"corporate lobbying & political connections"

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http://palmettoinsider.com/2010/02/25/senate-pushes-sembler-corporate-welfare-bill-to-early-vote/

Senate Pushes Sembler Corporate Welfare Bill to Early Vote

Today the Senate took action to fast-track legislation giving more than $100 million in taxpayer funded incentives to The Sembler Co., a Florida-based developer, for a planned shopping mall in Jasper County. The Senate voted to place the bill on “Special Order,” which means that the legislation is now in a top priority position to be taken up by the Senate. All bills voted on under Special Order must be recorded votes.

Costs of the incentive package for the new development continue to be unclear: ranging from a low of $22.5 million to as much as $174.5 million in tax breaks over 15 years. If Sembler is anything like the Boeing package legislators approved in October, the cost to taxpayers is probably being underestimated. (HOT LINK: Read here for why future incentives deals should be capped so the costs are known upfront.)

Lawmakers who support the incentive package for Sembler are pushing for the quick vote in spite of vocal opposition to the taxpayer-funded giveaway:

• The Policy Council and the S.C. Coastal Conservation League issued a joint statement raising economic and environmental concerns.
• A series of reports in The Nerve (HOT LINK) raised questions about the development, and the developer.
• The Beaufort County Council (which shares part of the land sited for the project) voted against the deal.
• An analysis by College of Charleston economist Peter Calcagno projected that the Sembler tax incentives are unlikely to benefit South Carolina’s economy (HOT LINK), or create new jobs.
• Even the state of South Carolina itself—by way of a report by the state’s chief economist, William Gillespie—concluded that the megamall is unlikely to increase overall sales, but would instead shift sales from existing retailers

A decade of failed experimentation in government-driven economic development, or the fact that taxpayers are being asked to subsidize their competition, ought to be enough to dissuade lawmakers—but the real issue with Sembler is less about economics and more about corporate lobbying and political connections.

February 25, 2010 at 4:55 pm
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Hardeeville

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a comment on the Island Packet story at http://www.islandpacket.com/2010/02/25/1152389/meeting-on-sun-city-roof-trusses.html


wired wrote on 02/26/2010 07:38:43 PM:
"The Beaufort county inspections department is an embarrasment. I cant believe that they might get a pass on this, and keep their jobs. All of them should be terminated.Hardeeville hires a company to handle that part of their development, which seems to take out the " good old boy " factor. They inspect very well,and to the code."


NOT TRUE!


READ THIS:
http://peretired.blogspot.com/2009/11/roof-bracing.html
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will they EVER get it right?

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http://www.islandpacket.com/2010/02/25/1152389/meeting-on-sun-city-roof-trusses.html


"Cummings, the county's top building official, acknowledged the possibility that with several different models of homes being built in Sun City, inspectors might accidentally use a plan for a home that's different from the one they're inspecting, And, he said, the county's inspectors usually don't have as much time as a private inspector to check a home. As a result, defects that a private inspector would catch might be missed by a county inspector. "I can't say that county inspectors catch every detail" on every home, Cummings said. "We'd be there forever." A private inspector "can spend hours there," he said.

In a discussion after the meeting, Kunich showed both Cummings and county building inspector Clyde Smith photographs of a Sun City home whose trusses were missing fastenings. Smith looked at the pictures for several moments, then said: "Looks like somebody goofed." Cummings said he would have to see the trusses himself before saying for certain whether they were installed correctly.

Questions about roof trusses in Sun City surfaced almost three years ago. In April 2007,after learning that trusses in some homes were installed improperly, the county spent $150,000 to bring in an independent inspection team to determine the extent of the problem. The team checked 2,749 homes and found 668 that needed repairs."
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Toyota, Pulte & corporate greed

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The knock against Toyota is that they did ANYTHING to pad the bottom line. In the Congressional hearings yesterday one congressman produced a Toyota document that claimed that they saved $100M by "convincing" NHTSA regulators NOT to recall defective vehicles. Toyota's president and CEO Mr. Toyoda claimed that he knew nothing about the document that the congressman referred to.

It seems like the emphasis at Toyota, not unlike MANY businesses today, is SOLELY on the bottom line: "GET AS MUCH PROFIT AS YOU CAN. PERIOD." Are quality and safety of the product or service to the CUSTOMER a PRIORITY with MANY businesses today? No.

Does Pulte check what is built under their name to assure that it meets building code requirements and the normal standard of care? No. Is Pulte's "culture" to DELIBERATELY cut corners on a wide scale basis, with the result that their customers are cheated, not getting what they paid for? Yes. (Note that Toyota's and Pulte's defects are largely hidden from normal consumers.)

