The office of Riviera Beach City Councilman Glen Spiritis and the city’s police department are investigating complaints from residents of Amrit Ocean Resort on Singer Island, who say they were misled into believing they were buying condominiums that would be eligible for a homestead property tax exemption and not a hotel resort unit that is ineligible for that break.
“We are doing an investigation, and we want to get to the bottom of all of the issues,” said Spiritis, whose district includes Singer Island. “This is horrible. This is not a good situation.”
Residents — many of whom moved from the Northeast and spent millions on what they thought were luxury, oceanside units — recently told Spiritis and his colleagues of a string of maintenance and quality of life problems at Amrit, including sewage problems, faulty fire alarms and leaks in the two-year old complex.
They said they were misled, not only about their ability to get a homestead exemption but also about how life would be for them in Amrit.
“I went to this Amrit, and I was misled,” said Chris Hickey, who moved from New York and runs an artificial information technology company.
“I was promised homestead. I was promised a lifestyle where I didn’t have to worry about septic, sewage. I wouldn’t have to worry about fire alarms. I came here with this unbelievable fantasy that it was an incredible condo.”
The general manager of the Amrit did not return either a telephone call or an email seeking comment on the complaints of the residents.
Amrit’s rocky beginnings in Palm Beach County
The Amrit opened in 2024, after delays and legal challenges overcome by developer Dilip Barot and his firm, Creative Choice Group. Barot has faced multiple lawsuits over the years, though legal entanglements in the building industry happen occasionally.
The Palm Beach Post has been unable to reach Barot. A call to his extension went unanswered, and a reporter could not leave a message because the voice mailbox was full.
Amrit markets itself as “a Luxurious Oceanfront Wellness Oasis on Florida’s Singer Island.”
Many residents, however, said the units were marketed to them as condos, which would make them eligible for the state’s homestead exemption. That exemption reduces a property’s taxable value and caps how much property taxes on it could rise each year.
The homestead exemption can save homeowners thousands of dollars in property taxes, but people who live in a hotel resort unit can’t claim that exemption.
Florida condo units v. hotel resort units and zoning
“We have been defrauded. Three hundred of us here have been defrauded,” David Frank, an Amrit resident, told council members. “We can all read our documents. There was nothing in these documents that implied we were buying a hotel suite. This is wrong, and this should be righted by our government.”
Police Chief Michael Coleman said he has assigned the issue to an investigator who is trying to collect documents related to the marketing and purchasing of Amrit units. City Manager Jonathan Evans said the city staff is working with a consultant hired by residents and is “working towards what is an amicable solution.”
Part of that solution could be changing the zoning of some or all of Amrit’s units, moving them from hotel resort units to condos, which would allow residents to claim a homestead exemption.
There are, however, some challenges with that path. Residents say they were led to believe they were buying a condo, but the complex is zoned as hotel resort.
“Every room in the Amrit is a hotel room,” Spiritis said. “It is not a condominium. It was approved as a hotel. It was built as a hotel.”
As a hotel, the building’s developer was allowed to build more units and have fewer parking spots than if it was a condo complex. The city could be faced with the prospect of changing the building’s zoning without requiring additional parking.
Spiritis has had three town hall meetings with Amrit residents over the past year to hear their complaints and convey the city’s concern.
“The city wants to help the residents,” he said. “We’re going to do everything we can to help them. It may (take a) change in the ordinance, a zoning ordinance change. I’ve discussed it with our building officials and with the city manager.”
Amrit’s interiors in the crosshairs too
Meanwhile, residents are fuming.
Instead of a luxe life in a swank condo, residents say they are living in a shoddy building rife with problems.
Spiritis brought building and fire safety officials to the complex and is pushing to have it re-inspected.
“I saw a lot of the issues,” Spiritis said. “The roof is leaking. Many of the electrical panels are tripping.”
He said residents showed him pictures of human waste seeping from walls.
“Apparently, the sewage drain line broke,” Spiritis said. “This is a brand new building. This shouldn’t be.”
Charlie Bergman said he did not expect the unit he bought in Amrit to be perfect.
“Things happen in homes,” he told council members at their April 15 meeting. “Things happen in condos. But this is beyond anything I’ve ever seen before.”
He added: “Our unit completely flooded this past Saturday night — about an inch of water in 70% of the unit. It’s not livable right now. Nothing like living four months in a brand new condo and having to leave because it’s flooded.”
Bergman challenged council members to act swiftly to address what he said is a potentially dangerous situation.
“It’s right under your nose, council,” he said. “Are you waiting for a major catastrophe before you wake up and do something?”
Wayne Washington is a journalist covering education and Riviera Beach development for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at wwashington@pbpost.com. Help support our work; subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Luxury Singer Island condo owners furious over no homestead tax break
Reporting by Wayne Washington, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
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