The Daily Soak - June 7

Orlando High-rise Lawsuit Filed Over Cracked Foundation

The developer of the 313-unit Paramount on Lake Eola in downtown Orlando is named as the defendant in a $20 million lawsuit filed yesterday by purchasers looking for a loophole to avoid taking possession of their units. And they may have found one in the structure's cracked concrete foundation. The plaintiffs argue they should have been notified over the structural issues and given the option to back out of their contracts. In his defense, the developer claims to have spent $20 million on additional steel beam reinforcement, and the project, scheduled to open in the next 3 weeks, has already been green lighted by local building inspectors. Ron Burgundy and the Channel 9 News Team filed this report.


Would You Buy a $650,000 Noodle Franchise From This Man?

Southwest Floridians must have lots of free time, boundless trust and discretionary income lying around their gated communities, because this is the second story this week of a charismatic con coaxing millions from close friends. Described as a "slick mover and a sweet talker," Rodney James was involved in a variety of shady real estate deals and bilked 11 "friends" out of close to $2 million over a 4-year period. One friend in particular, Carey Mulwee, had been friends with James since the 7th grade and apparently couldn't get enough of R.J.'s Kool-Aid. In the span of a few months James convinced Mulwee to quit his job as VP of a software company and invest $650,000 in an Arizona noodle franchise. I smell a sequel to the Bad Idea Jeans commercial.



HousingBath Doesn't Slow Down the Party on South Beach

A reporter comes to Miami and finds the scene incredibly superficial. Here's the problem with that condescending construct....she's from L.A.! Rosemary McClure tours several neighborhoods in the Magic City but seems most intrigued by South Beach which she describes as "the engine that drives tourism, a 24-hour-a-day place where supermodels, actresses and hip-hop stars rub shoulders with visitors from Sioux Falls, S.D." Despite the HousingBath, SoBe still brings out the A-list celebrities as well as droves of aspiring locals (A Miami ad executive friend calls them $30,000-millionaires). Soaring gas prices and the growing popularity of "staycations" have also been a boon for hotels and restaurants on Miami Beach, or as McClure affectionately calls it "The Epicenter of Conspicuous Consumption."