Representatives of the Florida developers said salaries are about half what they are on Long Island.

What is a striving Florida developer to do when most of its vast holdings are not beach chic but rural, remote and mosquitoey?

Whatever the reason, Mr. Tate, a Florida developer, said he felt "disposable and dispensable."

But five prospective purchasers, most recently a Florida developer who could not get needed financing, have either walked away from the project or been eliminated.

This occurred after a reporter asked if she had offered a Florida developer a $35,000 consulting contract to stop making complaints about what he regards as the association's deficiencies.

The unstated one: Mr. Tate, a wealthy Florida developer, is a prominent Republican campaign contributor.

This is the kind of battle that Florida developers have frequently won.

Details about the arrangement have emerged from a lawsuit brought last year by a Florida developer.

His campaign records show that he received more than $40,000 in contributions on one day around that time, mostly from southwestern Florida developers and builders.

In some cases there were reports of Florida developers converting residences into rental units after they encountered difficulty finding buyers.