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STEVE THOMPSONCovenant Foundation plows ahead with its proposed assisted living facility despite allegations of fraud and investigations.
PORT RICHEY - The residents are furious. The Sheriff's Office is investigating. But the Covenant Foundation, apparently, still plans to build an assisted living facility on what some call stolen property.
"I'm just out here trying to settle the dust, so to speak," said Rick Brown, who said he is acting on behalf of the Covenant Foundation. He is now serving as property manager for the Lakes in Regency Park Civic Association's former clubhouse.
Club officials have accused Estel "Zeke" Blevins, longtime Covenant Foundation president, of forging a document that dissolved their club and took control of their clubhouse.
After filing the disputed document with the state, Blevins submitted plans to Pasco County for a 68-bed assisted living facility adjacent to the clubhouse. It would house low-income seniors, whose fees would be paid with state and federal funds.
"The Covenant Foundation's plans are to go ahead and construct the units," Brown said Wednesday at the clubhouse, where he was meeting with owners of a construction company that is considering the project.
"There seems to be a lot of animosity between the Lakes in Regency Park Civic Association and the Covenant Foundation," Brown said. "We're hoping we can find common ground and put these ill feelings behind us."
Brown said that Blevins, a twice-convicted felon with a history as a con man, resigned from the Covenant Foundation after a St. Petersburg Times article detailed Blevins' past. Brown said Blevins' past should not be linked to Blevins' charitable efforts of recent years.
"What he did in the past, he did," Brown said. "As you get older, you want to do the right thing."
Asked who is in charge of the Covenant Foundation now, Brown said he didn't know. He said Mary Blevins is now his manager within the Covenant Foundation. Mary and Estel Blevins divorced in 1983, but have continued to live together.
Brown, 59, said he is a retired television writer and actor. He said he is working for the Covenant Foundation as a volunteer. Asked if he was ever in a paid position with the group, he said no.
A Covenant Foundation expense report shows Brown was paid $13,000 for consultant fees and expenses in 2003.
Asked about that money, Brown explained: "I was paid as a consultant, but it wasn't like I worked for them."
Brown also said that he hopes to earn an income from the Covenant Foundation in the future when the assisted living facility is built.
"At that point, yes, I hope to make some money," he said.
The Covenant Foundation faces hurdles in getting such a facility up and running. For one, the Pasco Sheriff's Office and the State Attorney's Office are investigating it on suspicion of fraud.
A sheriff's official said Wednesday that he couldn't say whether the Covenant Foundation can now legally build on the property at the corner of Little Road and Embassy Boulevard.
"Certainly at this point in time, it would be premature for me to comment one way or the other," said Capt. Alan Weinstein. "But it is a curious development."
Even if the Covenant Foundation builds the ALF, it still has problems to resolve: The state revoked its license to collect Medicaid funds after officials learned Estel Blevins was its president.
Brown said he couldn't comment on how the organization might surmount these difficulties.
"These are questions I think you probably should ask whoever the director is," he said. Neither Mary nor Estel Blevins returned calls for comment Wednesday.
Former civic club president Frank Apollo said he doesn't see how the plans for an assisted living facility can go on, and he thinks Brown is being directed by Estel Blevins.
"As far as I'm concerned," Apollo said, "Zeke is still running the whole show."
Steve Thompson can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6245, or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6245. His e-mail address is sthompson@sptimes.com