Allegations of Theft and Mismanagement at Windmill Lakes Condominium
A longtime resident on the Windmill Lakes Condominium Neighborhood in Pembroke Pines, Florida, describes how the advanced’s property supervisor operated like a dictator for over a decade, permitting upkeep issues to worsen whereas allegedly diverting funds from the householders affiliation.
Michael Christopher Curtis, 38, faces costs in three felony instances for purportedly embezzling lots of of hundreds of {dollars} from rental associations in Broward County. The nameless resident, who has lived there for greater than 20 years, notes that Curtis took over administration in 2014 after beforehand working for the prior firm, TD Sunshine.
Earlier than his appointment, Curtis had accused the earlier supervisor of theft. Neighborhood members, acquainted with him, seen it as a optimistic change. Nevertheless, transparency shortly eroded. ‘I had normal questions, and he’d say, “Don’t be concerned, I bought it,”‘ the resident remembers. ‘I used to be smelling one thing that was not proper.’
Declining Facilities and Monetary Considerations
Residents contributed to fund a brand new gate that by no means materialized. The clubhouse and outside pool have remained closed for years, with seen mould and mildew overlaying the pool space’s concrete surfaces. ‘We have been all paying $300 a month, and we weren’t getting something however the garden reduce,’ the resident explains. ‘You’ve gotten all of those unit homeowners paying and you don’t have anything, no facilities in anyway, not even a swimming pool.’
No board elections occurred for years, in accordance with the resident and confirmed by the Pembroke Pines Police Division following Curtis’s arrest. Melissa Mendez served as the only board member and president, appointed by Curtis. ‘We did not vote [Mendez] in. No one voted for her, however she appeared because the president,’ the resident states. ‘He had us in a dictatorship just about for years. We had no voice.’
Enterprise information point out Mendez nonetheless leads boards for 2 of the 5 subdivisions at Windmill Lakes. The resident’s subdivision now operates with an unbiased board and now not makes use of Curtis’s providers.
Particulars of the Alleged Fraud
A possible trigger affidavit reveals Curtis cashed over 350 checks by forging signatures of former HOA board members at Windmill Lakes. These former members, together with one who offered his residence in December 2019, supplied sworn statements denying any involvement. The checks, totaling greater than $1 million, benefited Curtis’s corporations. Investigators confirmed almost $600,000 as fraudulent, in accordance with Amanda Conwell, public info officer for the Pembroke Pines Police Division.
The multi-year probe began from resident complaints. Proof additionally contains lapsed insurance coverage protection and fabricated administration charges of $46,000. Curtis pleaded not responsible to first-degree grand theft and two counts of felony use of non-public identification info.
In two extra Broward County instances, prosecutors accuse Curtis of stealing over $500,000 from different condos, together with insurance coverage funds for Hurricane Irma damages in 2017. On December 16, 2020, he issued an $87,500 test from the Colonies II Condominium Affiliation to his agency, BDM Property Administration, then cashed it at a facility for a $1,750 charge to obscure the transaction, state investigators declare.
Almost a yr earlier, he allegedly took $439,000 from Fairways of Dawn’s insurance coverage proceeds. In October 2025, a jury dominated in favor of Curtis and BDM in that case, discovering no breach of fiduciary responsibility.
Authorized Penalties and Denials
Curtis’s third arrest stems from these disputes. His lawyer, Elias R. Hilal, states, ‘That is Mr. Curtis’s third arrest, tied to the identical private vendettas and the identical underlying dispute. He unequivocally denies wrongdoing, and we will probably be litigating aggressively to defend his identify. When the proof is laid out, the allegations received’t maintain.’
On January 7, 2026, the First District Courtroom of Enchantment revoked Curtis’s neighborhood affiliation supervisor license, in addition to that of BDM Property Administration. This bars him from managing condos, HOAs, or cooperatives in Florida.
