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Belmar won’t disclose where FEMA money is, Resident sues for records

Where is the $5.4 million that Matt Doherty claimed FEMA gave Belmar for Taylor Pavilion?

christie Doherty belmar

Gov Chris Christie and his favorite mayor, Matt Doherty of Belmar, on the boardwalk celebrating Sandy recovery.

The ongoing controversy over the rebuilding of the beach pavilions in Belmar has resulted in yet another law suit filed against the Borough by an activist resident calling for fiscal responsibility and transparency.

Joy DeSanctis filed suit last week against Belmar and Borough Clerk April Claudio in her capacity as Custodian of Records.  DeSanctis is not seeking money, other than her legal fees.  Rather, she is asking the Court to Order Belmar and Claudio to comply with the Open Public Records Act (OPRA) and provide copies of all correspondence between Belmar and FEMA regarding Superstorm Sandy Funds and correspondence regarding the construction of the pavilions between October 29, 2012 and February 5, 2016, the date that DeSanctis filed her OPRA request.

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Posted: March 15th, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Belmar, Monmouth County News | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments »

Christie’s back home, Sandy victims are not | Di Ionno

When we first met Joseph Ready, his Sandy-wrecked home in Union Beach was jacked 20 feet in the air, uninhabitable for his family, but open to feral cats and vandals. The cats left bird carcasses on his floors and the vandals clogged the toilet. He was living in a FEMA trailer, paying $850 a month in… Read the rest of this entry »

Posted: February 14th, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Chris Christie, Hurricane Sandy, Monmouth County News, Superstorm Sandy | Tags: , , , , , , | Comments Off on Christie’s back home, Sandy victims are not | Di Ionno

Spring Lake says Sandy audit is wrong, ‘we spent the money wisely’

assetContentSPRING LAKE — Spring Lake does not owe the federal government any Hurricane Sandy recovery money and can justify expenses that a federal audit said were not properly accounted for, borough officials said. An audit by the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security contends the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) needs… Read the rest of this entry »

Posted: October 14th, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: FEMA, Hurricane Sandy, Monmouth County News, Spring Lake, Superstorm Sandy | Tags: , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Smith, NJ Delegation Continue to Press for Transparency, Reform at NFIP

speaking-285x200WASHINGTON, DC – At a Capitol Hill meeting hosted Oct. 7 by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), Dean of the New Jersey Congressional Delegation, with Roy Wright, Deputy Associate Administrator for Insurance and Mitigation at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a bipartisan group of NJ Members of Congress continued to press for equitable relief for… Read the rest of this entry »

Posted: October 11th, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Chris Smith, FEMA, Monmouth County, Monmouth County News | Tags: , , , , | Comments Off on Smith, NJ Delegation Continue to Press for Transparency, Reform at NFIP

Feds question $770K in Sandy costs in Asbury Park

assetContent (69)ASBURY PARK — A federal audit made public on Wednesday raises questions about more than $770,000 in grant funding Asbury Park spent after Hurricane Sandy, claiming the city did not provide sufficient evidence to support those costs. The city’s chief financial officer, however, said additional documentation has been filed that backs up that spending. The watchdog… Read the rest of this entry »

Posted: September 24th, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Asbury Park, FEMA, Hurricane Sandy, Monmouth County News, Superstorm Sandy | Tags: , , , , | 4 Comments »

Sandy victims’ new claim deadline: Oct. 15

Highlands residents Kerry and Jamie Gowan  speak at May 2015 announcement that FEMA is reopening Sandy related flood insurance claims

Highlands residents Kerry and Jamie Gowan speak at May 2015 announcement that FEMA is reopening Sandy related flood insurance claims

WASHINGTON — Hurricane Sandy homeowners who feel they didn’t get a fair shake from their insurance companies now have until Oct. 15 to ask the government to reopen their claims. The Federal Emergency Management Agency extended its deadline to handle as many as 141,800 requests from homeowners who were not in litigation, about 70,000 of them… Read the rest of this entry »

Posted: September 21st, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: FEMA, Flooding, Hurricane Sandy, Monmouth County News, Superstorm Sandy | Tags: , , , , , | Comments Off on Sandy victims’ new claim deadline: Oct. 15

As FEMA deadline nears, push is on to reach fraud victims | Di Ionno

assetContent (64)Since March, when FEMA announced it would reopen claims for Sandy victims who believed they were short-changed by flood insurance carriers, there has been a concerted effort to get people on board. Meetings have been held in town halls, churches, backyards and banquet rooms. Information sessions have been hosted by politicians, law firms, nonprofits and private… Read the rest of this entry »

Posted: September 12th, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: FEMA, Hurricane Sandy, Monmouth County News, National Flood Insurance Plan, Superstorm Sandy | Tags: , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

FEMA wasted $3M on Hurricane Sandy N.J. field office, audit says

assetContentWASHINGTON — The Federal Emergency Management Agency spent as much as $3 million unnecessarily as it set up a New Jersey field office to coordinate its response to Hurricane Sandy, the agency’s watchdog said in a report released Monday. By waiting until the storm hit rather than make arrangements in advance, FEMA spent as much as… Read the rest of this entry »

Posted: September 2nd, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: FEMA, Monmouth County News | Tags: , , , | Comments Off on FEMA wasted $3M on Hurricane Sandy N.J. field office, audit says

N.J. lawmakers: Give homeowners 3 more months for Sandy claims

assetContent (56)WASHINGTON — The New Jersey congressional delegation is asking the Federal Emergency Management Agency to extend until Dec. 15 its deadline for receiving requests from Hurricane Sandy homeowners to reconsider their damage claims. The lawmakers, in a letter to FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, sought another three months to give all homeowners enough time to contact the… Read the rest of this entry »

Posted: August 16th, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Bob Menendez, Chris Smith, Cory Booker, FEMA, Hurricane Sandy, Monmouth County News, RREM, Superstorm Sandy | Tags: , , , , , , | Comments Off on N.J. lawmakers: Give homeowners 3 more months for Sandy claims

Sandy-related contractor complaints piling up | Di Ionno

IMG_3871 (640x427)Weeds now envelop the pile of broken concrete slab where Nancy Wirtz’s home once stood. A swing set, bowed and rusted from neglect, is the only remnant of the place where she raised two children. It was a simple house, like most in the Forked River Beach section of Lacey Township. Compact and rectangular, it was… Read the rest of this entry »

Posted: July 12th, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Hurricane Sandy, Monmouth County News, Superstorm Sandy | Tags: , , , , , , | Comments Off on Sandy-related contractor complaints piling up | Di Ionno