On Monday, Mayor Denise Grant finally commented on the financial support she received from the controversial developer of the Lauderhill Mall. Well, sort of. Grant’s comments came during a hastily called commission meeting to hire Hans Ottinot as the interim city attorney.
Ottinot is a close ally of Tamarac Commissioner Marlon Bolton. A majority of Lauderhill residents who spoke at the meeting opposed the hiring of Ottinot. Several of the speakers mentioned the financial support Mayor Grant and fellow Commissioners Richard Campbell and John Hodgson received from Yoram Izhak, the Miami Dade developer who owns the Lauderhill Mall.
In October, REDBROWARD exposed how companies owned by Izhak contributed tens of thousands of dollars to Grant, Campbell and Hodgson. Izhak’s companies also gave $30,000 to a political committee tied to Marlon Bolton.
Two weeks ago, REDBROWARD revealed another Izhak funded political committee (Lauderhill United PC) paid a $5,000 consultant fee to the mother of Mayor Denise Grant.
Mayor Grant promised to provide REDBROWARD with a rationale for why her mother received the money. Especially in light of an upcoming commission item regarding the approval of a Lauderhill redevelopment plan.
Mayor Denise Grant never called REDBROWARD back.
A visibly angry Mayor Grant did defend Yoram Izhak during the commission meeting after a resident pointed out how multiple cities refused to do business with the developer.
As REDBROWARD previously reported, in 2004, the U.S. Department of Justice alleged Izhak was a “money launderer” for “The Corporation,” an organized crime mafia involved in drug trafficking and murder. Izhak would plead guilty to tax evasion and the more serious charges against him were dropped.
Izhak’s convictions on tax evasion, and an unrelated gun charge, caused problems with his attempts to do business with local governments.
In 2014, the Miami Dade County Commission approved a $3 million dollar grant to Izhak to refurbish a strip mall near Liberty City. According to the Miami New Times, “The county commission unanimously approved the deal without discussion January 24, though the plan’s original sponsor, Jean Monestime, pulled his name and withheld his vote at the last minute when the Miami-Dade ethics commission ruled he had a conflict of interest.” Montesime, a County Commission, leased office space from Izhak.
One month later, the Miami Dade County Commission rescinded the grant after negative publicity.
In June 2017, the Fort Myers City Council agreed to have Izhak build a police substation on one of his properties. Two months later, the City Council terminated the agreement after learning about Izhak’s convictions. “We basically distanced ourselves,” Acting City Attorney Terry Cramer said. “We didn’t want to be involved.”
In 2014, Yoram Izhak told the Daily Business Review he was done doing business with local governments. “The Miami-Dade [controversy] was all political,” Izhak said. “We’re now doing investments without any help from government. We’re not using any more government money or county money, and honestly we’re happier.”
Ten years later Mayor Denise Grant gave a full-throated defense of Yoram Izhak and his dealings with Broward governmental entities.
Mayor Denise Grant said:
“I would like to make a comment as it relates to the Lauderhill Mall gentleman. Please understand that at this particular location, the Supervisor of Election(sic) decided his location and his business was good enough to be there for twenty-six years. Furthermore, our police department is there with a lease at this time for two years. And in addition to that, the County, figure more a less, that his business was good enough to have a bus station there. Therefore, please do your due diligence as you speak on another.”
Just one problem. The Broward Supervisor of Elections Office was located in the Lauderhill Mall years before Yoram Izhak purchased the mall in 2012.
Why is the Mayor of Lauderhill defending a Miami-Dade developer at a meeting unrelated to his proposed redevelopment of the Lauderhill Mall?
Lauderhill residents want answers.
