Matthew Fitzpatrick of Las Vegas has been arrested and charged by the state of Nevada with five counts of felony theft and fourteen counts of deceptive trade, related to timeshare resales.

Attorney General Catherine Cortez and the Nevada Bureau of Consumer Protection allege that Fitzpatrick, through his company, Resort Property Specialists, defrauded people by listing their timeshares for sale and then requesting from them thousands of dollars to set up bogus escrow accounts. The accounts were supposedly intended to facilitate transactions with buyers, when in fact, no such timeshare buyers existed.

You can learn more about the charges against Fitzpatrick on the website for the Nevada Attorney General www.ag.state.nv.us.

People who were falsely told that Resort Proeperty Specialist had sold their properties are asked to contact (702) 486-3194, the Nevada Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection in Las Vegas.

The Street Talk Blog warned timeshare owners about questionable practices by Resort Property Specialists two years ago.—Good call!

If you want to buy, rent, or sell timeshare, in transactions that you control yourself, visit the website for Sell My Timeshare NOW. Sell My Timeshare NOW is a leader in timeshare resales and timeshare rentals available without a middleman.

For many people, September means that children are back in school and there will be no more extended vacation trips until the next school holiday. But for others, September is a great time to take advantage of vacation destinations, when weather is sometimes cooler and crowds are always smaller.

In case you are considering an Orlando timeshare vacation and a trip to Walt Disney World, here’s a good link to news about the Disney parks. You’ll notice that the AllEarsNet, also suggest September as a wonderful time to enjoy Disney and all the Orlando attractions.

And if you are going to Orlando—the timeshare capital of the world—then by all means look into the excellent opportunities in Orlando timeshare resales and Orlando timeshare rentals, whether you choose a Disney timeshare or one of the many other Orlando timeshare resorts in the Orlando-Kissimmee vacation area.

Here’s some other interesting information about Orlando, as you segue from summer into fall: On the TechDirt website, one of the forum readers recently made an interesting observation about Disney’s use of the Segway (those two-wheeled, battery-powered individual people transporters). As the writer pointed out: “…best use of Segways has got to be by parking lot attendants, especially at places like Disney World. These people walk back and forth, up and down the rows directing cars to their parking spaces. On a Segway, they’re still tall enough to be seen.”

Segways, produced by a company based right here in New Hampshire, work so well in busy tourist destinations that the City of Orlando plans to invest nearly one million dollars on Segways for “city ambassadors” who will wheel around the downtown area, providing information and assistance to tourists.

Sadly, the EPCOT Tour once offered to park guests, which included rental and use of a Segway, was discontinued. Now only park employees get to enjoy buzzing around the Disney parks on two-wheels

As Central America and Mexico brace for Hurricane Felix, our thoughts and prayers are with everyone for their personal safety and the protection of their property.

Thousands of people in Honduras and Nicaragua were ordered to leave as Felix approached and told to seek higher ground further away from the storm’s path. Residents and tourists on the islands of Roatan and Guanaja—popular dive destinations—were evacuated by boat and plane in anticipation of both catastrophic winds and flooding.

According to the New York Times, some of the most vulnerable people in the hurricane’s path are the Miskito Indians along the remote Nicaraguan-Honduran border. Primarily living in small wooden houses, the Miskito’s are facing Felix at its worst, with little means to protect themselves.

Throughout Central America, Hurricane Felix brings to mind horrific memories of 1998, when Hurricane Mitch, also a Category 5, left a swath of destruction in much of the same area, killing between 9000 and 11,000 people and leaving as many more missing and presumed dead. The flooding and mudslides that followed Mitch destroyed some villages in entirety, leaving no one alive in its path.

As always, we will try to keep you apprised of property damage as it relates to timeshare owners and others with interests in timeshare resorts.

While the popular timeshare vacation destinations in Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao were under a hurricane watch as Felix passed over them Labor Day weekend, neither Curacao nor Bonaire reported serious damages according to the Cayman Net News. There was however, street flooding and downed trees in Curacao. Despite its massive force, hurricane force winds extended only 15 miles and tropical winds only 115 miles as Felix passed over the southern Caribbean, meaning that both Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles experienced only gusty conditions.

Bonaire’s Lt. Governor, Herbert Domacasse said, “The local population and visitors remained in their homes and hotels overnight. No calls were received on the emergency line set up in preparation for the storm.” With many areas still recovering from Hurricane Dean, thousands of people need your help. Give your donations through a charity you trust.

The Council of Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance maintains guidelines to help you identify reputable charities. Other considerations are the American Red Cross, and the International Red Cross.

I spent a week recently on the Timeshare Owners Blog posting about pet friendly timeshares, a timeshare version of dog-ownership, and a few other comments about man’s (and woman’s) best feline or fido friends, so I thought I was through writing about pets for a while.

But apparently recent news events about mistreatment and abuse of animals has made us all think about how much our pets mean to us.

Over on the Boomer Blog, Amanda Sobanet wrote an interesting post about how much baby boomers enjoy traveling with their pets and the “tender loving care” some resorts are showing to their pet guests. She notes especially the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Central Park and W Hotels, which offer aromatherapy for pets and special dog treats from the chef.

According to Kitty Bean Yancey of the Hotel Hotsheet on USA Today, the Kahala Hotel on Oahu provides perhaps the most creative pet lover’s holiday perks. Pet guests at the Kahala are greeted with leis, provided a customized pet bed, personal dish, and peanut butter biscuits created by the hotel’s chef. But here’s where the resort really goes over the top: the Kahala offers cultural enrichment for your dog by teaching it basic commands in Hawaiian.

…Maybe that’s more perks than even the most devoted pet lovers expect.

Right now there are roughly 80 Hawaii timeshare resorts advertised as by-owner resales at Sell My Timeshare NOW. If you have always meant to take that Hawaiian vacation, (with or without your pet) here are a few of the excellent opportunities in Hawaii timeshare resale and Hawaii timeshare rentals:

• Banyan Harbor Resort Resales
• Hilton Grand Vacations Club at Hilton Hawaiian Village Resales
• Hilton Grand Vacations Club at the Kalia Tower Resales
• Hilton Grand Vacations Club at Waikoloa Beach Resort Resales
• Kahana Falls Resales
• Kahana Villa Vacation Club Resales
• Kamaole Beach Club Resales
• Kona Islander Vacation Club Resales
• Marriott’s Kauai Beach Club Resales
• Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach Club Resales
• Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club Resales
• Marriott’s Waiohai Beach Club Resales
• Shell Vacations Club at Kona Coast Resort I Resales
• Shell Vacations Club at Kona Coast Resort II Resales
• Shell Vacations Club at Paniolo Greens Resales
• Shell Vacations Club at Waikiki Marina Resort at the Ilikai Resales
• Shell Vacations Club Holua Resort at Mauna Loa Village Resales
• Shell Vacations Club Kauai Coast Resort at the Beachboy Resales
• Sunterra Resorts Ka’anapali Beach Club Resales
• Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort – North Villas Resales
• Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas Resales
• WorldMark at Kihei Resales
• Wyndham Hawaii at Kona Hawaiian Resort Resales
• Wyndham Hawaii at Royal Sea Cliff Resales
• Wyndham Hawaii at Waikiki Beach Resales