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Retired school principal Frank Muehlheausler and his wife Karen save up every year so they can afford to escape St. Louis' freezing temperatures and spend a couple of months in Florida.
The Muehlheauslers used VRBO, as they had in years past, to reserve a condo on a Sarasota golf course for January and February. The couple paid a $5,700 deposit for the first month’s rent plus the VRBO fee of $795.
Frank and Karen’s excitement over their winter break turned to worry in December after the host, Houzlet, an online property management platform that posted the listing on VRBO, canceled their reservation. The email said the property would not be available due to a family emergency.
“They gave us a list of places that we could choose from, and I said no," Frank told us. "I said I don't want that. I want my money back.”
VRBO quickly returned their $795 fee, and Houzlet agreed to process the $5,700 deposit but never did. Frank did some digging and found the listing was a fake.
The realtor who represents the property owner confirmed to ABC Action News that the condo is for sale, and the seller did not list it as a vacation rental with Houzlet.
Houzlet manages the listing and booking for property owners. In December 2022, VRBO and Houzlet announced a partnership that allowed Houzlet to list rental properties on VRBO.
The Better Business Bureau has issued an alert for Houzlet after receiving dozens of complaints like Frank and Karen’s, and ABC Action News found 41 complaints filed with the Florida Attorney General's office under active review.
ABC Action News asked VRBO about Frank’s refund and the patterns of complaints connected to Houzlet listings on their site. The company said in an email.
We are no longer working with Houzlet and are not offering their properties on our sites. If a traveler's stay has been canceled by Houzlet and they have not received a refund, we recommend they file a chargeback request with their bank in order to recoup any outstanding funds. In the event a chargeback request is not successful, the traveler may reach back out to Vrbo customer support so that we can assist with next steps.
Days after we asked both VRBO and Houzlet about Frank and Karen’s refund, their credit card company reversed the charge.
ABC Action News repeatedly emailed Houzlet for a comment regarding the pattern of complaints. The company said its legal department would respond. We have yet to hear back.
VRBO stops taking Houzlet rental listings after consumers complain about cancellations (Video)
Video about this from the link below (This video has to be watched on YouTube):
Last week, TBT published a follow-up investigation regarding a lucrative human resources consulting contract that was awarded by Manatee County Government to a politically connected individual whose company does not appear to have any relevant qualifications for such work. While little that the MCG or its board does these days manages to pass the smell test, this looks like one of the most brazen boondoggles yet.
Last August, a procurement agreement for a human resources assessment and other consulting services with Secure HR LLC was approved by Manatee County Commissioners as a consent agenda item, meaning it was not discussed before the public. Secure HR LLC is owned by Dennis Cooley, a friend and contributor to several Manatee County Commissioners and former Florida House of Representatives candidate.
Additionally, Cooley founded the Manatee Herald, a website that seems to exist primarily to promote propaganda favorable to county commissioners who have the seal of approval of the local developer cabal (he's since turned it over to Bob Spencer, another developer mouthpiece). Cooley's background seems to be primarily in employee leasing services and insurance, and he does not seem to have any experience with doing HR assessments and consulting, and certainly not for large enterprises or government entities.
^^^^great post, article, & investigative reporting...kudos to all for bringing this into the public eye.
I don't live in Manatee County anymore, but if I did, I wouldn't vote for any of these Board of Commissioners again, unless 1 or 2 of them was found to be against this corruption.
The airport remains grateful to the flying public for its patience with all the expansion and improvement projects that continue all around the facilities at Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport. The passenger traffic numbers for the first two months of 2024 reinforce the need for these projects currently underway at the airport.
The first two months of 2024 have seen over 825,000 passengers use SRQ. In March the airport will easily exceed 500,000 passengers, bringing the three-month total to over 1,300,000 passengers. When you consider that in 2018 this was the total for the entire year, the projects cannot be completed soon enough.
Just as in horse racing when the field is entering the final turn and heading to the finish line, the airport’s extensive expansion projects are also rounding the final turn and the finish line is in sight. With nine significant expansion projects underway, at a cost of over $200 million, the SRQ experience will remain convenient.
The projects include two new surface public parking lots, an expansion of the employee parking lot, a new cellphone lot, a new ground transportation center, two expansions of air carrier ramps to accommodate airline overnight parking positions, a new baggage inspection system, remodel of the existing Terminal B, and addition of a new five-gate ground boarding Terminal A.
Presently, the cellphone lot, one new public parking lot, and one new airline ramp are complete and open. The remodel of Terminal B is 90% complete, including family and added restroom upgrades, as well as new display screens, carpeting and seating.
A new baggage screening system should start performance testing by May, which includes the latest technology available from the Transportation Security Administration. The Ground Transportation Center is due to be completed by early fall and will provide patrons with covered waiting areas and drivers with a lounge area.
The additional public parking facility should be completed by summer as well. Finally, the employee parking expansion and new Terminal A should be complete by December of this year.
We couldn't agree more with the guest column by Florida historian Rick Kilby (“Don’t demolish Warm Mineral Springs’ historic buildings," March 21).
