HRT for Women in Belle Isle, FL

After losing a bid to haul Belle Isle’s garbage, Waste Pro and its CEO have sued Mayor Nicholas Fouraker, alleging his trash talk cost the company a city contract.

The lawsuit, filed last month in Circuit Court in Orlando, accuses Fouraker of “intentionally and maliciously” making disparaging and defamatory false statements about Waste Pro and John Jennings, the hauler’s chief executive officer, to prevent the Sanford-based company from winning the city’s $600,000-a-year, sanitation-services contract.

The dispute is rooted in a disagreement between the two sides that occurred when Fouraker worked in commercial real estate and before he was elected mayor.

Fouraker, 37, declined to comment but his lawyer John Conner has asked the judge to throw out the lawsuit.

Waste Pro’s bid was ranked initially as the preferred option for a five-year garbage and recycling contract City Council ultimately awarded to J.J.’s Waste & Recycling.

As mayor, Fouraker is a non-voting member of Belle Isle City Council but he weighed in on Waste Pro before the vote.

“I’m very concerned with the leadership that Waste Pro has …” he said during a public meeting that was recorded and posted on the city website.

Fouraker then accused Jennings of lying and Waste Pro of failing to live up to a signed agreement, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages from the mayor — not the city — claims Fouraker was motivated by “personal contempt” to sway City Council away from awarding the contract to Waste Pro as Belle Isle’s solid waste committee had recommended and to sully Jennings’ reputation in the community.

Fouraker and Waste Pro tangled a few years ago over a commission he said he was owed for a commercial real estate space.

Waste Pro argued it renewed its existing lease and did not owe a fee to Fouraker or his employer, Bishop Beale.

The waste-hauler’s court filing claimed the two sides later “amicably settled the matter for a fraction of what Bishop Beale claimed was due …”

But Fouraker didn’t sound amicable at Belle Isle City Council in June.

“We exclusively dealt with John Jennings, the CEO of the company, and he lied personally to me and the CEO of my company and so I have not had a good experience with Waste Pro. I do not find them fair dealing,” the mayor said. “… I’ve seen it and I’ve had to live through depositions and other things to pursue what was rightfully mine.”

Waste Pro’s lawsuit alleges defamation, slander and interfering with a business relationship.

Bob Francis, city manager, said council tabled a decision on the garbage and recycling contract after Fouraker’s comments but not because of them.

He said council was concerned that Waste Pro proposed to pick up yard waste on Wednesday, not Monday as city leaders preferred.

Monday pickup would cost every household more.

For weekend gardeners, Wednesday pickup meant two extra days of reeking bags of rotting grass clippings in the city of 7,100, Francis said.

To contact Stephen Hudak, call 407-650-6361 or email shudak@orlandosentinel.com

ORLANDO, Fla. – Not all Florida elections take place in November.

Local elections can take place throughout the year in Florida, and in March, six cities and towns in Orange County elected city commissioners, mayors and charter amendments.

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Election Day in five Central Florida counties

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The cities of Apopka, Belle Isle, Maitland, Winter Park and the town of Oakland held elections on Tuesday, March 8.

The town of Eatonville had an election on Saturday, March 5.

The races are all nonpartisan, so if you are in that municipality or that district, you could vote in that election.

Here are the results for all the elections in each of these municipalities:

Apopka

City of Apopka residents voted for a mayor and two commission seats up for election, seats 2 and 4. Here’s what the sample ballot for the Apopka election looked like.

Incumbent mayor Bryan Nelson won against challenger Kyle Becker.

The incumbent for commission seat 1, Alexander Smith, was unopposed and automatically reelected.

For commission seat 2, incumbent Diane Velazquez won against challenger Wes Dumey.

For commission seat 4, Nick Nesta won against Eric Mock. Both candidates were campaigning and neither were incumbents.

Polls on Election Day opened Tuesday, March 8 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. after an early voting period ended.

More information is available on the city of Apopka website.

Belle Isle

City of Belle Isle residents only voted for a mayor, since the three incumbents up for reelection on the city council were all unopposed and automatically reelected. Here’s what the sample ballot for the Belle Isle election looked like.

Incumbent Mayor Nicholas Fouraker won the reelection against challenger Holly Bobrowski.

Polls on Election Day opened Tuesday, March 8 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. after an early voting period.

