Anna Maria has received acceptances to 31 settlement offers from the 69 Bert Harris claims filed against the city.
More than 50 settlement offers have gone out. City attorney Becky Vose is expected to bring more settlement recommendations before the commission Oct. 13.
Although most of the accepted settlements are for the city’s offer to adjust the occupancy rate, the first of 20 purchase offers made by the city was accepted Sept. 20 for property at 117 Willow Ave. by 117 Willow LLC for $1,212,925.
The Bert Harris Jr. Private Property Protection Act of 1995 allows property owners to seek monetary relief if they can prove a government action lowered the value of their property.
Since April 1, when Anna Mariaʼs vacation rental ordinance went into effect, short-term rental homes have been limited to an eight-person occupancy. Soon afterwards homeowners began filing Bert Harris claims against the city, claiming financial losses as a result of the limited occupancy.
Some vacation rental homes, built before the VRO was adopted, have more than four bedrooms. Also, prior to the VRO, there were no occupancy limits for residential properties.
Two offers have been rejected. The first for 236 Gladiolus St., for either a $639,450 purchase or a six-person occupancy rate, was rejected by owner Liad Anderson.
The second offer rejection, either a purchase of $1,141,875 for 203 S. Bay Blvd. or an eight-person occupancy maximum was rejected by FL Gulf Coast Vacation Homes LLC.
A third offer for an eight-person occupancy at 790 N. Shore Drive was countered by the claimant for a 10-person occupancy rate. It was approved Sept. 22 by the city, but owners John Minnebo and Beatrice Guinsbourg have yet to respond.