LARGO, Fla. — The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) said detectives arrested a St. Petersburg man after he allegedly stole 36 high-end watches from his employer.
Detectives said their investigation began in mid-May after they received a report that an employee at Gold & Diamond Source, later identified as 32-year-old Michael Kelly, had stolen several watches from the company starting in October 2021.
PCSO stated Kelly entered false information on company records to make it seem like there was a sale, and then stole watches from inventory and hid them in his suit jacket
Detectives said Kelly was seen on surveillance video entering false trade-in transactions, with no customer present.
Kelly was arrested on June 5 and charged with scheme to defraud, with Gold & Diamond Source reporting a financial loss exceeding $650,000.
“You know, it might just be time we take a look if HOAs are really even necessary.
Maybe we should just do away with homeowner associations as a whole.”
South Florida lawmaker Rep. Juan Carlos Porras (R-Miami) says it may be time to do away with homeowners associations altogether, as more Floridians speak out about rising fees, costly lawsuits, and even arrests tied to HOA disputes. He said this week that he is considering filing legislation in the next session that would abolish HOAs statewide.
