Times staff
Thursday, September 23, 2010
DADE CITY — Dade City Commissioner Curtis Beebe, whose home in historic downtown is in foreclosure and scheduled for auction next month, said he hopes to have the matter resolved soon.
"We're still working with the bank," said Beebe, who turns 48 Friday, who is still living in the home at 37547 Church Ave. "It's just not news as far as I'm concerned."
Records from the county appraiser show he and his wife bought the 3,500-square-foot home in 1998 for $160,000. Its market value is listed at $225,626.
Beebe fell behind in his mortgage payments in December 2007, right before he was elected to a four-year term on the City Commission in April 2008. Faced with foreclosure then, he attributed the financial trouble to a failed business venture but told the Times he had worked out a repayment schedule with the bank.
Recent court papers show Circuit Judge Wayne Cobb signed papers scheduling the house for online auction Aug. 18, but that date was postponed until Oct. 6. Records show property taxes are up to date. Beebe said negotiations to keep the house are continuing.
In 2004, Beebe started Consultant U, a virtual company that developed training curriculum for Microsoft consultants. Consultant U never took off and was eventually shut down. In 2007, Beebe landed a full-time job with Ibis Inc., a technology company and former Consultant U client, but it took him a while to get back on his feet financially after the failed business endeavor.
Bebee has since leased the former Cumbee's Corner Market on St. Joe Road and plans to open a new restaurant in a few weeks. Called Pearl in the Grove, it will offer Southern-style dinners made with ingredients from local farms.