More information is available on the city of Belle Isle website.

Maitland

There was only one election in Maitland, for city council seat 1. Here’s what the sample ballot for the Maitland election looked like.

There were three candidates for the open seat: Lori Wurtzel won against Colleen Lilling and former councilmember Bev Reponen.

Polls on Election Day open Tuesday, March 8 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. after an early voting period.

More information is available on the city of Maitland website.

Town of Oakland

There is only one election in Oakland, for town commission seat 1. Here’s what the sample ballot for the Oakland election looked like.

There were two candidates for the open seat: Rick Polland won against Matthew Bunevich.

Polls on Election Day opened Tuesday, March 8 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. after an early voting period.

More information is available on the town of Oakland website.

Winter Park

Voters in Winter park had two city commission seats to decide on, along with six charter amendments. Here’s what the sample ballot for the Winter Park election looked like.

Voters decided on city commission seat 3, where Kris Cruzada won against Anjali Vaya. There is also city commission seat 4, where Todd Weaver won against Elijah Noel.

With the charter amendments, five of the proposals would change the city’s charter so that a supermajority of city commission members must decide to make changes that would affect property in the city, including zoning for public lands, development in wetlands and residential and lakefront properties.

The sixth proposal would change the city charter to require an additional public meeting and reading of a proposed ordinance before its adoption.

More details on the charter amendments can be found HERE.

Polls on Election Day opened Tuesday, March 8 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. after an early voting period.

More information is available on the city of Winter Park website.

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Jason Battle was expecting his insurance rate to go up after a tree branch fell through the roof of his Belle Isle home in September, forcing him to file a claim to replace it.

But what happened next surprised him. His premium from Fort Lauderdale-based Universal Property & Casualty soared from $2,429 to $4,010, a 65% increase.

“There was no explanation,” said Battle, an orthodontist. “Just, ‘Here’s your new premium.”’

Homeowners are paying much more for property insurance around the state, sometimes in ways they didn’t know were possible and far exceeding the 15% annual increase cap that insurance companies can impose without asking state regulators for a public hearing.

With two major insurers being declared insolvent and others fleeing the state, Florida carriers are charging every dollar they can as they and homeowners struggle through what lawmakers have declared a crisis in the market.

“This is the perfect storm of problem for Florida homeowners,” said state Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg. “You have hardening market, increasing material costs, increasing labor costs, insurance companies that are dealing with 100,000 lawsuits in a year, and a malaise in the Legislature that just makes no progress.”

For Battle, part of the price came from a reevaluation of the replacement costs for his home, which is the total amount to replace the entire structure. Battle’s dwelling coverage rose to $296,159, a 17% increase over the previous year.

Pandemic-related delays and labor shortages have driven up construction costs to unseen levels. Prices for most materials, including lumber, are up close to 30% over last year, according to Dodge Data & Analytics.

“The good news is that factory output in the United States is almost back to where it was before the pandemic,” said Richard Branch, chief economist at Dodge. “That provides some hope that we could see price inflation ease in the second half of the year,” though he cautioned the war in Ukraine might create inflationary pressure.

Florida’s Office of Insurance Regulation confirmed there is no cap on how much a carrier can increase replacement cost estimates.

Mark Friedlander, Florida-based spokesman for the Insurance Information Institute, says having an accurate replacement cost, even though it raises the premium, saves customers in the unlikely event of a total loss.

“If you lose your house to a fire or hurricane, you’re only going to get what’s in your policy,” he said. “It’s a benefit to homeowners to make sure they have the correct insurance policy.”

Insurance companies in Florida’s regulated market are allowed to raise premiums by up to 15% each year. If they want more, they have to ask the state for permission to do so at a hearing.

But filing for a rate increase isn’t the only way insurance companies can raise rates, leading to increases such as Battle’s 65% and even more.

Universal Property filed a 14.9% increase for the state, avoiding a hearing, plus a 3.9% increase for reinsurance, something companies buy to protect themselves from catastrophic losses in a disaster such as a hurricane.

Universal spokesman Travis Miller says those rates are an average and can be different for individual policies. Miller would not comment specifically on Battle’s situation.

Florida already has the highest premiums in the nation, according to the Insurance Information Institute. At an average of $3,600 annually, they are more than double the U.S. average of $1,398.

