Sunburst Beach Vacations, Inc. Sudden Closure

We were informed by Grayt 30 A Vacations that Sunburst Beach Vacations had closed its doors and absconded with our $6200 deposit for a weeks stay @Mimosa Mornings on Grayton Beach. If anyone can provide more info about Sunburst Beach Vacations and the people affiliated with the company I would appreciate assistance. My credit card company can’t promise they will do a chargeback. They will work with the defunct Sunburst Vacations Merchant bank for the determination.

Any updates here? Just found out about this issue. Have a home rented 5/23 for the week & have paid almost $4k already. Thanks,

Any updates here? Just found out about this issue. Have a home rented 5/23 for the week & have paid almost $4k already. Thanks,

Oh no I wish there was good news.

Wow! We have been renting through Garrett Realty for 10 years (same house) and they were recently taken over by a management firm. Increased our rate by $100 a night in the off season! We had been using Sunburst before that when the house we had been renting for about 5 years changed management but were fortunate that the home owners switched to Sunburst and we didn't lose our deposit. With all the growth & changes on 30A, who would have thought that realty/management would be the reason we look elsewhere in the panhandle. Is it the focus on home sales instead of managing rentals? Ellen

I know very little about this matter but here's the latest from the Walton Sun. I assume many people may be happy to see a mugshot.....

Oklahoma man arrested in Walton County property management scheme

Have you or anyone you know been negatively affected by the sudden closure of Sunburst Beach Vacations, formerly based in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida? If so, please send me a private message and I will provide you with direction on who to reach out to with your complaint. And feel free to share your story in this thread; there are a lot of us in the same predicament.

Hi, we rented a house 5/6-5/10. Does anyone have any idea what we're supposed to do next?

Search on the Walton County PVA site. The owners will be listed with their mailing address. Ironically, years ago, Sunburst took over from a closed agency, and we contacted the owners who honored our down payment & vacation. I would write the owners. Walton County, Florida Ellen

This really saddens me...for a different reason than the folks who lost money, of course.
I know the people who started Sunburst. Bright, wonderful folks, kids in school, did all the right things and grew their business. Payson is actually from one of the oldest families in Seagrove Beach.
They sold their successful business, and the guy who took it over ran it into the ground. But many locals may not realize it had been sold.
Prayers for all those hoping to get their hard-earned vacation money back.

This really saddens me...for a different reason than the folks who lost money, of course.
I know the people who started Sunburst. Bright, wonderful folks, kids in school, did all the right things and grew their business. Payson is actually from one of the oldest families in Seagrove Beach.
They sold their successful business, and the guy who took it over ran it into the ground. But many locals may not realize it had been sold.
Prayers for all those hoping to get their hard-earned vacation money back.

Yes, I didn't think that this sounded like the nice people we worked with up until 2010.

Have you or anyone you know been negatively affected by the sudden closure of Sunburst Beach Vacations, formerly based in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida? If so, please send me a private message and I will provide you with direction on who to reach out to with your complaint. And feel free to share your story in this thread; there are a lot of us in the same predicament.

We have been affected, booked a year ago to find out all is lost including reservation and deposit. Do you know of a class action? Thanks!!

What became of this? The Sunburst founders are good people, yet I thought they sold the company to a hedge fund or investors. How Stephen Edward Shafer got involved is curious indeed. I no longer live in Florida.

What became of this? The Sunburst founders are good people, yet I thought they sold the company to a hedge fund or investors. How Stephen Edward Shafer got involved is curious indeed. I no longer live in Florida.

Oklahoma man awaits extradition for Walton County racketeering charges

WALTON COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) — An Oklahoma man is awaiting extradition to Walton County after authorities say an investigation revealed a racketeering scheme involving a property management com…

www.mypanhandle.com

I think Shafer was put in place to run it.

I think Shafer was put in place to run it.

Shafer used stolen funds to purchase the company. The prior owners had no knowledge of this and Shafer was arrested and tried on multiple federal charges.