He's a kompas king, a diaper-dancer and a firebrand, and he just may be Haiti's best hope for a president with more efficacy than an ingrown hair. Votes are being counted, and it's between former first lady Mirlande Manigat and our boy, Michel "Sweet Micky" Martelly. Why ours, exactly? Well, he's a bona-fide former Florida real-estate owner, before the market sent him packing. Behold a humble abode in far-slung Pembroke Pines, which may soon have presidential ties.
Tucked away in a labyrinthine Pines subdivision that would confuse even David Bowie is this unassuming corner house, at 18598 NW 22 Ct. (street view) The house was owned by Martelly's real-estate adviser, Natacha Magliore, as early as 2003. It then changed hands, going to Roger and Nathalie Chancy then to Daniella Magliore, until "Michael Martelly" bought it in February 2006 for $435,000.
The next record on file is a foreclosure suit from Fannie Mae, targeting Michel Martelly, his wife Sophia, and Serge Magliore. Fannie Mae took over the house and sold it back to the current listed owner, Toderick Gardener, for less than half its previous value in June 2010.
While a car was parked in the driveway and the air conditioning was on, nobody was at the house when New Times paid a visit on Monday morning. It then took your correspondent some time driving in circles to escape the subdivision, which looks like this:
