In our previous post, Mary, Queen of ̶S̶c̶o̶t̶s̶ North Miami, we told you about some of North Miami Councilwoman Mary Estimé-Irvin’s deadbeat ways.
Apparently, we were just scratching the surface.
The $1,326,066.24 Notice of Federal Tax Lien filed by the Internal Revenue Service on July 13, 2018 is only one of a trail of unpaid bills that Mary has left in her wake of financial destruction.
The Taxman Cometh
We finally also dug up the other Federal Tax Lien filed on April 19, 2017 in the amount of $77,665.64 that was referred to in Taylor Darden’s first blog post.
As of now, Mary Estimé-Irvin’s total outstanding bill to the federal government is a whopping $1,403,731.88 … and growing. The penalties and interest she’s racking up on this debt are going to be astronomical when the IRS gets done with her.
But, here’s something we found even more interesting.
Three months before the IRS filed the $1.3 million Federal Tax lien she transferred title of her home on May 2, 2018 by Quitclaim Deed to VWC LLC, a Florida Limited Liability company.
We can’t help but wonder if she did this to avoid having the IRS attach the Federal Tax Lien to her home, or if there was some other, more nefarious, reason for her doing so. Could it be the result of some private dealings that Mary conveniently failed to disclose? While only time will tell, here’s what we already know.
A Deal with the Devil
Mary purchased her home located at 155 NE 131 Street, North Miami with cash for $154,000.00 on August 26, 2014. She somehow managed to pay the real estate taxes for 2014 and once again in 2015.
Then she completely dropped the ball.
According to the Miami-Dade County Tax Collector, Mary did not pay her real estate taxes for the years 2016 in the amount of $2,453.45 or 2017 in the amount of $2,610.34.
By not paying her real estate taxes, Mary Estimé-Irvin literally stole money not only from the City of North Miami, but all the other government agencies which already budgeted that ad valorem revenue in order to keep running. Those agencies include Miami-Dade County, Miami-Dade School Board, South Florida Water Management, and the Children’s Trust.
Keep in mind that when property owners refuse to pay their taxes, they’re not just sticking it to some amorphous government agency. They are actually defrauding their own neighbors.
Needless to say, those ad valorem taxes have to come from somewhere.
So the Miami-Dade County Tax Collector is required by Florida Statute 197.402 to advertise and hold an annual Tax Certificate Sale 60 days after the date of delinquency or June 1, whichever is later. The tax certificates are then sold by auction to a third party certificate holder who pays the delinquent property taxes.
If, after two years, the property owner doesn’t pay the taxes, collections fees and advertising costs in order to redeem the tax certificates, the certificate holder may file a Tax Deed Application to initiate a tax deed foreclosure sale, per Florida Statute 197.502.
Despite her delinquent tax bills for 2016 and 2017, Mary Estimé-Irvin was still able to make some sort of financial deal with VWC LLC in order to transfer the title of her home to this company. We know this because she listed VWC LLC as a creditor on her 2018 Form 1 Statement of Financial Interests filed with the City of North Miami and Miami-Dade County on July 1, 2019.
Oddly, she also declared as an asset the house located at 155 NE 131 Street despite the fact that she was no longer the owner of record as of 2018.
Since VWC LLC did not record a mortgage on the property, we have no way of knowing the amount that Mary borrowed, but we do know she didn’t use it to pay off her real estate tax debt.
In fact, in addition to her 2016 and 2017 tax debt, the taxes for the year 2018 are also now delinquent, and the 2019 taxes are now due as well.
But that’s not the worst of it.
Because she’s not exactly a rocket scientist, when Mary Estimé-Irvin transferred the title of her home to an unrelated company in 2018, she lost her homestead exemption. As a result, the property taxes on the house located at 155 NE 131 Street increased from $2,653.86 to $6,621.97, or an astronomical 250%!
The total amount due to the Miami-Dade County Tax Collector just to pay off the past due property taxes is $11,687.51. Add that amount to the current taxes due of $6,621.97 and, as the new title holder of this property, VWC LLC is now in debt to the tax collector for a grand total of $18,309.48.
We certainly hope its private deal with Mary Estimé-Irvin was worth it.
Unfortunately, if the folks at VWC LLC ever expect to collect even the first penny from her, they’ll have to take a number and wait in line.
Isn’t it ironic?
First in line is the City of North Miami, which filed not one, but two Code Enforcement liens against her property.
The first was for an Animal Control Code Violation on June 30, 2015, and the second was for a False Alarm Code Violation on July 24, 2015. For these code violations, Mary was fined $100.00 and $150.00, respectively, plus interest and other costs.
Here it is nearly four and a half years later, and there have been no satisfactions of these liens filed among the public records of Miami-Dade County. Thus, we can safely assume Mary has not bothered to pay them.
While these fines are negligible, the bigger issue is that Mary committed these violations while she was a member in good standing of the Planning Commission and the Board of Adjustment, both of which are quasi-judicial boards for the City of North Miami.
According to Chapter 29, North Miami Zoning Code, Article 2. – DECISION-MAKING AND ADMINISTRATIVE BODIES, with respect to both the Planning Commission and the Board of Adjustment, “No member or alternate shall serve if that person is obligated to the city for any recorded lien, fine, judgment or if there is a code enforcement violation which has remained unresolved for sixty (60) days or more, without an appeal being taken by the violator.”
