Who Owns Casa Ybel?

This question has been brought up recently in the many discussions on the subject of who is in charge, and who has the financial responsibility in the continual development of Casa Ybel as a resort community.

If you go to http://www.Property-Appraiser.Lee.FL.US  you will find your exact answers. I will quote what the search for 2235 West Gulf Drive, Florida 33957 has to say, these are the Lee County Tax Records. as of today, March 15, 2000.

Buildings A-B-C-D-E: (each with 8 one bedroom units):
named "Cottage Colony West Condo"
Strap 35-46-22-T2-0140A 0010 to
Strap 35-46-22-T2-0140A 0080
Total of 40 individually owned Strap Parcels..
8 one bedroom condos in Building A with each owners registered name. The 1999 Property Tax page gives you each owner’s address, Name, Street, City, State, and Zip, and the property taxes for 1998 and 1999. Also listed is the market, assessed, and taxable Value of the specific property.

The B, C, D and E units, each with 8 one bedroom units are listed the same way with a letter change from A to the letter of the particular building in the strap number. These 5 buildings with each 8 owners make up a list of the detailed address of each of the 40 owners.

Buildings F-G-H-I-J-K: (74 two bedroom units):
named: "Casa Ybel Beach + Racquet Club"
c/o Hilton Grand Vacation Co
6355 Metro West Blvd Ste 180
Orlando, FL 32835
strap 36-46-22-T1-00200 1410
Total of One owned Strap Parcel.
This is the same strap number used by all 74 times 52, or 3848 owners of the 74 two bedroom condos. No further information on ownership is given to the Lee County Courthouse regarding Casa Ybel.
Only one tax bill is issued, and is collected as one bill from Hilton in Orlando each year.

Thistle Lodge Partnership
2255 W Gulf Dr
Sanibel, FL 33957
strap 35-46-22-T2-00020-0000
Total of one owned Strap Parcel.
Described as:
Pt par desc or 1291/1229 + or 1203/784 in sec 35
less CCW Condo + Casa Ybel Ph F-K
owned by Thistle Lodge Partnership
(Editorial: A land area in sec 35 except Cottage Colony West and Casa Ybel buildings F,G,H,I,J and K, no individual owners in the partnership or address other than 2255 W Gulf Drive is given.

This makes a total of 42 Strap Parcels at our 2255 West Gulf Dr 33957 address.

The Values are stated as follows:
1:Cottage Colony West Units each valued at $ 245,000
40 units CCW in 5 buildings valued at $ 9,800,000 or 1.97 Million $ for each building.
The tax bill is: $184,944.40 total

2: Casa Ybel F-K with 74 units in 6 buildings has a $28,731,780 Market, Assessed, and Taxable value.
The tax bill is: $542,223.28 total

3:Thistle Lodge Partnership has a $ 2,297,850 Market, Assessed, and Taxable Value.
The tax bill is: $ 43,364.79 total

Change in value from previous year:

Cottage Colony West: Market value increased $80,000 or 0.82%
Casa Ybel: Market value increased $ 2,873,180 !!!!! or 10.0% !!
Thistle Lodge Partnership: Value decreased $ 19,460 or -0.85%

Share of ownership by value:
Cottage Colony West (CCW) owns 24.0% of total resort.
Casa Ybel Tennis and Raquet Club units F,G,H,I,J and K owns 70.4%.
Thistle Lodge Partners own 5.6% of total resort.
Total value of Casa Ybel Resort: $ 40,829,630

Summary:

1: List of Casa Ybel owner’s addresses is not available from the County.

2: Hilton Grand Vacation is the custodian of our owners list by agreement with the State due to the fact they are our management company. This arrangement saves the County mailing 3848 tax bills out each year.
Hilton collects and pays our taxes as one tax bill.

3: Good news for timeshare owners (FGHIJK). Our share of Casa Ybel is evaluated by resale dollars (after each individual sale), so our average unit value has increased 10% last year

4: It was a terrible mistake for Mariner, our developer, to sell the Restaurant, the front office, the swimming pools, the tennis courts and some parking areas for $ 2 Million Dollars to an outside fourth party.
It should have been offered to the CCW and Casa Ybel (F-K) owners instead.
The Thistle Lodge partnership was sold a non producing part of our resort for a price we the owners could have paid for collectively.
The 2 million paid was only 8% of our total ownership value, or less than 1 years increase in dollar evaluation of our units.

5: The Casa Ybel units are now valued at an average of $7,467 a unit week or $388,267 per furnished condo.
Our value last year increased from $ 6,788 to $ 7,467 as average for all units, or a 2.9 Million total increase for FGHIJK in one year.

6: It is important for owners of Casa Ybel Tennis and Racquet Club and owners of Cottage Colony West to enter into a combined management contract with both Hilton and Thistle Lodge Partners as long as they are both on site.
It is time to stop the in-house competition for our Dollars.

We own 95% of the values at the resort, and 100% of the income producing facilities. It is time for us (and that means our boards) to give some directions and set the course for our precious resort before we hit the rocks. We need a development plan for the combined income producing facilities as well as for the service facilities so that we can improve the resort for the years to come. And only our owners can do this.
And I can’t resist this: We need our web site to communicate about this!

Comments from owners are requested, and will be posted for other owners to read, please give your permission if you wish to be heard.

Carl Appelberg

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Recent correspondence with the Lee County Property Appraiser's Office

Question:  Which department will I find Time Shares listed (under your sale by month) You list condo, hotels, and homes, where would I find time share sales, specifically Casa Ybel Resort. 
Thank you 
Carl Appelberg 
Carl@CasaYbel.com

Answer:  
Dear Mr Appleberg, 
This office does not maintain time share sales or individual weekly ownership. One total value and tax bill is mailed to the Managing Entity. Casa Ybel is managed by Hilton Grand Vacations. They are located at 6355 Metro West Blvd, Orlando, FL. Phone number (407) 521-3168. Locally you may want to contact the Casa Ybel Resort at (941) 472-3145 or Casa Ybel Sales at (941) 472-1531.

If you have any further questions please contact me at (941) 339-6169 or ForbesS@property-appraiser.lee.fl.us 

Sincerely, 
Shelvey Forbes,C.F.E. 
Supervisor Condominium Department 
Lee County Property Appraiser's Office 

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