We are a group of neighbors who have decided to share this information regarding serious concerns surrounding the December 11, 2024, Doral Isles Board election, overseen by Siegfried Rivera, our Association’s former legal counsel. A critical error in the proxy vote tallying process impacted the election outcome.
Candidates submitted proxies, which were verified by the attorneys one week prior to the election, on December 4, 2024. A confirmation was provided to each proxy holder, in addition to the confirmation retained by the attorneys.
During the final vote count, 129 confirmed proxy votes for Green Team candidate Juan Jose Comas were miscounted by a volunteer vote counter as only one vote. This mistake deprived the Green Team of 896 cumulative votes (128 x 7 candidates), leading to the incorrect declaration of the Unidos Team as the winners.
The attorneys relied on the figures presented by volunteer counters without verifying the totals. Tally sheets were not reviewed by the candidates until after the attorneys had declared the results. The discrepancy was later discovered by Juan Jose Comas, whose 129 confirmed proxies were missing from the final numbers.
After Juan identified the error, Siegfried Rivera conducted an official recount the following day, confirming that the Green Team had actually won. Siegfried issued an official community notice correcting the results and provided supporting documentation, including:
✔ Chain of custody records.
✔ Proxy verifications.
✔ Vote tally sheets.
Despite the verified error, the current Board has:
Many attempts at an internal resolution were made, but the current Board has instead:
– Questioned and refused to accept the authenticity of the documented error, despite Siegfried Rivera’s official confirmation that the mistake occurred and was corrected.
– Allegedly refused to meet with Siegfried Rivera or the Green Team to calmly review the issue.
– Supported protests (which were televised) at our clubhouse that threatened the safety of employees, leading to police intervention.
This election, marred by a mathematically verifiable error, if left uncorrected, sets a dangerous precedent. It:
– Undermines the integrity of our democratic process in Florida.
– Disregards the voices of 128 homeowners whose votes were discarded.
– Threatens property values by creating instability in community governance.
– Divides our community unnecessarily.
– Violates Florida law and our Association’s governing documents.
Yes.
As the legal counsel charged with overseeing the election, Siegfried Rivera bore the responsibility of ensuring fairness, transparency, and accuracy. Upon identifying a mathematically verifiable error in the election results, they were obligated under their professional and ethical duties to act in the best interests of the Association.
To preserve the integrity of the election, Siegfried Rivera appropriately conducted a formal recount and corrected the official results.
The current Board lacks any justifiable basis to challenge:
– The chain of custody of the confirmed proxy votes, which were submitted one week prior to the election and validated by Siegfried Rivera.
– The official proxy summary ballots used during the election, which were securely stored and maintained under lock, key, and surveillance.
– The legitimacy of Siegfried Rivera’s findings, which were supported by documented evidence.
Accordingly, we believe the Association was fully justified in relying on the corrected results provided by Siegfried Rivera.
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