Does Sembler Co. give a "rat's behind" about the environment? about putting an end to shrimping and crabbing off Riverbend pier? about Sun City? about Beaufort County? about the state of South Carolina (that needs all the sales tax revenues that it can get)? No. No. No. No. No.

There are MANY, MANY more examples of corporate greed with TOTAL disregard for customer safety and welfare.

For all his money I wouldn't want Bill Pulte's legacy. His company sold DEFECTIVE, BUILDING CODE VIOLATING houses on a WIDE SCALE basis to unsuspecting customers to achieve a GREAT bottom line. I hope that he enjoys his golden parachute. IMHO he should be sharing accommodations with Bernie Madoff.
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interesting exchange

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an interesting exchange on http://schhresidents.forumco.com/


"Since when is advertising signs allowed in Sun City? There is a new sales advertising sign on Sun City Blvd. near Sun City Ln. and Del Webb Blvd. as you come into Sun City's 278 main gate. It is advertising a new model with a loft. Does this mean that we, Sun City owners, can now advertise our homes for sale with a for sale sign in our front yards? I thought that the CC&R's rules apply to everyone regarding advertising signs. I guess no one told anybody that real estate signs are now allowed. "


"Ah, Maureen, you know better!! Pulte is the developer and they can do anything they damn well please. You can't have a 2" x 3" American Flag magnet on your garage door, but they can put up a billboard to announce a new model in Reflections, or the Haven, or in Carolina Lakes and there is nothing you or I or anyone can do about it.... except tell everyone and anyone who will listen about the shoddy workmanship......
Wes "


"Nice relationship huh? You no like too BAD."


"Yeah, "nice relationship". Here in Sun City, "what is good for the goose is NOT good for the gander".

Wes,
Tell them PUBLICLY about the shoddy workmanship, AND, the SHABBY treatment. http://peretired.blogspot.com/

Will MOST people here continue to "see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil" while Pulte puts it to them? Why should a SIGN make the difference that ALL of the shoddy construction and shabby treatment up to now HASN'T made?

Insanity is defined as expecting a different result when the SAME thing keeps happening again and again.
Ray"
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Speak up and speak OUT PUBLICLY!

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There are more than 13,000 people in my community. MANY have been victims of Pulte’s shoddy construction. And yet, only a VERY FEW speak out. They could be counted on two hands (probably with a hand to spare!). Why is that?

• Many are afraid of Pulte
• Some have signed a “gag agreement” with Pulte to try to get their shoddy construction problems addressed (even though written warranties don’t specify that homeowners must sign “gag” agreements)
• Many want to pass Pulte's shoddy construction on their house off onto some other unsuspecting buyer. This is dishonest.
• Many are just plain clueless

No matter what the reason for failing to speak out PUBLICLY, their failure plays right into Pulte’s hands. If no one speaks out, then NOTHING will change. As a result, our children, grandchildren, other family and friends, and our fellow citizens will continue to be plagued by shoddy construction and shoddy builders.

There are MANY ways to speak OUT PUBLICLY:

• Post on this website and/or the MANY others devoted to shoddy construction by builders
• Start your own FREE blog (a few minutes on the internet will tell you how)
• Tweet and/or Re-Tweet

On Twitter.com’s homepage the search feature says: “See what people are saying about…” If you type in “Pulte” in "search", then you’ll see MANY pro-Pulte posts. Not surprising. After all, in addition to being the largest house-builder in America, there are MANY others feeding at the Pulte trough: contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, sales persons, real estate agents, consultants, stock brokers, etc.

Fair and balanced? NO! In the interest of “fair and balanced” speak out PUBLICLY: on this website, on other websites, on your own blog, or on Twitter.com. Compose your own "Tweet"; or, "Re-Tweet" someone else's post that you agree with.

Maybe things will eventually change. Your children, your grandchildren, your family and friends, and your fellow citizens will thank you.
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look who's coming to Okatie

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http://www.thestraights.com/poorneighbor.htm
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Dishonest, reckless and arrogant

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http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/84834237.html

"The e-mails and video offer a behind-the-scenes look at the initial chaotic days of the collapse, when residents were clamoring for clear answers but instead received incorrect information from Centex.

“They would not have pulled out if they thought that this was still a dangerous situation,” said Damon Lyles, president of Centex and its parent company, Pulte Homes in San Antonio.

