Posted on Miami Herald on Wed, Nov. 30, 2005 by Elinor J. Brecher

Artist says condo workers destroyed his art project
An artist complained to police that his Hurricane Wilma-related art installation was damaged by somebody making repairs after Hurricane Wilma.

    North Bay Village police are investigating a report by an artist living in the hurricane-damaged GrandView Palace Condominium that someone dumped construction debris in his unit, destroying part of an interactive, Hurricane Wilma-related art installation.

NURI VALLBONA/HERALD STAFF
FRUSTRATED ARTIST: Victor-Hugo Vaca shows the damage
done in his apartment unit when sheetrock from a neighboring
unit was thrown on top of his Hurricane Wilma-related art project.

    Artist Victor-Hugo Vaca told police that an Apple iBook computer, part of the installation, was missing, and that newspaper articles about the controversial building -- which also were part of the installation -- had been torn from a wall sometime Monday.

    ''It has been turned over to the detective bureau and is still under investigation,'' said North Bay Village police public information officer Mary Jo Mastrodonato.

    Vaca, 35, who lives on the 19th floor, estimated his loss at $50,000.

    The debris apparently came from the unit next door, according to Shani Diaz, the 28-year-old accountant who owns it.

    Wilma blew through the units, tearing down the wall separating them.

    Diaz said that while she was out between noon and 7 p.m. Monday, someone had been inside her unit demolishing damaged sheetrock and erecting studs.

    She said she hadn't been notified that anyone would be working on her unit that day.

    ''I walked in about 7, 8 p.m., and the lights were on and I freaked out,'' she said.

    ``I see insulation all over the living room . . . and the damaged wall in Victor's living room. It demolished his artwork . . . I saw it and called him right away.''

    Andy Howard, the village's project manager overseeing work at the building, 7601 E. Treasure Island Dr., described the damage as ``about 200 pounds of debris of drywall, wallboard and metal studs thrown on top of his belongings: the artwork.''

    Vaca has been a leader in a feud between some unit owners and the condo's developers over construction and building-code issues.

    Even before Wilma heavily damaged the 25-story building, owners' complaints triggered a series of violations that led village building officials to take over repairs nearly three weeks ago.

    Baltimore surgeon Dr. Charles Edwards, the developer/manager, sued village officials to stop the takeover.

    Under an agreement endorsed by a Miami-Dade circuit judge, the condo association, has until today to hire a general contractor.

    If Paul Gioia, the village's chief building official, agrees with the choice, the village will bow out.

    Charles Edwards' son, James Edwards, the condo association president, didn't respond to phone and e-mail messages.