Bradenton Beach citizens collectively now hold the title to waterfront property in the 1400 block of Gulf Drive.
The city’s effort to close a long-standing lawsuit has ended with the transfer of the title and deed from private developers to the public trust.
“The city,” city attorney Ricinda Perry said recently, “is now officially the recorded owner of the Island Inc. property.”
Perry said the case was closed with the city receiving a “clean bill of health on the property.”
Mayor Bob Bartelt said city officials soon will meet to “consider the possibilities to be done with that property.”
What the city knows is that development is not an option: A long dispute over development triggered the suit.
The dispute between the municipality and the developer dates back to the 1990s, when Island Inc./Beach Development acquired 2.6 acres of property, most on the bayfront but some on the Gulf of Mexico, with Gulf Drive bisecting the property.
When the developers purchased the property, they knew a portion of the land on the Gulf was identified for preservation in the city’s planning documents — both the future land-use map and the comprehensive plan, which guide development.
However, because it had eliminated development opportunity on part of the Gulffront property, the city agreed to allow for a higher density in the bayside project.
Yet as the project moved forward, developers encountered a problem: Increased development by the bay was limited by height restrictions that could not be waived.
What followed was a complicated civil dispute that only became more serpentine as the years went on.
In mid-2010, after court-ordered mediation talks, the city commission and the developers negotiated a settlement agreement: The city would acquire the preservation property from the developers and the developers would get $350,000 from the city.
The commission cast its final vote to approve the agreement in late-2010.
The court executed notices of final disposition and dismissal, closing the case earlier this month.
The City Officials are to be commended for finally obtaining this valuable piece of property. It will add to the scenic beauty of Gulf Drive North. I now hope that the City will soon remove the Austrian Pines on the property to encourage sea turtles to return to their popular nesting spot.
It’s about time ! this went on WAY to long. congratulations to the city of Bradenton Beach !!