Last year, prices in the state increased by an average of 25%, compared with a 4% rise nationally. Experts say that’s just the beginning.

“We’re projecting a 30-40% average increase this year,” Friedlander said.

Insurance companies claim extraordinary measures are necessary to save the industry in Florida. The fear of devastating hurricanes is driving up the price of reinsurance. Insurance companies are allowed to pass on that cost to the consumer.

Insurers have also been sounding alarms about a rise in roof claims litigation. In a letter to the Legislature last year, David Altmaier, commissioner for the Office of Insurance Regulation, claimed that 75% of insurance lawsuits in the U.S. originated in Florida.

In response, thousands of homeowners have had their policies dropped over the age of their roofs. In some cases, companies have required policyholders to replace their old roofs and then, instead of offering a discount, they increase the home’s replacement cost, sending the premium even higher.

Some insurers, such as United Property & Casualty, have stopped writing new home policies in the state. Others are shutting down. Orlando-based St. Johns Insurance, one of the largest carriers in the state, was declared insolvent in February, followed shortly by Avatar Insurance.

Already this year, Southern Fidelity, another of the state’s largest carriers, asked insurance regulators for an 111% increase. Last year, Southern Fidelity was approved to cancel 19,600 policies.

On Friday, Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber wrote a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis asking for a special session of the Legislature to deal with the insurance crisis. Brandes and other lawmakers have also been pushing for that, too, after there was no movement on insurance during the regular session that ended March 14.

DeSantis said Monday he would welcome a special session on the issue if lawmakers can reach an agreement on what to do.

In the meantime, Friedlander says if the premium seems unusually high, customers should shop around. “Kind of like when you get a diagnosis at the doctor, you should get a second opinion,” he said.

Some companies might calculate a lower replacement value. Homeowners also can buy a policy that doesn’t cover replacing the entire house or agree to higher deductibles to lower the rate.

Battle, however, says he can’t do that because the damage to his house isn’t fixed yet. “It’s in the middle of construction,” he said. “I have to pay it. No one else will cover me now.”

In fact, Universal sent him a letter saying they would be dropping him next month because the construction was taking too long, he said.

Brandes says shopping around isn’t really feasible for many homeowners in this climate.

“What we’re hearing right now is, if you get an offer, you should take it,” he said. “We can’t be sure you’ll get another offer.”

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Belle Isle Mayor Nicholas Fouraker, sued for slander by Waste Pro and its CEO, publicly apologized this week for “out of line” comments he made about the trash hauler in June.

The 19-second apology at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting followed a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, the usual start of the council session.

“During the June 4th council meeting, I made a statement about my personal feelings regarding my past dealings with Waste Pro and CEO John Jennings,” Fouraker said. “Looking back now, I see that making those statements were out of line and inappropriate either in the forum of a public meeting or anywhere else. I apologize to Waste Pro, Mr. Jennings and the city for making those statements and for their substance. I do not wish Waste Pro or Mr. Jennings ill.”

Fouraker, a first-time officeholder elected in March, didn’t explain what prompted the apology and didn’t return calls for comment.

But Sara Brady, serving as Waste Pro’s spokeswoman, said the issue will be resolved “thanks to the apology and a $25,000 settlement payment.”

“I also think it’s fair to say that the apology was both revealing and disappointing, but Mr. Jennings and Waste Pro stand by their decision to hold the mayor accountable for his improper conduct, which was unbecoming for a person in his position,” Brady said.

Belle Isle City Manager Bob Francis said the city’s insurance company negotiated the agreement and paid the $25,000 settlement fee.

In June, Fouraker ripped Jennings and Waste Pro during a public meeting, citing a disagreement that occurred when he worked in commercial real estate and before he was elected mayor.

He accused Jennings of lying and Waste Pro of failing to live up to a signed agreement. The matter involved a real-estate commission.

In August, Waste Pro and Jennings sued the mayor, alleging defamation, slander and interfering with a business relationship.

The company’s lawsuit accused the mayor of “intentionally and maliciously” making disparaging and defamatory false statements about Waste Pro and Jennings.

Waste Pro alleged Fouraker’s derogatory statements “played a material and substantial part” in the council’s decision to award Belle Isle’s $600,000-a-year sanitation-services contract to a rival.

