Bus Broker Leaves Liberty City Kids Stranded

Follow CBSMIAMI.COM: Facebook | Twitter

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The Tiny Omega Power and Praise Ministry in Liberty City is a little church that does large work, feeding hundreds of young people five days a week, and every year taking kids to the Aquatica waterpark near Orlando for a day of great fun, kids like Marcus Fleming who says this year's much delayed departure to the Central Florida waterpark, and subsequent shortened stay, "was heartbreaking."

Marcus and 46 other youngsters did make the trip to Aquatica Saturday - but got there very late.   The church had a signed contract with Phillip Glenn of Big Phill Entertainment to charter a bus for the outing.  They paid $1,400 cash up front.  The bus was to leave at 3:30 a.m.  But at the appointed time, the bus had not arrived.

"The bus had not come," said Omega Power and Praise Minister Harriette Wilson-Greene.  "Four O'clock comes.  Still no bus," she said.

The kids would wait in the morning dark for hours and then more hours into the day.  When the church was able to reach Glenn he was unable to provide another bus.  The church finally hired another bus company and the trip to Aquatica was on, but the kids didn't get a day - only three hours or so at the waterpark after the hours-long delay in departure.

"I think it was very unprofessional how he did these kids and us, and took our money," said church member Dorothea Rolle.

On his splashy Facebook website, Glenn says he is a bus driver for Miami-Dade schools, but on the side has a company called Big Phill Entertainment that organizes trips and parties, and that he has another job referring accident victims to lawyers through the No Fault Group.  State Records show no licenses for Big Phill Entertainment or the No Fault Group.

CBS4 News tried calling Glenn repeatedly, but the number on his website was answered by a recording that said it was not accepting calls.

CBS4 News finally reached Glenn at a hospital he had checked into this week for an undisclosed surgery.  In a telephone interview, he said of the botched charter, "The contractor I hired did not show up.  The church will have their money back no later than Monday."

When asked who Glenn contracted with to take the kids to the waterpark, he replied a man named "Alex."  When asked Alex's last name, Glenn said "I don't know."  He said he also didn't know the name of "Alex's" company.

The church says when it was finally able to speak to Glenn after the "nightmare" waterpark episode, he told them he would return their money to them no later than Friday

White-Greene says the church can only have faith it will get its $1,400 back "someday."  In the interim, she said the church will continue dividing "the fishes and the loaves," feed the hungry, do its outreach work, and believe the Lord will provide should Glenn not make good on his promise to return the cash.