Lake Okeechobee Resort Wayne GrayWayne A. GrayWayne Gray Property Management Executive Membership Scam Winter Haven Florida

Wayne Gray, of Wayne Gray Property Management, based in Winter Haven, Florida leased from the City of a Pahokee, the only Campground, Marina & Restaurant that sits directly on Lake Okeechobee..  He named it Lake Okeechobee Resort.  He advertised an Executive membership on his website, brochure and at the entrance to the facilities.  Being a local family, we bought in.  

The Executive Membership offered the following benefits: Free Use of the Swimming Pool, Discounted use of the Camp Ground and Marina, Discounted use of the Convention Facility, Discounted Boat Rental and Guided Tour or Sunset Cruise, Club Members monthly account facility (invoiced at month end for items purchased or rented including Bar and Restaurant), Executive members invite to all events (Power Boat Racing etc.), and Corporate sponsorship opportunities.  

I wrote Lake Okeechobee Resort a check for the membership for our family On July 17, 2013 and handed it personally to Wayne Gray and his wife, Lisa Gray.  Unfortunately, the Club Members monthly account facility was never set up, it was a pay as you go.  That should have been the first red flag.  The waitstaff knew nothing of the discounts that were to be given, second red flag.  

The first public event was the P1-Powerboat Races at the end of July, we were given small a private seating area to view the races. Not so private, others whom were not Executive Members were allowed to enter the area.  We were told there would be complimentary drinks and appetizers delivered to us.  They never appeared. While viewing the races, we would walk to the restaurant and bar and pay, without the discount, for our drinks.

I later, saw Mr. Gray and told him, we were not receiving our discounts in the restaurant.  He apologized in his charming, British accent, he would straighten this out.  A couple of weeks went by and still no discounts.  I confronted him again in front of his bar patrons and he immediately instructed the staff to discount our future receipts, as the monthly billing system still had not been set up.  

Six weeks after paying for the membership, we received a members card. By that time, his was almost non-existent at the facilities to fix any problems.  The pool was green.  We arrived one night to find his chef had quit at the beginning of the nightly dinner service.  The bathrooms around the pool area, which happen to be the bathrooms for the restaurant and bar, were usually unstocked and unclean.  Third red flag was while the power and water were being turned off for non-payment, he was vacationing elsewhere with his family.  

We would hear the restaurant and bar had reopened with a new cook and then finally, a new chef that was going to sublease the restaurant and until the papers were waiting to be signed, the restaurant opened under new management. The sublease was never signed and Mr. Gray was now an absentee constant vacationer, his own staff could not reach him when again the lights and water were shut off to the entire facility.  Boaters and campers were left without power and water and the food which was purchased by the new chef, spoiled.  When Mr. Gray did return, he apologized again and was working to rectify the situation.

We were now learning through our city, he had not paid any rent. I requested in writing to Mr. and Mrs. Gray to have our 1,500.00 membership returned.  He was evicted from the premises last month and left a huge amount of debt for our city.

As of January 9, 2014, I still have not received a refund or any response from Wayne or Lisa Gray to the four letters I sent.

He talked a good talk, but this scammer has done this before under various company names, some which appear on this site. BEWARE!!!!!

Our campground has reopened under the management of our city.