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Letter to the editor

Mired in debt, theater owner gets a 'miracle'

By Times Staff Writers
Published December 30, 2007

Socrates A. Charos poses outside his Royalty Theater at 405 Cleveland Street in Clearwater last week. He filed for bankruptcy to protect the theater from creditors, for now.
	[Bill Serne | Times]

CLEARWATER - Socrates A. Charos called it a "miracle" and a "resurrection."

The Royalty Theatre, which Charos has owned since 1999, was slated to be auctioned Friday because he owed his lenders more than $1-million. But when word spread about Charos' financial troubles, people came to his aid.

So, instead of going to the Pinellas County Courthouse and watching people bid on the Cleveland Street building, Charos submitted Chapter 11 bankruptcy papers. That move will buy him some time to either come up with the money he owes or find a suitable buyer.

"We are blessed," Charos said Friday. "Thank God. It was a miracle."

Charos, 60, owes nearly $1.2-million on the historic theater located in the heart of downtown Clearwater. Charos' loan on the property has been in default for about a year.

Charos' reprieve arrived in the form of attorney Joel Treuhaft, who advised him to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Chapter 11 puts all civil actions or foreclosures "in a deep freeze for a period of time" to allow the business to reorganize Treuhaft said.

Charos said he's opening the theater to the community at 7 p.m. on New Year's Eve for singing and dancing. He said those who attend will help plan the theater's future.

This isn't the end of Charos' troubles, however. His Dunedin home is also being foreclosed on.

Demorris A. Lee, staff writer

TARPON SPRINGS

Boy, 16, is arrested in armed home invasion

David Lee Flanders was arrested at his house in the 700 block of Bayshore Drive, said Tarpon Springs police.

The robbery happened Dec. 23 at a house in the 600 block of N Florida Avenue. A man told police he awoke to find two men in his home threatening to shoot him.

Police said the victim knew one of the robbers, Jake V. Ward, 20. Ward was arrested later that day in Hernando County on unrelated charges but he is expected to be charged with armed home invasion robbery.

Flanders and Ward also are suspects in a second armed home invasion robbery and a burglary Dec. 23, police said.

That robbery happened in the 700 block of Loquat Drive when two men barged into a house, toppled the wheelchair of a 92-year-old man, threatened him with a handgun and demanded money. It took the victim hours to right himself and reach a neighbor to call police.

The burglary was reported in the 600 block of S Florida Avenue after the homeowners returned and found property missing.

Jose Cardenas, staff writer

LARGO

Leak leads deputiesto indoor pot garden

A report of water leaking out of an apartment Tuesday night led Pinellas County sheriff's deputies to 71 marijuana plants inside.

Residents in an apartment in the 12100 block of 117th Street in unincorporated Largo noticed water flooding into their homes from the unit next door. They knocked on the door of the leaking apartment but no one responded.

The residents called deputies, who went inside the apartment about 10 p.m.

No one was home, but deputies found the plants in the second-floor bedrooms. Neighbors said deputies guarded the building through the night.

The source of the leaking water was still under investigation, the Sheriff's Office said.

Narcotics deputies obtained a search warrant and removed the plants, which had an estimated street value of $47,000.

Jose Cardenas, staff writer

DUNEDIN

The city is green andhas papers to prove it

It's a small club, but growing, and Dunedin is the newest member.

With its emphasis on recycling, conservation and education, this city recently became the fourth local government in the state to have its commitment to the environment certified by the nonprofit Florida Green Building Coalition.

The other governments to achieve this recognition so far are St. Petersburg, Tallahassee and Pinellas County.

City officials, who in August hired their first sustainability coordinator to focus on environmental issues, welcomed the recognition.

"It's stating that we have made the effort and gone the extra mile to conform with an independent standard," City Commissioner Julie Scales said.

In the 3-year-old program, municipalities earn points for incorporating environmentally friendly methods.

Dunedin qualified for the certification through various green-friendly initiatives. According to city sustainability coordinator Valerie Lane, they include:

- Educating new city employees on green city policies.

- Reviewing training procedures in the Fire Department to conserve water.

- Purchasing hybrid and electric vehicles for the city's fleet.

- Offering environmental education through the city's Web site (www.dunedingov.com), television station (Bright House Networks cable Ch. 615) and schools.

- Providing curbside recycling.

Tamara El-Khoury, staff writer

[Last modified December 29, 2007, 21:39:59]