Florida property owners who are currently facing problems with city officials may want to follow a case in another state. Several property owners have banned together in real estate disputes filed against their city. They claim their rights of due process have been violated. The central focus of the current arguments between the defendants and those who filed the lawsuit is a section of lots that are going to be redeveloped.
In 2006, the city apparently gave the property owners permission to redevelop their lots at will but has since told another redevelopment company that it has been chosen by the city to rebuild on the site. The man who is acting as the leader of the group who filed the lawsuit says he had planned to build a residential building on his property that currently houses the auto body shop he owns. He says the city has no right to abdicate the agreement it already forged with the existing property owners.
He further stated that the situation is an example of what can go wrong when city officials allow political influences to affect their decisions. The property owners have sought judicial relief to stop the city from further violating their rights and to allow them to fulfill the original agreement as planned. The area in question is four blocks long. Planning board members were supposed to vote in early July on the city’s request to change the original agreed-upon plans. However, for some reason, that scheduled voting process was delayed until the end of the month.
It is often easiest to avoid real estate disputes by making sure that the written terms of an agreement are clearly understood by all parties. Florida property owners who believe city officials or others have failed to adhere to such terms may take steps similar to those in this case to seek viable solutions to their problems. An experienced real estate attorney may be able to help negotiate a fair solution but is also fully prepared to litigate situations that cannot be resolved through negotiation.
