The Lobbyist

The hospitality clearly paid off. By the beginning of 2004, the company had won approval to build several projects worth at least $100 million in Broward. When he walked up to the podium to address the County Commission on May 25, Mijares not only was adept at wooing commissioners but he also considered many -- including Eggelletion, Lieberman, Diana Wasserman-Rubin, and John Rodstrom -- his personal friends.

Mijares didn't come alone. With him was Lieberman's boss at the time, Pinnacle Housing Group President Michael Wohl, and Eggelletion's former employer, Cornerstone President Lenny Wolfe. It isn't known whether United Homes had hired the county commissioner by that time. Eggelletion, skating close to the legal edge, would enthusiastically and unabashedly support all three of them at the meeting. And in so doing, he proved just how questionable his work for them really is.

On the commission agenda that day was an item filed by Rodstrom -- at Wolfe's behest -- to pay $1.2 million to help finance four affordable-housing developments, three of them by Cornerstone and one by Pinnacle. Mijares didn't have a project to tout. He was just there to make a general plea for more development dough.

"With all due respect to you," the United Homes chairman told commissioners, "in Miami-Dade, we have several affordable projects... and [Miami-Dade County] steps up to the plate and gives us $2 million... If [Broward County] cannot in some form or fashion step up to the plate, it's over."

Eggelletion followed Mijares by urging the commission to lobby the state Legislature to pass a law that would allow Broward, like Miami, to levy a new fee on commercial building sales. The millions in proceeds would then go to the developers before the commission. "Dade County had, I believe, $30 million to play with as a result of that," Eggelletion announced. "And they fund a lot of these projects in Dade County [from] that money, and I'm telling you, unless we create another revenue source, we aren't going to get there."

But as the meeting progressed, Rodstrom realized he was making a mistake; he thought his motion was to fund four new projects but learned they had either already been built or were near completion. Not only that but the county had already shelled out $200,000 or more for each one the previous year. In other words, the $1.2 million was headed right into the developers' pockets. "I need to amend my motion because it was not my intent that we would be funding a project that was already under construction," Rodstrom announced to the dismay of the developers.

Eggelletion leaped to the companies' defense, saying they needed more money from the county to make a profit. And, though he contends he no longer works for Cornerstone, he exhibited a continuing expertise of the company's finances during the meeting. "I want y'all to think back, when these projects came before us and we decided to fund them...," Eggelletion said. "The point I'm trying to make is the budget for all these projects ran far over, and [the developers] felt they could come back and get the additional funds they needed."

Mijares also took the podium again, complaining that his colleagues had taken a "massive haircut."

"The developers in this case, there's a good chance they will not make a dime on this project, zero, no developer's fee...," he told Rodstrom. "Now, as you know, no one likes to do a project and not make any money. Nobody."

"But you have to understand the hat I wear, Tony," Rodstrom replied. "And that is that it's not our job as county commissioners to guarantee that developers make money."

Eggelletion disagreed.

"I know the developers probably don't mind if you examine their books," he pleaded. "You're going to see that they are not making money."

He said he wanted the commission to find a way to fund the projects, even if Rodstrom was dropping his motion. "There's no money-making here; there's a loss of money," Eggelletion insisted. "So I don't want these developers to go to other counties because they are losing money."

After Rodstrom killed his motion, Eggelletion made a new one. Admitting that giving the money to developers "doesn't look good," he suggested that the county try to fund the projects in another way. "I would like to see the administrator at least come back with another way to get to this by building a better mousetrap," he said.

At the very time Eggelletion was going to bat for the developers, United Homes had its eyes on one of the largest housing and commercial developments in his district's history: the Lauderdale Lakes town center. And Eggelletion, if he wasn't already on board, would soon join the firm's development team.

Listen to city officials talk about the proposed town center, which will be built near State Road 7 and Oakland Park Boulevard on a 25-acre site that once included a golf driving range and auto auction house:

"It's the biggest project ever in the city's history," avers Neil Appel, the city's purchasing officer. "It will rejuvenate the city."

"This project is going to change the face of Lauderdale Lakes," city manager Taylor states.