Article Courtesy of The Miami Herald

By EMILY STEVENS
Published July 31, 2006

Miami-Dade Judge Ronald Friedman ordered Ken Marlin, who he appointed in January as special master to oversee repairs at North Bay Village condominium building GrandView Palace, to come up with a more specific plan to complete the work.

The order, made at a conference Wednesday, followed complaints from some of the building's residents about the status of repairs mandated after 2005 code violations -- as well as those needed following Hurricane Wilma -- and Marlin's performance as overseer of the projects.

''We really are very concerned because we don't feel Mr. Marlin has represented us. We expected him to make decisions to do what is right for the building,'' resident Rey Trujillo said. ``Enough is enough. Let's get the building repaired.''

Some 45 to 60 units in the 532-unit building suffered damage from the storm and code issues, displacing about 60 residents in October.

Marlin said he is not supposed to be a representative for the residents and that his job is to work with the condominium association to the best of his ability -- another point of contention for residents, who say that two of the three association members are developers with financial interests in the building.

''It's not my job to knock on doors and introduce myself. My job is to deal directly with the condominium association, and, like it or don't like it, James Edwards is president of the association,'' Marlin said. ``The association represents you folks, not me. I'm trying to do the best I can.''

In October, North Bay Village's chief building official Paul Gioia estimated the repair costs at about $2 million, but Trujillo said there is no way to know whether that number is still accurate due to the ongoing negotiations with insurance companies and the lack of a detailed expense report outlining who should pay for what.

''We've been paying for things that should be the responsibility of the association,'' Trujillo said. ``They've not had a full assessment of the damage by the insurance company. This is something they're doing themselves. We don't even know where they are in negotiations; we don't know what's happening.''

Friedman told Marlin to listen to residents' comments and suggestions to develop a more detailed plan to finish the repairs and also to work with Gioia to determine the nature of the problems and who should be responsible for the costs.

''Try to address all the problems and issues and determine if you need more authority, and I'll be happy to consent to that,'' Friedman said, responding to Marlin's argument that he has limited control over the repairs.

Friedman scheduled the next status conference for Aug. 23 and said he would grant Marlin more authority if necessary.