I want to make people aware of business practice that I feel is at best disingenuous. During the last recession, I had to give up my longtime membership in Vero’s Chamber of Commerce among other sacrifices during those tough times. My business has improved since then, so when I received an invoice from the Vero Beach chamber of commerce, I paid it, happy to be back with the organization that supported me and the business community in general for so many years.

Last week, it came to my attention that the invoice was not from the official chamber at all, but from an upstart organization headed by a Charlie Wilson. I have since learned that a number of other companies also received an invoice from him, believing it was from the official Chamber of Commerce.

While this practice of sending out invoices from a company so similar in name to a legitimate company may not be illegal, it is certainly unethical. It is embarrassing to me that I fell for this misleading tactic as I suspect it was embarrassing to others. But more to the point, by starting a company, giving it a name so similar to an established business, then sending out invoices to take advantage of that similarity, Mr. Wilson has weakened a bond of trust in our community more like what you might expect in a big city. We don’t need that type of behavior in Vero Beach.

Robert Roth

Roth Interiors

EDITOR’S NOTE: Mr. Roth advises InsideVero that Charlie Wilson apparently read the above letter and this morning returned Roth Interior’s $195 membership fee. Wilson is currently running for Vero Beach City Council.