No city officials were invited to the session. But Jill DeYoung, chief of staff for City Councilman Reed Williams, whose district includes Rivermist, managed to get inside. DeYoung said the comments about the departure of the fire department surprised her. “That was something that was said by Centex that was not the case at all,” DeYoung said."
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a message to my neighbors

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Am I wasting my breath? I think so.

Are MOST people here in a self-induced coma, lapping up propaganda, not thinking and speaking for themselves? Yep.


That notwithstanding, lets review the facts:

1. Sembler has proposed a 1.5 MILLION SQ. FT. mega mall in SCHH's front yard.

2. This area doesn’t have the population to support a mega mall.

3. Sembler wants sales tax rebates to build the mall.

4. South Carolina needs ALL the tax $ that it can get.

5. State representatives Herbkersman, Pinckney, and Chalk support this.

6. So do developers, contractors, subcontractors, and Gucci lovers.

7. Struggling local businesses do not.

8. Sembler has a poor track record finishing their projects.

9. The mall will be located in the headwaters of the Okatie estuary.

10. The Okatie is currently polluted.

11. BIG TIME increased stormwater runoff from the mall will be dumped into the Okatie.

12. We KNOW from the May River, and from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, that increased stormwater runoff, even CLEAN stormwater runoff, dilutes saltwater in their natural habitat and drives away oysters, shrimp, and crabs.

13. Sembler’s Okatie Crossings mall will likely mean the end to shrimping and crabbing off Riverbend pier.

14 YOU may not be able to do anything by yourself; however, (here's where I need a REALITY CHECK!), IF WE MAKE SOME NOISE, then WE can send a CLEAR message to Sembler, Herbkersman, Pinckney, Chalk, the South Carolina legislature, Hardeeville, greed mongers, Gucci lovers, et al, what we think of their mega mall in SCHH's front yard that will have MAJOR impacts on SCHH, including traffic, crime, the end of shrimping and crabbing off Riverbend pier, etc.

15. MAKING SOME NOISE means NOT talking among yourselves, but rather putting a sign in your cars and golf carts, writing letters to the editor, using the internet (eg, Twitter.com search word “Okatie”), SPEAKING UP, SPEAKING OUT.

16. I’ve been riding around with signs in my truck for more than 2 weeks. You’re welcome to it. You can download it from here, or you can email me, and I’ll email it as an attachment back to you. Or, you can make your own sign.


REALITY CHECK: As history has shown, MOST in Sun City, even those who profess to be VERY concerned about property values, will be content to sit on the sidelines, lap up the propaganda, and SAY or DO NOTHING, while this boondoggle, with its MANY negative impacts, is built in THEIR front yard. There goes the neighborhood and YOUR property values.
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the mystery on Wainwright

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I typically walk past Wainwright Drive twice each day. Today I took these photos with my cell phone.

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I wonder what’s going on? I don’t know. Those directly affected are all inside with their blinds shut tight.

I wonder how many residents signed gag agreements?

I do know that BIG EQUIPMENT = BIG $.

I wonder who’s paying for this?

I wonder if we’ll get a TYSK from Wentworth?

I wonder if it’ll be on Sun City TV?

I wonder if there will be an article in Sunsations?

Something in our lower mail boxes?

I wonder if they would say that Pulte is paying for it?

I wonder if we can verify that?

LOTS of questions! Don’t hold your breath for answers.
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Aftermath: San Antonio retaining wall collapse

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http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/84174497.html

Centex didn't have a building permit for a 1,000 ft. long, 30 FT. HIGH, retaining wall?!? Are you kidding me?!?

"...we try to hire qualified people."
Not ALL builders "try to hire qualified people".

“In the last few weeks, though, the city has made it abundantly clear that it now requires a permit. After Wednesday's meeting, the city also said it will consider amending the Unified Development Code to include permitting walls during land development.”

Nothing like closing the barn door after the horse ran away.

“San Antonio home builders this week started scrambling to find engineering documents for retaining walls built in the past three years. Home builders have until March 31 to apply for permits — retroactively — for retaining walls higher than 4 feet, and must show that the walls were both designed by an engineer and built correctly.”

A LOT of good that’s going to do! Once a wall is built, how do you know it was built correctly "RETROACTIVELY"? Are they going to excavate the footings to see if they’re the proper size? Are they going to take a jack hammer to the wall to see if it has the proper steel reinforcement? The only way to determine if a retaining wall is INCORRECTLY built "RETROACTIVELY" is when it moves, cracks, or fails completely. TOO LATE!

“I think as we go along and more information becomes available, there will be some adjustments on the fly,” Moore said. “We'll just have to keep working on it.”