Waste Pro’s bid was ranked initially as the preferred option for a five-year garbage and recycling contract the council ultimately awarded to J.J.’s Waste & Recycling.

As mayor, Fouraker is a non-voting council member but he weighed in on Waste Pro before the vote.

“I’m very concerned with the leadership that Waste Pro has …,” he said during a public meeting that was recorded and posted on the city website.

He told council, “I do not find them fair dealing…”

Fouraker’s lawyer John Conner filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit in September but Circuit Judge Keith A. Carsten hasn’t yet ruled on the matter.

The lawsuit sought unspecified compensatory and punitive damages from the mayor — not the city — claiming Fouraker was motivated by “personal contempt” to sway the council’s vote.

The city manager said Waste Pro didn’t lose the garbage and recycling contract because of Fouraker’s comments.

Council members were more concerned that Waste Pro proposed to pick up yard waste on Wednesdays and not Mondays.

City leaders preferred Monday pickup because most people mow their lawns on weekends and yard waste tends to stink after a few days.

Larkin’s Famous Subs has always been famous, from its first day of business in 1981 to its closing date next week.

“I had to make it ‘famous’ because I had so much debt on the building,” said Larkin Tribou, 60, the owner and the single sandwich maker at the shop. “I had to succeed.”

The presumptuous sandwich shop on Lake Conway is calling it quits Dec. 4 and Tribou will stop making his famous subs, famous at least in Belle Isle.

Tribou said he has accepted an offer for his 1,600-square-foot building on Lake Conway from a developer who hasn’t disclosed his intentions for the property.

The eatery was known for its daily specials such as Tuesday’s beef tenderloin sub, made with meat smoked for 13 hours and then served fresh with apple smoked bacon and cheddar. There were other everyday favorites such as the “Euge” with ham, turkey, bacon and cheddar.

Tribou learned his sandwich skills working as a waiter and kitchen help at some of the area’s high-end restaurants. In his three decades he had as many as four other locations, all of which failed.

“You just couldn’t be at all of them,” Tribou said as to why his shop never expanded into a successful chain.

Tribou has two other part-time employees at his shop to help with books and run the cash register, but the owner still takes pride in making the sandwiches himself.

“Early in my days I used to have a lot of kids that came in and they did my advertising,” Tribou said. I would give them quarters to play video games or a shake and they would put flyers on cars and houses.”

Kappo sushi closing

Intimate sushi eatery Kappo at East End Market will close and the owners will open a Japanese-themed convenience store.

Owners Lordfer Lalicon, Mark Berdin and Jennifer Banagale sent an email to customers Tuesday morning announcing they would be closing their popular restaurant where customers can sit face-to-face with sushi chefs.

“We are changing to a convenience store and looking for a new location for Kappo because we have kind of outgrown East End,” Lalicon said. “We would love to stay in this neighborhood, because we like it and it supported us and we are thankful for everything that it has done for us.”

Kappo should close around the end of December and be replaced with the new store soon after that.

Lalicon, Berdin and Banagale will remain owners of the Japanese-themed convenience store. Lalicon said details on the convenience store would be coming soon.

“I knew they always hoped to grow Kappo into a stand-alone restaurant,” said East End Market owner John Rife.

Lalicon said they are actively looking for a new location.

Kappo has been at East End Market since September 2014.

The restaurant clashed with state health inspectors earlier this year, after the agency asked them to install a sneeze guard. The restaurant was able to keep operating without the sneeze guard.

Red Lobster bulks shrimp

Red Lobster has decided its shrimp was just too shrimpy.

The Orlando-based seafood restaurant chain is changing a large portion of its menu by bulking up the size of its shrimp on dishes such as shrimp scampi and shrimp skewers.

Red Lobster has been revamping its menu during the last year after breaking off from Orlando-based parent company Darden Restaurants in a $2.1 billion deal. It upped its lobster selections last fall, introduced more specialty seafood over the summer and now is taking aim at one of its customers’ biggest complaints — the shrimpiness of the shrimp.

“(Customers) said they wanted our shrimp to be bigger and to taste better,” said Red Lobster president Salli Setta.

Setta said they are not raising prices specifically because of the larger shrimp sizes. However, the restaurant does adjust prices regularly based on market prices for seafood and other ingredients.

The menu changes should be in place by mid-December at restaurants nationwide.

karnold@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5664