This is in response to the article printed in the April 23 issue of the Plant City Observer.
CLC started servicing WLCA around 2008, and from our first day on the property, you couldn’t help being overwhelmed with the size and beauty of this community. From the walking trails to the parks tucked back in the Hammocks and Silverwood, to the lake park that provides fishing, nature walking trails, and a playground. In my 40 years in this industry, I haven’t seen anything like this amazing community.
Our contract was renewed again around 2011 for three years, 2014 for three years again in 2017, and finally in 2019 for 20 years. CLC received five contract renewals from five different Boards.
The 2019 contract was an 8-0 approval with one abstention; the contract was reviewed by each Board member to recommend changes. The contract was signed by the Vice President Sharon Philbin at the direction of the President Michael Fiaschetti.
This process took between two and three months with extensive legal review from both sides. I still have all the emails and recently reviewed each email to be certain there were no objections to the execution of the agreement.
Here are some facts that maybe you didn’t know about the 2019 contract.
• The contract amount will never increase; there is no cost-of-living increase, that is standard for most contracts. This saves WLCA approximately $100,000.00 over the life expectancy of the contract.
• Irrigation repairs such as controllers, valves, heads, PVC, and miscellaneous parts are included in this contract. No charge unless irrigation is modified or a new irrigation is installed. This saves WLCA an estimated $250,000.00 in repair costs over the life of the contract.
• No fuel or material surcharge in this contract; most contracts fluctuate when prices increase.
CLC’S rebuttal to the unnamed residents who made false statements at the Walden Lake HOA board meetings and on social media.
CLC and WLCA entered the 7th addendum on January 1, 2025. CLC took over the outside facilities and staff. In the 7th addendum, all landscape installations are done at cost plus 20%, labor is provided at no additional charge, and material receipts must be submitted with each invoice to be paid. The unnamed residents stated there are no defined markups.
CLC’S invoicing didn’t come close to the $80,000.00 in March that the unnamed residents claimed.
The unnamed residents alleged the contract is invalid because of a law that passed in 2024. CLC’S legal counsel and the WLCA’s legal counsel both confirmed in the past week that the contract is perfectly legal and in compliance with the law.
The unnamed residents alleged issues with the financial oversight of CLC’s invoicing. Greenacre Properties has a very extensive firewall in place. Once the approved work is completed, CLC submits an invoice for payment to payables@greenacre.com. The accounting staff at Greenacre Properties reviews the invoice. If the invoice passes its initial review, the invoice is then sent to the on-site property manager for review and verification that the work was completed. If all is good, the property manager approves the invoice. Once the property manager approves, Greenacre’s payables system emails the two Board member signers, in this case, John Short, President, Alan Blanton, Treasurer, and when Blanton was voted out of the treasurer’s seat, the signer became Robin Galarza as acting treasurer. Each of these Board members signed off on my invoices for payment. Shockingly, the unnamed residents making these allegations didn’t start with any of the Board member signers or Greenacre accounting. The Property Manager is located at 3035 Griffin Blvd, Plant City, and could have been contacted and asked to provide any details to relieve any concerns. Instead, Nextdoor was used as a weapon to spread false narratives that created doubt about us personally and CLC.
In closing, CLC has retained legal counsel that specializes in these types of slander and defamation cases, cease and desists letters have gone out with more on the way. False claims were made recklessly on social media and spread throughout the community, which has harmed our company and our personal reputation without doing any factual research.
If anyone in WLCA has any questions for our company or us, please call- 813-293-4443 or email me at edward.evans@clctotalcare.com. This includes the mulch questions from a few years ago.
CLC would like to thank the residents of WLCA for allowing us to serve you for all these years. We look forward to many more.
CLC Total Care Landscapes
Eddie & Michelle Evans
