It's great to have Homestead Mayor
Steven Bateman as a pal when you don't want to pay a city bill.
Consider the case of Prime Home Builders, a company owned by a family
of real estate developers that has donated more than five grand to
Bateman's re-election campaign.
Prime's owners -- Edward, Fred, and Larry Abbo -- to remove
illegal billboards from properties they owned in Homestead. They
didn't remove the signs for six months, so code enforcement slapped
the firm with a $114,000 fine -- $250 per day that the company
didn't take down the billboards.
According to city documents, a Prime executive met with city leaders June 30, 2010, after a lien was placed on the company's land. A week later, the city agreed to reduce the punishment from $114,000 to $802. A city employee who asked to remain anonymous claims Bateman ordered the fine to be forgiven.