The Warm Mineral Springs complex holds enormous archaeological, recreational, geological and historical significance. The three city-owned buildings on the site are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the clock is ticking as North Port leaders pursue demolition of the hurricane-damaged complex.
The city commission may feel it is out of options as a public-private partnership collapsed earlier this year.
The federal Community Development Block Grant Disaster Relief funds awarded by Housing and Urban Development to Sarasota County were intended for rehabilitation projects such as this one; unfortunately, North Port missed the deadline to receive this money.
But we believe there are other viable options to help preserve the complex and the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation stands ready to help.
Dave Baber, president, Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation, Sarasota
Based on the reception it received at a March 21 town hall, North Port officials need to settle several open-ended aspects of its proposal to build a new police station if they want voters to approve borrowing $35 million needed to help finance construction.
City officials want to build a $122.7 million police station by piecing together funding from a variety of sources, with one, a $35 million bond issue to be repaid through a dedicated property tax, that must be approved by city voters on the Nov. 5 ballot.
Another $50 million would come from deferring projects that had been planned to be paid for through a local sales tax, the largest of which is Phase Two of widening Price Boulevard.
Potential sales of city owned properties could bring available funds up to $100.6 million.
Realistically, the city must nail down a concrete scope and project cost for the station before the Nov. 5 referendum.
City commissioners will meet with the board of the North Port Area Chamber of Commerce on April 2,\ to see if the business group is willing to help publicize the referendum.
While North Port officials can explain the need for a bond issue prior to the referendum, state law precludes them from urging residents to vote in favor of the project.
Most of the people who asked questions at the town hall – either in person or online via Facebook – had basic inquiries, such as whether less expensive options had been explored, if the station could be built in phases, the use of the existing building, whether smaller buildings could be purchased for substations and what properties would be sold to help pay for the facility.
The Gulf Coast Community Foundation has approved a $1 million grant that has been doubled by anonymous donors to create a $2 million matching challenge for The Bay Park in downtown Sarasota.
The funding will be used to support the design and development of a new resilient shoreline as well as free park programming.
“The Bay is fully aligned with Gulf Coast’s priority areas of water quality and access to green spaces, and there is also substantial research that proves the positive impact of access to green space on our mental health, which is another top priority of Gulf Coast Community Foundation,” Gulf Coast president Phillip Lanham said. “Please join us in support of The Bay, our ‘one park for all’ that is open and accessible, free and welcoming for everyone to enjoy.”
A wrong-way driver was killed and a 23-year-old Bradenton woman was critically injured in a crash on Interstate 75 in Manatee County early Sunday morning, Florida Highway Patrol said in a news release.
The wreck happened at 1:52 a.m. on I-75 South, about a mile south of the Manatee/Hillsborough county line, FHP said.
Troopers say that a 32-year-old man from Wimauma was driving a sedan north in the southbound lanes of Interstate 275. He then entered the southbound lanes of I-75 and continued driving the wrong way, where he crashed head-on into the Bradenton woman's car, FHP said.
A sedan driven by a 29-year-old Saint Cloud man then hit the back of the Bradenton woman's car.
The Wimauma man died at the scene, FHP said.
The Bradenton woman was flown to Tampa General Hospital with critical injuries. Her passenger, a 42-year-old Bradenton man, had minor injuries.
The Saint Cloud man was uninjured, FHP said.
An investigation of the crash continued on Sunday.
A bunch of Sarasota restaurants were recently featured in The New York Times for the publication's popular "36 Hours" travel series. However, not a single place specialized in pizza, because I guess New Yorkers assume that good pizza does not exist south of Staten Island — and that's just silly.
We have lots of outstanding pizzerias in Sarasota and Bradenton, including ones specializing in New York and Chicago-style pizza pie.
All the feedback we received from our list of the best restaurants for pizza in Sarasota and Manatee counties, published in February, resulted in our current March Madness-style Best Pizza Challenge. It started March 4 with voting on a Sweet 16 bracket. Last week, voting on the Final Four took place, with pizzerias competing from Sarasota and Manatee counties. Now, it’s time for you to decide which pizzeria will be crowned the champion.
Voting begins today and ends at 2 p.m. Thursday, March 28. The champion will be announced Monday, April 1, and we promise, no foolin’!
Manatee County residents will get to weigh in on the proposed expansion of Erie Road in Parrish.
The county plans to hold a meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday to get comments and feedback on the project at Parrish United Methodist Church, 12180 US Highway 301 N., Parrish. There will be no formal presentation, but staff will be available to answer questions and accept feedback.
The meeting will focus on the design plans for the project, which will widen about one mile of Erie Road, from Martha Road to U.S. 301, from two lanes to four lanes. The construction will include a path on the south side of Erie Road and a crosswalk signal at Martha Road.
County officials say the widened road will reduce traffic congestion in the growing Parrish area.
Other improvements include street lighting and better drainage. Construction is expected to start this spring and be completed by the end of 2025.
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