Gold Coast Mayor Tom pod-Tate-o and his Surfers Plaza backpacker factory

in Queensland, apparently illegal Real estate developers making donations to politicians or politicians accepting them. But that doesn’t seem to ban property developers like the Gold Coast. tom “let’s go” Tate From being the mayor of the city and the real estate mogul at the same time.

No matter what Tom Tate’s name is, there’s a definite stink when it comes to Surfers Plaza Resort. Not long ago, this 15-storey property with a prime location in Surfers Paradise smelled sweet. Beaches on one side, hill and river views on the other, pool table bowling greens below. Quiet, peaceful, clean.

But in 2005 Tom“Let’s Go” Tate came for the Surfers Paradise Bowls Club. He took it. He became Mayor in 2012. Then it came to the parking lots of the Surfers Plaza Resort. He took them. Lately the Plaza seems to be after the equality, comfort and even peace of mind of its residents.

Note, we are not alleging that Tate has committed any illegal acts regarding the Surfers Plaza Resort. It is true that Mayor Tate committed official misconduct on at least 14 occasions as Mayor of the Gold Coast and was fined thousands of dollars, including for conflicts of interest.

And yes, this publication has highlighted his many questionable connections throughout our decade-long investigation into Tate and his associates; for example, with the infamous Croatian-born gangster Frankie “Four Names” Kovacevic.

And of course, we complained to various authorities, including Queensland Police, about allegations that Mayor Tate had made off with an old man’s original Picasso painting, dealt in fake forest bonds and perjured himself in court, along with a series of well-documented allegations that authorities ignored. However, we are not alleging any crime here. It’s not like the current law anyway.

This story is an interesting tale of a Mayor who goes to war with some of his own voters, the residents of the Surfers Plaza Resort.

Despite its resort name, most of the residents at the 15-story Surfers Plaza are permanent. Residents were assured they would have space in the downstairs parking lot to use forever. Because that’s what the Council stated in the original development approval of the Resort and Bowl’s Club complex in 1987.

But no, Tate Council is scrapping the parking guarantee for Plaza Resort residents in 2022, while the Mayor has moved to personally buy the last quarter of the old Bowls Club, which he hasn’t yet swallowed. He completed this controversial 20-year-old purchase (mostly since he became Mayor) earlier this year. And later “Let’s Go” Tate locked all Resort residents out of what they had long considered a parking lot and reserved all 150 spaces for himself.

You can also read more about how Tom Tate forced Surfers Paradise Bowls Club members off their land and Resort residents off their car parks. HERE.

But not only have the Plaza Resort’s parking rights expired, last year Have-a-Go Tate leased the former bistro and bar space of the former Bowls Club on the Resort’s first floor to a “capsule” backpacker hostel. There are a total of 166 units at Surfers Plaza Resort. But now, somehow, 270 backpackers may be living on one floor in “pods” crammed into a single room.

Project at startup rejected By a majority of Gold Coast City councilors in 2023 due to accommodation density not complying with the City Plan, lack of parking (as noted above) and fire safety.

Tate’s tenant. Alfonso AprilHe appealed the decision to the State Development Court. HE to win! Instead of “division” it is called “Tequila Sunrise Hostel“. It opened last year in May 2024.

Interestingly, the Resort’s building manager, Greg Kafritsas, previously worked as the manager of a similar, low-rent, backpacker-style business. Beach Huntertwo blocks closer to the beach.

Have-a-Go Tate also owned and operated a backpacker hostel. IslanderOn the block between Plaza Resort and The Beachcomber. In 1999 Tate started a backpacker hostel price war on the Gold Coast. $2 bed In The Islander. The parallels seem strong.

Residents are now forced to share common areas with an extra 270 people, so pool and barbecue areas often fill up, smoke is in the air, bikes sit outside and often block internal fire exits. Parties are sometimes held on the Bowl Club’s old greens. The once pristine Surfers Plaza Resort has been overrun by chaos and grunge. Where there was once peace, now there is chaos.

Of course, with the effect of this chaos, the market values ​​of the apartments in the holiday resort decreased as they lost their parking lots. Also impacting property valuations and hitting residents’ wallets quarter after quarter is the incredible rise in corporate taxes since 2022, when Council Tate chairmen sold the last quarter of the Bowls Club, not currently owned by Mayor Tate, to Tate.

The increases are remarkable (between 50 and 131 percent), with much of this paying for greater cleaning, maintenance and security.

Because there are now 270 more people on the lower two floors of a backpacker hostel. This also means that no insurance agency, other than the insurer of last resort, will be able to provide building cover for the resort. Lloyds of London – which is not cheap.

For example, building insurance premiums have nearly doubled since Alfonso Abril began packing hundreds of tourists into pods each night.

Therefore, in August this year, the general assembly of the organization adopted a motion to pay 63% of the insurance premium for “backpackers”. This motion was challenged and just yesterday the official Corporate Body judge overturned this seemingly fair decision, leaving everyone to pay for the luxury of having Tom and Fonzi’s charming accommodation in their own building.

Residents who had complained to the building manager about all the problems caused by the overflow of temporary residents did not see any solutions.

Indeed, some residents say they were told by the agency to stop filing complaints because Kafritsas often used a law firm to respond to residents’ complaints and intimidate them. This is paid for by Body Corporate’s sinking fund and also raises taxes.

Considering that Kafritsas is paid a quarter of a million dollars a year to manage the property, about $100,000 more than the industry standard, he might be expected to have the expertise to address most issues head-on.

Mayor Tate recently had plans to develop a resort on the grounds of the Bowls Club. water shine. However, as we detailed in our last investigation, this project was rejected following a corruption investigation. Corruption investigations seem to follow Tate like the smoky scent of a sativa.

Tate now owns the entire former Bowls Club and is moving towards the obvious goal of driving out the permanent residents of the Surfers Plaza Resort by making the facility unpleasant and uneconomic for the other owners.

But not for Tate and Alfonso. Surfers Plaza Resort would be an even better source of revenue if Tom Have-a-Go Tate could be sold to one of his fellow property developers without complaints from a vocal minority of beleaguered residents. Undoubtedly, the whole process would be much less controversial.

Follow Dave Donovan on X/Twitter @davrosz and Bluesky @davrosz.bsky.social, Michelle Pini at Bluesky @michellepini.bsky.social and X/Twitter @vmp9and Independent Australia on Bluesky @independentaus.bsky.socialX/Twitter @independentaus and Facebook HERE.

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