A couple behind a world-famous Christmas lights display in Florida have been exposed as squatters who faked a deed of sale to take over their luxury home.
Mark and Kathy Hyatt were widely praised for the over-the-top Christmas decorations that spread festive cheer at their Plantation Acres home for years.
But the couple, who divorced in 2017, were accused of taking over the property without buying it or taking out a mortgage after a Miami Dolphins player was forced to sell.
According to the Sun Sentinel newspaper, after a seven-month investigation, a team of real estate appraisers determined that the Hyatt family had improperly occupied the home.
Kathy told investigators that Mark, who died in 2020 at age 56, created the 2005 deed to the home using “cut and paste,” changed the home’s locks and threw away its contents.
The couple behind Florida’s world-famous Christmas lights have been exposed as squatters who faked a takeover deed for the house
Mark and Kathy Hyatt were widely praised for the over-the-top Christmas decorations that spread festive cheer at their Plantation Acres home for years
An investigation into how the Hyatt family took over the property began late last year after Kathy contacted the office of Broward County Property Appraiser Marty Kiar.
She claimed she had information about the 2005 deed “which resulted in the Hyatts taking unlawful ownership of the subject property,” a memo said.
The home was originally owned by former Miami Dolphins player Brett Perriman in 1998, but he was unable to pay off his $400,000 mortgage and faced repossession.
He then took out a second mortgage for $585,000 to pay off the first, but defaulted again and he and his wife left the property in 2004, according to investigators.
A private investor then paid off $50,000 of the original mortgage before changing the locks, setting up an alarm system and working on the house with the idea of flipping it for a profit.
But a mix-up in paperwork resulted in him being given the wrong document, which the Hyatts were able to further exploit.
Mark and Kathy were looking for a home at the time and came across the house in the upscale Plantation Acres neighborhood.
She spoke to investigators at the property appraiser’s office and said it was “empty and looked abandoned.”
Kathy claimed the couple contacted previous owner Perriman, who agreed to sell the house for $900,000, but Mark, who worked as a mortgage loan officer, discovered he no longer had a valid deed of sale.
She added that her ex-husband called the police and accused the investor of squatting.
Mark received an email from the former Plantation police chief in August 2005 that stated, “He believes that some type of fraud has occurred and may continue to occur with respect to the property,” the investigation states.
However, the couple was accused of taking over the property without buying it or taking out a mortgage after a Miami Dolphins player was forced to sell
According to the Sun Sentinel newspaper, after a seven-month investigation, a team of real estate appraisers determined that the Hyatt family had improperly occupied the home
Kathy told investigators that Mark, who died in 2020 at age 56, created the 2005 deed to the home using “cut and paste,” changed the home’s locks and threw away its contents
She added that Mark hired a locksmith to change the locks and told the alarm company that he was at the mortgage company when it went off
He was told that the legal owner of the house was unknown, and Kathy told investigators during a deposition that Mark had decided to take charge at that point.
She claimed he “cut and pasted” a deed and said, “We’re breaking in.” But he never submitted the fake document.
She said Mark hired a locksmith to change the locks and told the alarm company that he was at the mortgage company when it went off.
“What surprised Mark was that they never called the police,” Kathy told investigators. “They just believed it.”
She added: “We threw away the living room.” We threw away the kitchen. …We threw away everything in the fridge. … Mark said we had to throw out all evidence about him so he couldn’t come back before we got there and say he had possession.
“Well, we broke in. I’ve never done that in my life.” We never paid any money for the cast. “We were squatters.”
The investor decided to call the police, but Mark “showed the police the false act he had prepared,” the county statement said.
“Plantation police said it was a civil matter and left.”
The investor took the Hyatts to court, but he didn’t win because the deed was dated later, according to investigator Mike Fisten.
Kathy said the couple tried to legally purchase the home, but Perriman was not the owner.
“And we already sold our house and had nowhere to go and the house was empty and with real estate 9/10ths of the law is ownership,” she added.
“I had my real estate license and I remembered that from class.”
However, she clarified that the couple eventually paid $900,000 for the mortgage note years later. However, a specialist lawyer hired by the real estate appraiser’s office explained to her that this does not mean that you own the house.
“Everyone squatted back then,” she claimed. “We own the paper, we don’t own the certificate.” We lived our happy little lives. The house was never ours, ever.’
Kathy told investigators that her now-deceased ex-husband told her he would take care of everything.
The Hyatts used the house to make it an annual holiday destination with their extravagant Christmas decorations.
There was a big light show, stuffed animals, a snow blower and even a reindeer.
Her home became so popular that the city sued her in February 2014, arguing that the increased traffic would ultimately lead to an accident. A judge has been asked to force them to reduce the size of the display or turn it off entirely.
But after a four-day trial in 2016, a judge ruled that the city had failed to prove the attraction was a public nuisance.
The performances ended in 2017 after Kathy and Mark’s divorce. They were in divorce court over child support and alimony owed by Kathy when she was told to sign the title deed to Mark’s estate.
However, according to chief investigator Vivian Gallinal, she told the court that she was never the owner of the property and that the act was fraudulent.
The Hyatts used the house to make it an annual holiday destination with their extravagant Christmas decorations
There was a big light show, stuffed animals, a snow blower and even a reindeer
Her home became so popular that the city sued her in February 2014, arguing that increased traffic would eventually lead to an accident, but a judge dismissed the claim
The performances ended in 2017 after Kathy and Mark’s divorce
Kathy told investigators that she sold the nearly $1 million mortgage note to a stranger at a Starbucks for $50,000 cash and spent the money on groceries.
Mark’s sister, Jane Zimmerman, says Kathy and investigators’ claims are inaccurate. “Anyone can make up a story,” she said.
Zimmerman claims Mark paid cash for the house – but Kathy has denied that claim.
Kathy said: “Jane was never privy to our lives, she has no idea.”
“Mark wanted the house, that was it.” I was a stay-at-home mom.
“Mark says, ‘We’re moving.’ I say, ‘Okay.’ That’s how it went down. I had no reason to question him.
“I trusted him with every fiber of my being. “That’s what he said: We’re doing it, we’re doing it.”
County officials want to recover $34,724 in back taxes on the property amid allegations that the Hyatts were improperly granted a seven-year homestead tax exemption.
Broward County Property Appraiser Kiar said, “It is important that the people of Broward County be reimbursed for the money they owe on this property,” adding that taxpayers “are also victims of fraud and it deserve to be compensated.”