. This is now
a pay-as-you-go system much like the U.S. social security system except Puerto Rico does not have the ability
to print an endless supply of money.
The three pensions consist of the Employees of the Government (ERS), the Teacher's Retirement System
(TRS), and the Judiciary Retirement System (JRS).
observations:

The actuarial valuation schedule below provides an overview of the funded status as of June 30, 2015. A few

ERS has a negative fiduciary net position. This is due to $3b in outstanding pension obligation bonds that were issued to fund the pension
which was a terrible idea.
The total net pension liability is $48.8 billion. This equates to 70% of the $70b debt outstanding.
The total pension liability is almost 11x the annual payroll of active employees contributing to the plans.
The overall funded status is 1.57%

It is projected that all of the assets of the pensions will be exhausted by the end of 2019.
The combined debt and pension liabilities total over $120 billion. To put this into perspective, Puerto Rico only generated $17.7 billion in total
revenue in 2015. Without any expenses, it would take almost 7 years to repay their debt and fully fund the pension.
Where is the money to fund these pension payments going to come from? In part, active government employees will be required to contribute
more. Bondholders will also be forced to take losses to free up room the budget.
Impact on Puerto Rico Pensioners
Pensioners of Puerto Rico should be most worried since after all they are the ones relying on Puerto Rico to make the pension payments they
were promised for retirement.
Part of the oversight board's job is to ensure funding of the pension systems.
(Continued on page 5)

Darren Soto Appointed To Subcommittee Overseeing Puerto Rico

U.S. Rep. Darren Soto, whose district oversees one of the largest and fastest growing Puerto Rican diasporas in the
states, has been appointed a seat on a Congressional subcommittee that oversees Puerto Rican affairs.
Soto, an Orlando Democrat who is of Puerto Rican descent himself a first for Floridas congressional representatives
announced Tuesday hes been granted a seat on the House Natural Resources Committees Subcommittee on Indian,
Insular and Alaska Native Affairs.
That subcommittee keeps tabs on the federal territories, including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. It also is the launching point for congressional actions regarding the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act. PROMESA was adopted last year in an effort to
resolve the most pressing of challenges in the current economic meltdown in Puerto Rico.
Sotos Floridas 9th Congressional District, covering southern Orange County, Osceola County and eastern Polk County, includes the heart of
the Puerto Rican population in Central Florida, which numbers in the hundreds of thousands. That community has been growing rapidly in the
past two or three years as thousands of islanders flee Puerto Rico every month. Soto campaigned with Puerto Rico as a big part of his platform.
He also was assigned to the Energy & Mineral Resources, and Oversight & Investigations subcommittees on the Natural Resources Committee.

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H.A.C.E.R.
OSCEOLA COUNTY COMMISSIONER BRANDON ARRINGTON IN POINCIANA ADDRESSING THE
CONCERNS OF HIS CONSTITUENTS
On January 24, 2017, Commissioner Brandon Arrington took
time from his busy schedule to meet with his constituents in Poinciana. The meeting was well attended and Arrington addressed
the many concerns of the Poinciana residents. The residents
made many complaints about the home owners association.
Questions were asked about traffic congestion, Valencia College,
the new park/community center on Cypress Parkway, toll increase on the new Poinciana Parkway, new construction in the
area and much more.
Arrington also made a brief presentation on the Nano tech research facility coming to Osceola, the new firehouse on Pleasant
Hill Rd, the new Valencia College campus, new bike trails, and new roads planned for the future. Arrington strongly emphasized that the residents attend the board of county commissioners meetings.
Some of the residents from Polk county complained about the lack communication and concern from their county commissioners.
--

