As we reported in our previous blog, Duke Sorey’s shady Red Garden-style of “management,” Part 1, North Miami Beach City Manager Arthur “Duke” Sorey secretly planned to sell off the City’s 10.06-acre property where the Arthur J. Snyder Tennis Center is located.

We also mentioned that, according to its Agenda Packet, the City’s Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) is holding a Board Meeting at 4:00 PM on Tuesday, August 16, 2022 for the purpose of, among other things, authorizing the CRA Board “to enter into an agreement with Clarke Smart Solutions (“Clarke”) for the provisions of event planning and productions services for the Pre-Solicitation Launch Event for the Development of the Judge Arthur Snyder Tennis Center and Daniel Dieffenbach Park.”

Since the CRA’s Agenda was not posted on the City’s website as of yesterday morning the public had no way of knowing what was on the Agenda, or even that there was a meeting at all.

So much for transparency.

For some really weird reason, the Agenda was posted yesterday morning at 10:26 AM — EXACTLY 27 MINUTES AFTER OUR BLOG WAS POSTED.

But, we’re sure VotersOpinion had absolutely nothing to do with it.

Furthermore, an Updated Agenda was posted yesterday at 3:44 PM, which includes the missing “Exhibit A” to the Clark Smart Solutions Agreement.  More on that in a moment.

In any event, we promised you the dirt on Clarke Smart Solutions, and unlike politicians, we always keep our promises.

We find it super sketchy that Duke Sorey plans to pay Clarke Smart Solutions up to $94,000 “for the provisions of event planning and productions services for the Pre-Solicitation Launch Event for the Development of the Judge Arthur Snyder Tennis Center and Daniel Dieffenbach Park,” according to the CRA RESOLUTION NO. 2022-07 attached to the Agenda.

Seriously!

Who charges NINETY FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS to plan a 2-1/2 hour event?

And more importantly, why would Duke Sorey even consider paying such an amount?

Unless, of course, there was something in it for him.

Just saying.

As we also mentioned in our earlier blog, Duke intended this event to be a private meeting for developers only, away from the prying eyes of the North Miami Beach taxpayers who are funding this event.

It’s not so private anymore, so there’s that.

Just saying.

Since public records aren’t the only things being kept from the public, we decided to do our own due diligence and tell you all about the company that’s going to get $94,000 of your tax dollars.

Clarke Smart Solution’s website boasts, “Our job is to understand what you do as a business and build cost-effective strategies that place you in front of your ideal clients. We create custom solutions designed to address your specific needs. No cookie cutter strategies here. We’ve spent over 30 years in the corporate world before becoming a full service agency, which basically means we know people, understand trends and technology, and will make the development of your custom marketing strategy your smartest investment.”

Nowhere does it mention that Clarke Smart Solutions is an event planning company.

And yet, Duke is going to pay this company $94,000 to plan an event?

Something just doesn’t add up here.

Then again, it all goes back to Duke’s Red Garden Sinkhole in North Miami, and his plan to dig his way out of it.  He came up with the idea to sublease the property for development and operation to a company called XLACED, LLC.  At the time, the company was owned by Aston McEwan, as President, and Jeanclaude Villarson, as Managing Member, according to its 2021 Annual Report filed April 24, 2021.

At the September 21, 2021 North Miami City Council Meeting, the Mayor and Council voted to approve a Resolution to enter into a Sublease and Operating Agreement for the Operation of the Red Garden Site dated December 6, 2021.  As an exhibit to the Sublease, Aston McEwan attached three references beginning on page 41.  The reference on page 42 of the Sublease was a letter from Martin Clarke as CEO of Clarke Smart Solutions, in which he “vouched for their dedication to professionalism and accountability.”

Interestingly, on the 2022 Annual Report for XLACED, LLC, two new Managing Members were added to the company, Martin Clarke and Stacy Clarke, his wife.

Isn’t that interesting?  Who knew that Mr. Clarke’s “recommendation” to the North Miami City Council on behalf of XLACED, LLC would turn out to be advantageous to himself as well?

Despite the fact that the North Miami Beach CRA Resolution 2022-17 states that Clarke Smart Solutions “has a proven track record of more than 20 years of planning and production of events in the South Florida area,” this company is the registered Fictitious Name of URBAN PULSE DIRECT L.L.C., which was filed in 2016 — only 6 years ago.

Martin Clarke is associated with a total of 13 different companies, but only 4 are active, and the rest of them were dissolved years ago.  One of those active companies, the NOMI VILLAGE, LLC, was formed on February 15, 2022 with the same four partners in XLACED, LLC, and has the same North Miami address of 660 NW 125 Street.

Of real concern is that his wife/business partner, Stacey Clarke filed for Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, not once, but twice.  She filed in 2014 and again in 2016, both of which discharged a combined total of $162,000 in debt.  His other business partner, Grant McGaugh also filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy in 2011 and again in 2020, which discharged nearly $1,700,000 in debt.

We would be leery of doing business with individuals who can’t manage their own personal finances.

Just saying.

So, let’s get back to that Updated Agenda, which would never have been posted if to weren’t for Commissioner Barbara Kramer, who has been persistently dogging Duke and his staff for more information on this $94,000 “Pre-Solicitation Launch Event.”

Beginning at page 25 of the Updated Agenda, you will see the presentation that was submitted to the City by Clark Smart Solutions, starting with a cover sheet displaying an elegantly set table.

You already know you’re in for something extravagant.

Until you scroll down a page and see the glaring typo.

Too bad they don’t pride themselves on their ability to proofread a 14 page document.

Or their ability to professionally format a visual presentation so that entire paragraphs aren’t cut off in the middle only to continue on the next page.

It gets worse.

In case you’re wondering exactly what you’ll be getting for your hard-earned $94,000, wonder no more.

The final three pages of the sloppily cobbled together presentation spells out exactly that!

Is this a joke?

$94,000 to plan a private, an invitation only for 300 lucky guests that aren’t you?

And that price doesn’t even include food estimated to cost another $25,000?

Or booze that will cost who knows how much more?

Seriously, IS THIS A FREAKING JOKE?

Folks, this is supposed to be a taxpayer-funded government agency event, not a Bar Mitzvah for Donald Trump’s grandson!

And North Miami Beach residents will end up footing the bill!

Bottom line is that from beginning to end this entire deal is so fishy it smells like the red tide washed up on the Gulf Coast beaches.

Sorta like the stench of corruption at City Hall.

If you’re furious about this, as you should be, please try to make every effort to attend the CRA Board Meeting today at 4:00 PM and tell them how YOU, the taxpaying residents, feel about this outrageous waste of YOUR money.

North Miami Beach residents, you can’t say we didn’t warn you.

The only way to stop the out of control spending, the lack of transparency, and the rampant corruption in your City is to vote these Criminal Commissioners out of office.

Starting with Paule Villard on November 8, 2022!

Elections have consequences.

Stephanie