Arbomar board, unit owner reach settlement

Three board members of Arbomar condominium agreed to step down in a global settlement with unit owner Pete DiNicola, who sued board members and the condo association in May.

Karen Jennings, secretary of the board of directors, wrote in a Nov. 25 email to unit owners:

“This Thanksgiving, our community can give thanks that a settlement has been reached in the civil lawsuit filed by Mr. Pete DiNicola.”

Board President Walter “Chip” Major, treasurer Judy Spiezio and Bill Baxter have agreed to resign, according to the email. Unit owners Jan McClure, George Romanoff and Esther Cook have agreed to fill the vacancies for the remaining terms.

A joint statement sent to unit owners that DiNicola and board members signed states:

“The global settlement was for the purpose of settling and compromising all disputed claims and furthering the best interests of the Association as a whole. The Parties have agreed that this amicable global settlement does not constitute an admission by the Parties of any wrongdoing or liability.”

DiNicola filed his lawsuit in May in Manatee County, alleging that Major conducted illegal construction work on his and three other units in the condo, including Spiezio’s residence.

The town red-tagged one unit for not having proper documentation, bringing a temporary halt to construction, but later removed the tag and issued permits for all three units.

DiNicola also alleged that board members illegally held meetings in secret and didn’t follow proper procedure when they approved an $8,000-a-unit window project.

For more information, pick up a Dec. 4 issue of the Longboat Observer.

Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected].