Robert Dello Russo

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Robert G. 'Bob' Dello Russo was an American businessman and golf course owner in Florida. He died from COVID-19 complications on June 4, 2021. [1] [2]

Contents

Personal life

Dello Russo was married to Diane Dello Russo and lived in Longwood, Florida. [1]

Businesses

Dello Russo owned Del-Air Heating & Air Conditioning, founded in 1983, based in Lake Mary, Florida outside Orlando. He also owned Del-Air Appliance. [3]

Dello Russo, with business partner Chad Barton, founded The American Group, which contains American Door & Millwork (founded in 1995), American Window (2002), and American Installation. The companies are based in Sanford, Florida with additional facilities in Tampa, Florida and Jacksonville, Florida. [4]

The American Group defaulted on a $21 million loan originated by Fifth Third Bank. The loan was sold to Bank of America, who sued Dello Russo for his personal guarantee of the loan, which had been verbally discharged by Fifth Third. Bank of America won in 2015. Dello Russo appealed in the Eleventh Circuit, claiming that Fifth Third misrepresented the loan to Bank of America. He also lost on appeal. [5]

Golf courses

Beginning in 2002, Dello Russo, Chad Barton and other partners operating as University Golf Club Inc. began buying distressed golf courses, starting with the Country Club of Deer Run of Casselberry, Florida for $1.5 million. They bought Casselberry Golf Club in 2002, Country Club of Mount Dora in 2003, Wekiva Golf Club of Longwood, Florida in 2004 and Rock Springs Ridge Golf Club of Apopka, Florida in 2005 for $3 million. [6] In 2006, they bought Twin Rivers Golf Club of Oviedo, Florida after its previous owner, Meadowbrook Golf Inc., foreclosed on it to Banc of America Securities LLC in 2005. [7] [8]

Purchases and closures

Rock Springs Ridge was closed in 2014. [9]

In 2015, the city of Casselberry purchased Casselberry from Dello Russo for $2.2 million. [10]

In 2016, the city of Oviedo purchased Twin Rivers for $5 million. [10]

Country Club of Deer Run closed in 2019 after losing money; Dello Russo said he'd sell it for $6 million. [11] [12] [10]

Politics

Dello Russo had scheduled to host a Donald Trump for President fundraiser at his Longwood mansion on September 19, 2016, but it was cancelled after the St. Cloud mall stabbing and 2016 New York and New Jersey bombings. [13] [14]

Russo has also made large donations to Ron DeSantis. [15]

Russo was a member of the 9-person Donald Trump Jr. Executive Steering Committee, along with Lev Parnas. [15]

Donald Trump attended an invitation-only lunch fundraiser at Dello Russo's mansion on March 9, 2020. The cost was $11,200 per couple up to $100,000 per couple. The luncheon headlined Trump, Ronna McDaniel, Thomas O. Hicks, Jr., Todd Ricketts, Kimberly Guilfoyle, and Brad Parscale. It was hosted by Diane & Bob Dello Russo, Lee Chira (onetime head of the Florida High Speed Rail Authority), Mary Demetree (Demetree Real Estate Services), [16] Bill Heavener (CEO of Full Sail University), Allan Keen (who resigned from leading the Orlando-Orange County Expressway over corruption scandals), [17] Mark Modarres, and Lori Sommers. [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] The luncheon raised $4 million. [24]