Congressman Soto Ready To Meet Challenges Head On

By Darren Soto

Leaving 80 degree weather behind at our home in Kissimmee, I hopped on an evening flight to Washington D.C.
recently to embark on a new journey to represent our community in Congress.
I am very humbled and grateful to our constituents for this tremendous honor. My swearing in was a memorable
experience for my wife, Amanda, brother Lou, my in-laws Avery and Bart, my parents Lou and Jean watching
from Kissimmee and many constituents. I could not help but think in that moment about my long journey from a
decade of representing our community in the Florida House and Senate to our arduous and inspiring 16-month
campaign, to making history as the first Puerto Rican congressman from Florida.
It was so thrilling and surreal to sit only several feet away as Speaker Paul Ryan and Minority Leader Nancy
Pelosi stood behind the rostrum and delivered their visions for America to begin the 115th Congress.
There are areas where we have common ground, such as promoting American jobs and goods, infrastructure development, corporate tax reform
and caring for our active military and veterans.
There are also areas where fierce debate will be had over equality, voting rights, protecting Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, preserving our environment, reforming immigration, providing greater access to higher education, making child care more affordable, fostering economic recovery in Puerto Rico and reforming our financial sector.
These issues will be even more hotly contested and complex now with President Donald Trump in the mix. I look forward to presenting creative
solutions, voting to promote our best interests and bringing our community's voice and values to this national dialogue.
There will also be major federal challenges closer to home.
I will be focusing on promoting policy and funding to foster growth in our high-paying, high-tech clusters such as simulation programming in
East Orange/UCF, sensors manufacturing in Osceola, biotech at Lake Nona, engineering at Florida Polytechnic University and space flight in
East Orange/Brevard.
It is critical that our I-4 Ultimate Project and SunRail Phase 2 in South Orange/Osceola get done on time and on budget as well as funding for
Phase 3 to connect to Orlando International Airport.
We must ensure our veterans are getting high quality care at our new Lake Nona VA Hospital.
We need to provide further research to combat citrus greening.
We also have infrastructure improvement demands at Orlando International, Kissimmee and Lake Wales Airports, among other important local
projects.
Over these next two years, I will take the same energy, experience and knowledge of our community's needs that I developed during my service
in the Florida Legislature and continue to deliver for our region now in Congress. Together we can make a difference and improve the quality of
life here in Central Florida and for all Americans.
U.S. Rep. Darren Soto, D-Kissimmee, represents Florida's 9th Congressional District, which includes eastern Polk County.

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H.A.C.E.R.
(Continued from page 1)

Is Poinciana, Florida, Controlled By Corporate America?