Closing the barn door after the horse ran away. This should be a wake-up call for all people who bought new homes and thought that government was doing their job protecting them from cowboy builders.
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Just what we need!

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a 1.5 million sq. ft. mega shopping mall in the headwaters of the Okatie!

I retired here to Sun City Hilton Head, SC to enjoy the natural beauty. Riverbend pier (on the Okatie) is one of the most beautiful spots that I've ever seen. I go there often. When my grandson visits, we go shrimping and crabbing off Riverbend pier. We've enjoyed some WONDERFUL times there!

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Along comes Sembler Company out of Atlanta, GA proposing a 1.5 million sq. ft. mega shopping mall in the headwaters of the Okatie, a mile or so from Riverbend pier.

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources tells us that stormwater dilutes saltwater in saltwater estuaries like the Okatie, and drives the oysters, shrimp, and crabs away. (http://www.dnr.sc.gov/marine/pub/seascience/bluecrab.html).

Developers like to argue that stormwater from their development will be no greater post-development than predevelopment. However, this claim refers to RATE, not VOLUME. For example, the stormwater from an undeveloped site discharges at 10 cubic feet per second for 30 minutes. The discharge from the developed site is 10 cubic feet per second for 5 hours. The RATE of runoff is the same, but the VOLUME of runoff post-development is 10 times the VOLUME of the predevelopment runoff. ANY increase in stormwater VOLUME threatens the oysters, shrimp, and crabs in the Okatie estuary.

Sembler is asking for anywhere between $40 and $130 million in sales tax incentives to build their mega mall in the headwaters of the Okatie. And, politicians and people here are going for it! BRILLIANT!
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Pulte's HUGE propaganda machine

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It's HARD to get the word out!
Pulte's propaganda machine is HUGE:
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• one of the largest builders in the US
  
• ALL of the contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, sales persons, real estate agents, consultants, stock brokers, etc. feeding at the Pulte trough
  
• ALL those who have been victimized by Pulte's shoddy construction and shabby treatment who don't speak out

It's HARD to get the word out.

Pulte's propaganda machine is HUGE!

But the word MUST get out: BEWARE!

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We deserve what we get

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One of my favorite quotes is:
“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.“ Edumund Burke

There are MANY victims of shoddy home construction and shabby treatment by builders, but FEW speak out, even though there are PLENTY of venues to do so:
http://citizensrevoltagainstpulte.blogspot.com/
http://peretired.blogspot.com/
http://www.poorlybuiltbypulte.info/
http://www.hadd.com/
http://www.pissedconsumer.com
http://www.exposingnewhomebuilders.com/
http://www.badbuildersforum.com/
http://newhomesforum.com/
http://implode-explode.com/forum/profile.php

Even FEWER victims of shoddy construction and shabby treatment DO ANYTHING.

If you want more of the same, then do NOTHING.

Get used to shoddy builders, shabby treatment, and inept government inspection. They’re going to be around for a LONG, LONG time.
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more on the San Antonio retaining wall collapse

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http://www.woai.com/news/local/story/Wall-blamed-for-landslide-will-have-to-be/L_uUDxsddEeNZ2icsD_VVg.cspx?rss=68

There's good news and bad news.

The good news is that the City is requiring the wall to be replaced in its ENTIRETY.

The bad news is:
“In the report Sanchez says, "There are multiple reasons why the wall may have failed. It may have been one or a combination of the following reasons:
- Design failure in that the wall was never properly designed in the first place.
- Construction failure in that the wall was not built in accordance with the engineered plans and specifications “

This shows just how poor a job that the City is doing. They don’t know if the wall was designed “in the first place” (and engineering plans for it exist), BUT IF THEY DID, then the City doesn’t know if the wall was built according to the engineering plans (that the City doesn’t know exist or not). HUH?!?

A 30 ft. high retaining wall can have pressures at the base in the order of one TON PER SQUARE FT. Needless to say, with pressures like that the City needs to be monitoring retaining wall design and construction.

BTW, the retaining wall doesn’t know if its in a commercial area or a residential area. If it's designed or constructed inadequately, then it’s going to fail, regardless if it falls on houses or businesses.
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No one is watching

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A friend of mine in Texas recently sent me a link to an article that examines aspects of the San Antonio retaining wall collapse: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/83453952.html

Following is my response to my friend:


VERY good article! Thanks for drawing it to our attention.

There is widespread belief among the general public that government building officials protect them. In reality, government building officials are doing about as good a job protecting the public as government does in other areas: Bernie Madoff, the Christmas airplane bomber, etc.

