Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Save Bonnet House from hostile takeover
Bonnet House is irreplaceable. A treasured oasis of serenity surrounded by an insatiable growth machine on Fort Lauderdale beach, it is a civic jewel that must be nurtured and protected — forever.
The iconic estate, south of Sunrise Boulevard between the ocean and the Intracoastal Waterway, will mark a milestone in a few months when it turns 100 years old. But the mood these days at 900 North Birch Road is anything but celebratory.
A furious struggle for control of this community asset has erupted between Bonnet House Inc., a charity that manages the property and raises money to operate it, and the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation, a Tallahassee nonprofit that owns the property and pays its bills — more than $1.4 million to date — largely from money raised at Bonnet House.
This ugly standoff has all the earmarks of a hostile takeover. It looks like a troubled marriage headed for divorce.
Naturally, it’s mostly about money. For the sake of South Florida’s past and its future, the acrimony must end.
Evelyn Bartlett, a wealthy widow who wintered at Bonnet House for decades, tending to her orchids and feeding wild tree monkeys, gave the 35-acre estate to the Florida Trust in 1983. Tensions have been festering for a long time and in late September, the Florida Trust declared an impasse. Talks ended abruptly. The Florida Trust issued a statement this week that did not address any of the criticism, but that it hoped continued mediation would yield “the best possible outcome for the property in our care.”
It’s encouraging that both sides will return to the negotiating table with mediator Thomas Lynch, a former circuit judge. That’s not enough.
The Florida Trust needs to open its books to the Fort Lauderdale community. Transparency is the best way to confront the troubling notion that Bonnet House is a cash cow for the trust by providing nearly two-thirds of its daily overhead.
Money raised by Bonnet House should stay with Bonnet House, not diverted to Tallahassee to subsidize Florida Trust’s costs.
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis has rightly accused the Florida Trust of neglecting essential repairs at Bonnet House, such as replacing its roof. The mayor got everyone’s attention when he accused the trust of using Bonnet House as a “piggy bank.”
In a point-by-point rebuttal to Trantalis, the Florida Trust’s board president, Ryan Malloy, replied: “To imply that the Florida Trust has stolen money from the Bonnet House is wrong. There is a historic property agreement that is in place and the terms of that agreement are clear.”
Broward’s legislative delegation is rightly raising questions, too — a clear sign that the Florida Trust has badly misplayed its hand.
Calling themselves “alarmed,” 16 lawmakers signed an Oct. 11 letter to Melissa Wyllie, executive director of the Florida Trust, that casts more doubt on the Trust’s ability to effectively manage Bonnet House.
Senators and House members said they have “no clear understanding” of what the Florida Trust does with all the money it has received from Bonnet House (more than $1.4 million). Lawmakers asked the Florida Trust for five years of audited financial statements, IRS records and other reports.
The Democrat-dominated South Florida delegation and its two Republican members, Reps. Chip LaMarca, of Lighthouse Point, and Ana Maria Rodriguez, of Doral, need to use their bipartisan clout. They should back up their words with actions and make Bonnet House a priority in the 2020 session that begins in less than three months.
Lawmakers could seek a new state grant for operations and repairs, then condition the money on successful mediation or selection of a new organization to manage the estate. Bonnet House has sought guidance from the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Washington.
This carrot-and-stick approach is nothing new in Tallahassee and would grab both sides’ attention.
Bonnet House is a vital part of Florida history. Constant turmoil discourages donors, and in fact, the estate lost a $5 million grant from a local foundation last year because of misgivings about the Florida Trust siphoning off revenue from Bonnet House. That’s inexcusable.
All this acrimony is the last thing Evelyn Bartlett would have wanted.
“I don’t want this place to change. I hope it will continue,” she told The Miami Herald in 1983.
As usual, the plain-spoken Mrs. Bartlett, who died in Massachusetts in 1997 at age 109, said it best.
In a brief letter tapped out on a manual typewriter in 1987, she wrote: “Bonnet House should not have to support the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation. That is not fair. They should raise their own money.”
If the two sides can’t agree, the estate must be controlled locally, not from afar, with a newfound commitment to its selfsustaining financial stability. That would honor Evelyn Bartlett’s legacy and would be a fitting way to mark the 100th birthday in the spring.
Without a stable future for Bonnet House, it won’t be much of a celebration.