Last week, Alena Borich was one of the two employees of a vacation-rental agency who reported to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office that the agency’s office on Palm Coast’s Utility Drive had been trashed and that keys to rental units had been stolen.
That was on Feb. 6. Three days later, Borich, 36, of Lucky Drive in Ormond Beach, was herself arrested and booked at the Flagler County jail on a felony charge of grand theft after allegedly shoplifting several items totaling $171 in value at Kohl’s.
Borich had been seen twice walking into a fitting room at the Palm Coast department store Friday evening. She went to pay for certain items, but an employee noticed that her purse had swelled significantly between the times she’d gone into and out of the dressing room. The loss-prevention officer approached her when she was by her car, where she agreed to have her purse searched. The search, according to her arrest report, revealed a $40 pair of slippers, two Missy Bottoms valued at $45 each and a $30 sweater.
She’s not been arrested in Flagler previously. But she has a record in Volusia. In 2003 she has a conviction for pot possession. That year charges of forgery and theft were dropped. In 2005 charges of forgery were dropped in another case and she pleaded no contest on a grand theft charge. She was found guilty of grand theft again in 2006. The following year she was charged with writing a worthless check. The charge was dropped. In December 2016 she was found guilty of petit theft, and in November 2015, of grand theft.
Last week, as the operations coordinator for Vacation rental Pros, a vacation-rental agency with extensive operations in Flagler, she and a property inspector had called the Sheriff’s Office after finding their office trashed. She told deputies that she had rented a unit to a renter late the evening of Feb. 5, and told deputies that tenants generally have access to the rental office.
An area manager for the company later checked the unit that had been rented and found three copy machines and cash bills that appeared to be counterfeit. That investigation is ongoing.
Borich posted $2,500 bond on Feb. 10 and was released.
Rick Kang says
Well, this well make you feel safe with rental homes on your street-NOT!
Lilly Makarov says
Wow! Steve Milo & Kyung Bishop-Milo have lowered their standards regarding hiring employees!
Richard says
With a past criminal record of that significance maybe she needs to do some time in the slammer to think about what path she wants her life to take, one of in and out of jail or doing something productive for the community and herself.
Really says
More to come on this story
Linze says
She should be in jail from all the other charges
Paula says
What can you say? Please read reviews of Vacation Rental Pros on Yelp (you won’t be surprised how dismal the reviews are after reading this article). Go to Yelp – not Vacation Rental Pro’s own site, which is under their control.
If VRP is HIRING a criminal to be the operations coordinator, why would they care about their tenants, as long as they get their money? (Um…except when the “tenants” have stolen a credit card to gain unlawful access and trash VRP’s office.)
Again, why short-term rentals are okay, IF the owner is present to supervise what is going on there.
Hotels at least have people on duty 24/7 at the desk to protect those who are there.
Senator Hutson and Representative Renner, are you reading and listening and understanding?
Lilly Makarov says
Well put Paula! The clients who trust VRP to maintain their property should be concerned as well!
Bc. says
Huston and Renner I hope you guys have a job lined up because you will be voted out of office there is more of us than the lobbyists you are taking money from to SCREW US do you job a represent the people who vote you in not f—k us over
Concerned Citizen says
Vacation Rental Pros is really turning out to be a syndicated crime racket aren’t they? Hiring an office worker with a felony background and giving her access to financial records and credit cards?Then renting a unit for counterfeiting operations and drug use. Makes you wonder if there is a connection there
If you have done business with VRP I suggest you start checking your statements. There’s no telling who might be paying for vacation rentals for criminal acts and not even know it..
Sounds like to me a thorough investigation of VRP is needed by the Sheriff’s Office FDLE and whatever agency issued their business license. If they even have one. I hope Flagler Live continues to shed some light on this shady at best Enterprise.
At least with activities like this it will start hurting the cause to deregulate Vacation Rentals some. Maybe.
Anonymous says
I wonder if she had any influence on Trump during the election, she is Russian.
hawkeye says
I dont understand ,with her record of convictions ,why is she even out of jail. She was found guilty of grand theft twice and petit theft once, is there no jail time for these offences?
Dave says
Exactly what I thought, The Vacation rental article written was an isolated incident not likely to happen on your average occasion, Keep local government out of home owners affairs when it comes to VACATION RENTALS
Rhonda says
509.6051 Occupancy limits.— Vacation rentals shall have a maximum occupancy limit which cannot exceed the total number of persons calculated by assuming there will be no more than two persons per sleeping room plus an additional four persons. For purposes of this section, the term “persons” only includes individuals 18 years of age or older. Individuals under the age of 18 are not included in the calculation of the maximum occupancy limit.
This is from the bill that will be heard today. Look at occupancy – people under 18 not considered “persons.” Easy to get up to 30 – 40 people in a home when those not under 18 are not considered in the occupancy limit.
Dave says
Rhonda, 30-40 people? Some of u are really stretching and trying to make an issue where there is none
Rhonda says
Dave, this is copied and pasted from an actual posting ON MY STREET – it’s a mini-hotel built for short-term rentals (the owners of this investment property live outside of the United States)…
So, do the math yourself – just looking at the bedrooms, there can be 21 people in beds (they don’t even describe how many beds in the 10th bedroom), and that is BEFORE you get to those who could stay here under 18. You do the math.
Keep in mind if this bill passes it’s two per bedroom plus four, so that is 24 people
Please don’t tell me it’s a stretch – this is REALITY.
•Bathrooms: 9
•Bedrooms: 10
•Bedroom #1 (1 King)
•Bedroom #10 (4 Singles)
•Bedroom #2 (1 King)
•Bedroom #3 (1 King)
•Bedroom #4 (1 King)
•Bedroom #5 (1 King)
•Bedroom #6 (1 King)
•Bedroom #7 (1 King)
•Bedroom #8 (1 King)
•Bedroom #9 (1 King)
Peter says
All I have to say is ” BIRDS IF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER.”
Sarah says
Really, it would have been easy to search her record in nearby Volusia County. That should make renters nervous.
Rhonda says
Sarah, it should make not only renters nervous, but those who live in communities with these whole-house rentals owned by investors where there is no oversight of occupants.
And, remember that Representative La Rosa’s bill counts NO ONE UNDER THE AGE OF 18 AS AN OCCUPANT WHEN DETERMINING OCCUPANCY!!!!!
This has to be stopped. The Florida legislative season wraps up on Friday, March 9th. Let Flagler’s representatives, Senator Travis Hutson and Representative Paul Renner know you do NOT want these bills that allow unfettered short-term rentals passed. They are sailing through committees. We need to stop them. We did last year because of a big outcry by citizens. They need to hear us again this year.
(By the way, Hutson voted to take away local control of short-term rentals – he was the chair of the committee that could have refused to hear Steube’s bill, but did hear it, and voted for it.)