There may not be an end in sight for the settlement offer in a personal injury lawsuit against Manatee County and the city of Holmes Beach.
County commissioners unanimously voted Jan. 27 to approve a consent agenda that included authorization to take no action regarding plaintiff Thomas Eppich’s proposed $104,000 settlement agreement and allow it to expire.
Eppich, a Sarasota County resident, filed a lawsuit seeking damages against the city and county in April 2025. The lawsuit is based on a crash Eppich suffered on Sept. 5, 2024, while riding his bike on Marina Drive in Holmes Beach.
The county had recently begun a project at the intersection of 72nd Street and Marina Drive, where a section of roadway was removed for excavation and backfilled with crushed stone. On the date of the crash, the county allegedly left the area unattended and unmarked by warning devices or signage.
Eppich rode over the backfilled area, flipped over his bike’s handlebars, crashing to the ground and fracturing his left elbow, according to court documents.
He underwent surgery as a result of his injuries, resulting in $387,360.16 of medical expenses, per the claim.
Eppich’s lawsuit seeks damages from the defendants on counts of negligence for failing to maintain the roadway in a safe condition and failing to warn of a known danger.
His complaint alleges he “suffered bodily injuries and resulting pain and suffering, disability, disfigurement, mental anguish, loss of capacity for the enjoyment of life and expense of hospital, medical and nursing care.”
The case has yet to make it to trial, but settlement discussions have begun.
Eppich served his settlement proposal to the county on Dec. 30, 2025. The deal would have involved the county paying the plaintiff $104,000 in exchange for his dismissing the litigation.
However, a county report included with the consent agenda item makes it clear that such a settlement may not be necessary. “The county sttorney’s office believes that the county has viable legal defenses against plaintiff’s claims, and that the amount of the proposal is unreasonable and not commensurate with the value, if any, of the claim,” the report states.
Eppich’s settlement proposal expired Jan. 29, following 30 days of inaction from the county.
Meanwhile, a settlement proposal from Holmes Beach remains unresolved.
On Jan. 26, the city filed a notice with the 12th Circuit Court that it had served a proposal for settlement to Eppich, who will have 30 days to accept the proposal before it automatically expires in accordance with the Florida Rules of Civil Procedure.
If the case remains unresolved, a jury trial could decide the matter in December at the Manatee County Judicial Center, 1051 Manatee Ave. W., Bradenton.