For more than a decade, North Bay Village Mayor Oscar Alfonso has evaded repeated attempts by city building officials and code inspectors to correct unauthorized construction work at his three bedroom house at 7520 W. Treasure Dr.
And his next-door neighbor James Carter claims Alfonso will continue to thumb his nose at the city as long as he remains in office. "He has no respect for the law," Carter says.
In 2004, Alfonso, a director for
Primerica Financial Services, was elected to the city commission of the tiny,
three-island community on the John F. Kennedy Causeway. Four years later, he
won the mayor's seat. He rose to the top of the village's political summit
despite showing a total disregard for the city's building code.
For example, on
April 17, 2002, the city's building official declared his house an "unsafe
building." The following year, his residence was again cited as unfit to live
in. Why he's been allowed to continue living there remains a mystery, Carter
says.
City Manager Matthew Schwartz tells Riptide the city is finally cracking down on Alfonso. "He has until March 19 to pass final inspection," Schwartz explains. "When it comes to code enforcement of elected officials, you have to be more stringent."
Even if Alfonso, who declined to comment, gets his house up to code, he might still be forced out. As I reported before, Allied Mortgage & Financial Corp., which loaned him $550,000, is seeking foreclosure. According to the firm's complaint, filed July 18, 2008, Alfonso has not made a monthly payment since March that year. What's more, he has not paid $9,926 in property taxes owed for 2008 and 2009.
But that's nothing compared to what the mayor owes Uncle Sam. On February 18 last year, the IRS slapped him with a lien for failing to pay $223,886 in income taxes from 2000 to 2004.
Read Alfonso's building code violations below:
North Bay Village Mayor Oscar Alfonso's building violations
