You Have Heard of Lennar’s Stuart Miller: But What About Latterner and Rosen

Many of us know Lennar has an option to buy the land outside the Urban Development Boundary (UDB) in Florida City -- FLORIDA CITY COMMONS -- well guess what? Lennar has a partner: ACHC, LLC. And guess who the officers are: Latterner and Rosen. Never heard of them right?

Wayne Rosen and Michael Latterner have given heavily to our County Commission. Their Company, 640 Homestead, own a large block of wetland outside the UDB Line just East of the Florida City Commons property. Latterner and Rosen keep showing up like a bad penny outside the Urban Development Boundary. And, yet these very successful developers remain unknown to most.

Speaking of bad pennies, you might ask how can I think of Lennar in a bad light. After all, haven’t they given the University of Miami $100,000,000. I keep thinking of Lennar as Jessica Rabbit, who said: “Don’t blame me, I am drawn this way.” And, I am reminded of what I told a young girl when her life was shattered when HER priest admitted to the molestation of children. People are not all bad – good people can do bad things. I know, Michael Latterner, Wayne Rosen and Stuart Miller are not bad people. There are photos on-line. They go to fishing tournaments and smile happily. They go to parties with their friends and charity events. They have good children. They have one thing in common: they make a real lot of money and that would be okay as long as they wouldn't make that money destroying our wetlands and environmentally sensitive land. That is a bad thing in my book.

I am sure I would like all of these men, like poor little Maria liked her priest. But just as Maria wished her priest didn’t do anything bad, I sure wish these men would leave our wetlands and environmentally sensitive land alone. I don’t want to feel so conflicted about Miller, Latterner and Rosen. They should make money, and they have, because they are all smart guys. But they have pushed on my boundary. I think about: Where does making money turn into greed?

The question I have: Is why don’t these fellows care about our remaining wetlands? Don't they love Florida like I do? By the pictures of them, it seems like they appreciate the environment: They are fishing, etc.

How can you give so much on one front-- being so darn good -- and then hurt the environment on the other?

Florida City Commons is not going away unless Lennar does the right thing. It is such a big development that it is called a: Development of Regional Impact (DRI). We might see 18,000 people on this land. It is still traveling through the State Agencies with a vengeance. And, if it gets passed: Look to Latterner and Rosen — they aren’t far behind with the development of their wetland purchase of 640 Homestead.