Iorio, according to the Florida Division of Corporations (FDC), serves on 7 of Poinciana's 9 village
boards. He is up for reelection in 5 of those boards. Iorio is also a director on the Association of Poinciana Villages Board of Directos, also known as the Poinciana master board, that oversees all the villages. He also is a member of the Solivita Community Association. Iorio appears on over 20 entities listed
on the FDC website.
DANIEL YOUNG
Information has it that Daniel Young is an Engineer for AV Homes. On a TOHO Water Authority
Agenda of July 22, 2015, Young is listed as Engineer/Developer Survey for Avatar (AV Homes).
Young currently serves on the Poinciana village 6 board and is a candidate for boards 2 and 5, placing him on 3 of nine boards. He is also a director on the Poinciana master board.
Young is in the real estate business, with Evergreen Real Estate Services as his business. He is also the manager of OPUS Association Management, LLC., as listed in FDC. Both in Celebration, Florida.
According to the FDC, Young is associated with many entities and Iorio appears on those same entities. Some of those entities are
Solitiva Community Assoc., Stone Creek Landing Homeowners Assoc., Old Still Homeowners Assoc., Vitalia at Tradition Residents Assoc.,
Bellalago and Isles of Bellalago Community Assoc.
Young indeed has a business relationship with AV Homes.
SONNIE PREVATT
According to a Statement of Financial Interest filed in 2016, Sonnie Prevatt's source of income is from AV Homes.
On a TOHO Water Authority Agenda of July 22, 2015, Prevatt is listed as Engineer/Developer Survey for Avatar (AV Homes).
He was the supervisor of Poinciana West Community Development District, where Iorio has also been on the same board.
Prevatt also has a business relationship with AV Homes.
FELIX GRATOPP
Felix Gratopp, an investor from Canada, is on the board of 5 Poinciana villages and also serves as a director on the master board.
Gratopp has many businesses listed on FDC. His businesses have numerous name variations of Fairhomes. The businesses own countless homes
purchased from Avatar.
The Polk County Property Appraisers Office lists many Fairhomes properties under the name of FAIRHOMES RED CHRYSANTHEMUM
INVESTMENTS LLP, purchased from Avatar (AV Homes). Fairhomes Red Chrysanthemum Investments LLP has an address in Canada.
Some of the Gratopp other businesses owning properties purchased from Avatar are; Fairhomes Shangri La Investments LLP,
Fairhomes Orchid Investments LLP, Fairhomes Crystal Investments LLC, Fairhomes American Dream Investments LLP,
Fairhomes Acorn Investments LLP.
Gratopp also has a business relationship with AV Homes.
A further look at Poinciana village 7 shows a Shane Merali as a candidate for that board.
SHANE MERALI
Shane Merali is a Canadian, born in Uganda, Africa, who started his career in retail wholesale and later moved on to real estate sales and development in Quebec and Ontario. In 2008, Shane decided to enter the real estate business in Florida and became an investor & developer, creating
his name in Merali Homes Inc. and FIRE Inc.
Merali is the president of F.I.R.E. Resources Inc. The companies of F.I.R.E. Funding 1, LLC, and F.I.R.E Fund, LLP , both list F.I.R.E. Resources as manager.
Merali is the president of Tuscany Preserve Community Association, which is within village 7, and owns countless properties under the business
name of F I R E Resources Inc.
Also on the village 7 board is an Adrienne Bourne.
ADRIENNE BOURNE
Adrienne Bourne is a resident of village 7, the president of the village 7 board, and serves as a director on the master board. In 2016, as a candidate for the village 7 board, she got 2 votes from homeowners and after the developer (AV Homes) and investors voted her total vote count was
over 4,000 votes, beating other residents. Owners of property get one vote for every piece of propriety they own. AV Homes and investors have
a very large block of votes.
In village 7 it looks like the election results will be Adrienne Bourne, Anthony Iorio, Sonnie Prevatt, Felix Gratopp, and Shane Merali. The other residents running for the village 7 board will not have a chance.
The same pattern is repeated in all the other villages.
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Polk County Circuit Court Case of Jolly, Destremps & Brown VS Association of Poinciana Village hearing
February 3, 2017 at 1:30 PM.

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H.A.C.E.R.
(Continued from page 2)

Puerto Rico Pensioners Suffering Because Of The Government Created Fiscal Crises
It is not unheard of for pension benefits to be cut. Last month, CALPERS (California Public Employees Retirement System), the largest pension
fund in the U.S., cut pension benefits for retirees who worked for the city of Loyalton, California. This was because the city decided to withdraw
from CALPERS several years ago and never fully funded their portion of the pension fund.
Active employees who are paying into the Puerto Rico pensions are being required to contribute more to the plans to fund the retirees' benefits. By
2020, TRS employees will be contributing 14% of their pay into the plan while ERS employees are currently paying 10% of their pay. The employees are suffering as a result of poor planning and fiscal management of Puerto Rican officials over the years. I'm not sure anyone would be
left to work for the government given these circumstances if the workers had other options.

Satire

President Donald Trump started to reshape US immigration enforcement policies via executive action, taking his first steps toward
fulfilling some of the most contentious pledges that defined his campaign -- building a border wall and speeding the deportation of
undocumented immigrants.
Trump signed two executive orders directing the construction of a wall on the US-Mexico border, boosting border patrol forces and
increasing the number of immigration enforcement officers who carry out deportations. The orders also call for stripping sanctuary
cities of federal grant funding and announced sweeping new criteria that could make many more undocumented immigrants priorities
for deportation.
The executive orders Trump signed Wednesday call for boosting the ranks of Border Patrol forces by an additional 5,000 agents as
well as for 10,000 new Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to carry out deportations.

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