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References

  1. 1 2 Connelly, Denise (5 June 2021). "Robert Dello Russo dies at 70". theapopkavoice.com. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  2. ↑ Comas, Martin E. (27 July 2021). "Seminole County moves forward with buying 2 golf course properties". orlandosentinel.com. Retrieved 12 October 2021. Deer Run and Wekiva golf clubs are owned by firms headed by the late Bob Dello Russo, a Lake Mary resident who died June 4. He and his associates late last year offered to sell to Seminole County the two courses as a package deal rather than individually.
  3. ↑ "About Del-Air | Heating and AC Service Orlando & Florida". Del-Air. Retrieved 9 March 2020. I founded Del-Air Heating and Air Conditioning in 1983
  4. ↑ Poole, Michael. "PCE Advised The American Group of Companies and Its Shareholders". pcecompanies.com. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  5. ↑ "Robert G. Dello Russo v. Fifth Third Bank, No. 15-13300 (11th Cir. 2015)". Justia Law. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  6. ↑ Elling, Steve (28 December 2005). "Dello Russo is a collector of courses". OrlandoSentinel.com. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  7. ↑ PeRez, Robert; Writer, Sentinel Staff (3 July 2006). "Investors snap up Twin Rivers golf club". OrlandoSentinel.com. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  8. ↑ PeRez, Robert; Writer, Sentinel Staff (5 May 2006). "Private bids placed on pair of golf courses in Seminole". OrlandoSentinel.com. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  9. ↑ Kassab, Beth (13 November 2014). "Another golf course closes, leaving residents wondering what's next". courant.com. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 Wharry, Marianna (6 April 2019). "Deer Run community rallies to save Casselberry golf course". orlandosentinel.com. Retrieved 9 March 2020. The group also previously owned Casselberry Golf Club, which the city purchased for $2.2 million in March 2015, and Twin Rivers golf course in Oviedo, which the city purchased in 2016 for $5 million, according to city records. Both of those courses are still open.
  11. ↑ "Future of Casselberry's Deer Run Golf Course Uncertain". mynews13.com. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  12. ↑ McDaniel, Dave (3 June 2019). "Residents worry after struggling golf course closes in Casselberry". wesh.com. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  13. ↑ Lemongello, Steven (19 September 2016). "Trump fundraiser in Longwood canceled, host says". orlandosentinel.com. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  14. ↑ Lemongello, Steven (19 September 2016). "Clinton, Trump fundraisers show Central Florida's financial pull". orlandosentinel.com. Retrieved 9 March 2020. Diane Dello Russo, who was to co-host the event with her husband, Bob, said he received a call from the Trump campaign that the Republican nominee would not be appearing Monday.
  15. 1 2 "Giuliani associate named in Ukraine inquiry raised money for DeSantis". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  16. ↑ "Real estate maven Mary Demetree shares her backstory - Orlando Business Journal". Orlando Business Journal. 20 March 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  17. ↑ Tracy, Dan; Writer, Sentinel Staff (28 February 2009). "Grand jury: Toll agency cloaked in 'corruption'". OrlandoSentinel.com. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  18. ↑ "As coronavirus looms, Trump to visit health conference in Orlando next week". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 9 March 2020. The exact time and date that Trump will speak was not released by conference organizers. The timing of Trump's scheduled appearance, however, does align with a high-dollar fundraising stop in Florida that is scheduled for March 9.That fundraiser will be held at the multi-million dollar estate of Bob Dello Russo, a businessman who founded Del-Air Heating & Air Conditioning. The event will be held around lunchtime in Seminole County, according to Orlando Weekly, and will cost $11,200 per couple to attend. Those in attendance who want to sit at the event's roundtable, have a photo taken and be at the reception will have to pay $100,000 per couple.
  19. ↑ "Donald Trump raising money in Orlando on March 9; tickets start at $11K per couple". Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government. 26 February 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  20. ↑ "Sunburn — The morning read of what's hot in Florida politics — 2.26.20". Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government. 26 February 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2020. First on #FlaPol — "Donald Trump raising money in Orlando on March 9; tickets start at $11K per couple" via Scott Powers of Florida Politics — If someone wants to be at the Trump fundraising event's roundtable, have a photo taken, and be at the reception, tickets cost $100,000 per couple. Just a photo and reception, $35,000 per couple. No photo: $11,200. The lunchtime fundraiser will be held at a still-undisclosed location and hosted by Diane and Bob Dello Russo, Lee Chira, Mary Demetree, Bill Heavener, Allan Keen, Mark Modarres, and Lori Summers. Also, the invitation touts appearances by Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, RNC Co-Chairman Tommy Hicks Jr., RNC National Finance Chairman Todd Ricketts, Trump Victory Finance Committee National Chair and former FOX News TV personality Kimberly Guilfoyle, and Trump's campaign manager Brad Parscale.
  21. ↑ Gustavo, Solomon (25 February 2020). "Trump heads to Seminole County for fundraiser in March". Orlando Weekly. Archived from the original on 14 November 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  22. ↑ Fox, Greg (24 February 2020). "Trump Orlando fundraiser: Details about campaign fundraiser". wesh.com. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
  23. ↑ Schwartz, Brian (9 March 2020). "Trump and Pence try to reassure GOP donors they have coronavirus response under control". CNBC. Retrieved 9 March 2020. Trump was scheduled to appear at another fundraising event Monday, at the Florida home of businessman Bob Dello Russo. After that meeting, he plans to head back to the White House to huddle with economic aides to discuss how to possibly inject some form of economic stimulus while the market tanks on coronavirus fears.
  24. ↑ "Trump to weigh coronavirus stimulus options Monday". NBC News. 9 March 2020. Retrieved 9 March 2020. On Monday, he traveled to a fundraiser near Orlando where he raised an additional $4 million.
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