Ironically, by allowing Code Violator Mary Estimé-Irvin to serve on these two decision-making quasi-judicial boards, the City of North Miami violated its own Zoning Code.
As such, it is our opinion that each and every decision made by either the Planning Commission and/or the Board of Adjustment from the time Mary’s code enforcement liens remained unresolved for sixty (60) days or more should immediately be declared null and void. If you believe you were negatively affected by any such decision, we humbly suggest you contact the City Attorney and demand a rehearing.
Just saying.
More importantly, if Code Violators are prohibited from serving on the quasi-judicial boards, shouldn’t they also be prohibited from serving on the City Council?
Just asking.
“Judgments for thee, but not for me!”
In addition to refusing to pay her Code Enforcement fines, Mary Estimé-Irvin also seems to think that she’s not responsible for her medical bills, either.
As we already mentioned, on July 10, 2017 Mary Estimé-Irvin was served with a Miami Dade County Statement of Claim for “medical services not paid” in the amount of $1,926.80. Since she refused to pay her debt, the Court entered a Default Final Judgment on August 29, 2017.
Then there’s the $9,262.16 worth of fines she’s racked up for a baker’s dozen of campaign finance violations she incurred while running for office three times.
We emailed the Florida Elections Commission to ask if Mary has settled that debt, and we were advised by return email that these fines are still outstanding.
Considering that Mary Estimé-Irvin already owes a whopping $1,403,731.88 to the federal government and $18,309.48 in past due real estate taxes, not to mention her relatively small $250.00 in Code Violation fines and the $1,926.80 hospital bill, if you actually believe that she’ll ever pay the $9,262.16 she owes to the Florida Elections Commission, we have one heck of a deal for you.
Mary goes to college 🤣🤣🤣
In addition to VWC LLC, Mary Estimé-Irvin also listed as a creditor on her 2018 Form 1 Statement of Financial Interests an entity called Fedloan, with an address of PO Box 69184, Harrisburg, PA 17105. Fedloan Servicing is a government-run company that services student loans.
We have no idea how much money she borrowed for college, but we certainly find it amusing that Mary still has student loans at the tender age of 48.
We find it even funnier that this dimwit was actually accepted into college in the first place. Her campaign website boasts that “[s]he studied Management and International Business at Florida International University,” but makes no mention that she ever earned a degree.
Most hilarious of all is that the lenders at Fedloan Servicing probably expect a return on their investment.
As an aside, her website also claims that “Mary is a fan of travel.”
YA THINK?
Less than six months in office, and she’s already spent $8,041.61 globetrotting around the country on taxpayer dime!
(More on that in a future blog.)
In the meantime, however, we suggest that North Miami Councilwoman Mary Estimé-Irvin’s creditors start lining up like Publix deli customers with their numbered tickets in hand.
We wish them much luck trying to get their money back.
Stephanie
Fabulous new look, Stephanie. This blogging is very complex and time-consuming. Yours are incredibly well-researched and presented. Thanks for keeping us in the loop. But how do we get rid of these parasites once they get into office?
Happy New Year.
How do you get rid of them? That’s the $1.4 million question, isn’t it?
Obviously, the easiest way would be to vote them out of office. Unfortunately, as you probably know, it’s extremely difficult voting out an incumbent once they get in. Combined with a low-information electorate who easily fall for promises of “free” turkeys, subsidized water and sanitation bills, and other taxpayer-funded giveaways in exchange for votes, not to mention rampant voter fraud … well, you get the picture.
To make matters worse, most normal people who would make excellent quality candidates, and who actually work for a living instead of sucking off the government teat for their “service,” don’t have the time or patience to put up with the bullshit it takes to run for office in North Miami.
In the case of corruptocrats like Mary Estimé-Irvin, the best North Miami residents can hope for is that she’ll get removed from office after getting arrested for tax fraud or some other illegal hare-brained scheme. Hey, it happened to Frantz Pierre, so there’s that.
Keeping fingers crossed.
It appears since (4) four or our Bay Harbor Council members previously had businesses (including “sharing” a law office) in North Miami, before being “appointed” or “voted” into office, how else could they have learned of making it “extremely difficult voting out an incumbent once they get in,” except by an experienced neighbor (North Miami)?
How do you get rid of them? “The Town of Bay Harbor Islands referred its former attorney of 43 years to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement on Tuesday amid allegations that he fleeced a client out of more than $4 million, in part by abusing his position with the town?”
(12-18-2019 Miami Herald by Aaron Leibowitz).
Thank you. You are soooo good. Because you all these politicians think twice. Some of them don’t care. It is so good to have out there !
Why is she still on the NM Council. You would think our City would want a stand up person. After reading this article, why aren’t the voters in her district holding a special election to give her the boot!
What places did she visit on tax payers money that benefited the City of North Miami. The City must require a written explanation of her travel and how it benefited the City. Wait I just saw the City’s CASH COW on 125 Street. I’ll see if I can get funds to travel and not pay back.
She tools around in her district in a city SUV with a driver. I guess it makes her look important.
Is it no surprise that the registered agent for VWC is Frank Wolland?
Why do elected officials in any city in Miami-Dade County have a driver? I understand they each have their own assistant as well in North Miami. Who do they really think they are? How much work do they do to afford these luxuries? I suppose the City of Miami, because of its size may need assistants, but drivers? The Miami Herald really needs to write about this, although you might have a larger readership, Stephanie.