The result of government’s negligence and failures is that people, like those in Rivermist, get hurt. The resulting void that is left by government’s negligence and failures is filled with chaos and confusion. The article that you reference makes this clear.

In the wake of the Rivermist retaining wall collapse, and the confusion that surrounds it, you even have LAWYERS saying PUBLICLY that the Rivermist wall is repairable. What is there in a LAWYER’s education that makes them structural experts on retaining walls? However, this is the kind of thing that we get when government doesn’t do its job.

This problem isn’t confined to San Antonio or Texas; it’s NATIONWIDE. It’s certainly BIG TIME here in Beaufort County, South Carolina, as is documented in my blog, http://peretired.blogspot.com/

Sadly I’m not very optimistic that things will change. We can blame our government for that, and, since we vote, OURSELVES.
Ray
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Ripoff reports

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http://www.ripoffreport.com/builders-contractors/pulte-homebuilders/pulte-homebuilders-nightmare-724j3.htm

If Pulte is the “Master Builder” that they say that they are, then why are there so many complaints about their houses? And, if Pulte is as concerned with their customers as they say that they are, then why does Pulte require their customers sign “gag” agreements before fixing problems with their houses? And, why does Pulte put mandatory binding arbitration clauses in their sales contracts?

A "Master Builder" does good work.
A “Master Builder” stands by their work.
A “Master Builder” doesn’t make their customers sign “gag” agreements.
A “Master Builder” doesn’t force mandatory binding arbitration on their customers.

Pulte? "Master Builder"? I don't think so.
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Pulte giveth, and Pulte taketh away

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From http://schhresidents.forumco.com/

BOD = community association board of directors
CA = community association
HOA = home owners' association (same as CA)
CC&Rs = community covenants & rules
SCHH = Sun City Hilton Head, South Carolina

"1- Sun City Community Association is a corporation. It is controlled by the BOD, which is absolutely controlled by the developer, Pulte. The BOD hired Wentworth to manage the Community. To put it bluntly, Pulte hired Wentworth and can fire them at its will. Who do you think WEntworth listens to? The resident fees are paid to the CA and the expenses are paid by the CA. That is our money but we do not control it. Pulte does not pay a penny for any unsold lots. They changed the rules about three years ago. Prior to the change, when we reached 90% of build-out, Pulte would have had to pay the fees associated with those lots - about $2,000 per lot."

"Just as a point of clarification.At the currently projected 8267 lots (unless that has changed), 90% would be at 7440 and Pulte would have to pay the annual HOA fee on the remaining 827 lots at the then going rate. If that were to occure when the HOA was $2,000, then the first year it would be $2,000 x 827 or $1,654,000 paid into the operational fund. Paid to what is really the residents. The following year, it would be $2,000 x the remaining unsold lots. Assuming a sales rate at double the 2009 rate of 101 lots, rounded to 200, then the first year would be $1,654,000 and subsequent years would be:

$2,000 x 627 or $1,254,000
$2,000 x 427 or $854,000
$2,000 x 227 or $454,000
$2,000 x 27 or $54,000

So, giving all benefit to Pulte in terms of sales and assuming NO increase in the HOA fees, by changing the CC&Rs to suit themselves, Pulte has screwed us out of $4,270,000 dollars, which at full buildout equals $516.51 per rooftop....Thank you Jon Cherry and Pulte Homes.

Wes "

Jon Cherry was president (Chief Indian Giver) of Pulte's southeast division when he changed the CC&Rs in the name of the GREAT WHITE INDIAN GIVER (Pulte Homes) to cancel Pulte's obligation to the CA of $2,000 per lot for unsold lots.

Pulte giveth, and Pulte taketh away.
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Nuts!

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At the urging of my NR (Neighborhood Representative) I got a wind mitigation inspection. South Carolina has a law that requires insurance companies to provide premium reductions to houses that meet wind mitigation criteria. The inspection report is below.

The inspector found that 28 bolts were missing from the garage door. The manufacturer's specifications (Clopay, #75W5) show 4 bolts in each hinge leaf, which are needed to meet the design wind load (140 mph).

This is not the first time for the garage door. Some time ago the installer came back to adjust the door struts, because they didn't meet manufacturer requirements for a 140 mph door.

The inspector said that, as is his normal procedure, he would contact Pulte. Pulte never came or called. I bought the bolts and put them in myself.

Incremental new house construction, or "buy a new house, and get a fixer-upper"! NUTS!