Anna Maria city commissioners approved six more Bert Harris settlement recommendations May 25.
The recommendations include occupation rate settlements of 10-14 persons. None were offers for purchase. The settlement offers were approved 4-1, with Commissioner Nancy Yetter voting against them.
The city of Anna Maria adopted a vacation rental ordinance in 2015 that went into effect April 2016. Among other things, the VRO specifies that short-term vacation rentals can have an occupancy of no more than eight people, regardless of home size.
Since April 2016, 112 Bert Harris claims have been made against the city — all but one claim was based on the occupancy rate enacted in the VRO.
The Bert Harris Jr. Private Property Protection Act of 1995 allows property owners to seek relief if they can prove a government action lowered the value of their property.
Claimants must provide appraisals to establish value and settlements, in lieu of cash payments, can either fully or partly restore the rights that existed before the prohibitions. The city has 150 days to respond to claims.
In May, Mayor Dan Murphy said city attorney Becky Vose had successfully drafted a response to all claims that have been made against Anna Maria. Since then, she has presented the commission with multiple counter-offers from the claimants to the city.
Of the 112 claims filed, 78 were settled as of May 26.