The long-running, multi-million dollar saga over the future of Windermere Country Club continued Thursday, Oct. 29, when the property was sold for $10,100 at an auction.
Bryan Decunha initially purchased the land in 2011 for $2.17 million. Five years later, he closed the club because of profit losses.
He had hoped to build 95 homes on 50 acres of the property, but because there was an agreement put in place in 1986 with the Orange County Commission and the land’s original developers, land development rights belonged to the county. This means Decunha’s plan never came to fruition.
“Since the property has been closed, it made no economic sense for me to try and build an 18-hole golf course, because the cost of rebuilding the golf course would be far more than what other golf courses are on sale for,” Decunha said in an interview with the West Orange Times & Observer in 2024. “So, the only option was to try and do some golf course land and some small portion of development that I’ve been working with the homeowners to try and get some approval for. … Some might have felt that I closed the golf course deliberately, even though the cost of running the golf course was just not financially feasible with all the irrigation systems failed, the equipment needed repairs. Millions of dollars were needed to keep the golf course going, and I had no support from the homeowners.”
In March 2022, Decunha secured a commercial term loan for $3,180,000 through Private Financial Alternatives, a Florida limited liability company.
At the time, Decunha signed a promissory note giving the lender, PFA, senior lien rights over the property.
The loan had a two-year lifespan, with a maturity date set for March 31, 2024.
However, March 31, 2024, came around, and Decunha did not repay the loan.
Through email conversations with a PFA official that were presented in court, Decunha expressed he wanted to sell the property and that the new owners had agreed to take on the debt. The PFA official advised Decunha to request an extension to pay back the loan before talks of selling the property could begin.
On July 1, 2024, Windermere Country Club, Decunha’s LLC, paid $1.2 million toward the owed debt.
An extension never was filed.
Then, in August 2024, Decunha sold the property to NYA Capital Inc., a Florida for-profit corporation, without PFA’s knowledge or approval for $8.6 million.
This was a breach of contract.
Through the promissory note and a first priority Mortgage, Assignment of Rents, Security Agreement and Notice of Fixture Filing Decunha and WCC signed, PFA had the right to motion for foreclosure if the owners did not pay the loan back in full.
For NYA Capital Inc., this purchase meant the company now was responsible for the remainder of Decunha’s debt.
PFA sent at least two notices to WCC, Decunha and NYA Capital Inc. saying failure to pay would lead to selling of the property.
In 2025, NYA Capital Inc. filed for bankruptcy, but the lawsuits continued.
Recently, Friday, Oct. 8, a judge granted PFA’s motion of foreclosure and stated defendants owe $4,375,744.06 to the plaintiff.
In that same hearing, the judge ruled if defendants do not pay the debt, the Clerk of Court was to auction the property Thursday, Oct. 29.
And that’s what happened.
PFA bid $10,100 for the property, and gained rightful ownership as it continues to navigate the legal battle with WCC and Decunha.
According to court documents, the $10,100 will go toward the defendants’ debts, while payments still must continue to be made to PFA with a 7.87% interest rate.
An ex-parte hearing meant to take place Thursday, Nov. 4, per Decunha’s request to amend the supplemental final judgement of foreclosure rendered Friday, Oct. 8, was canceled.