The onslaught continues.
The city of Anna Maria has received 68 Bert Harris claims to date, amounting to $23,194,000 in value losses. Just as commissioners were poised to approve four settlement offers to claimants, another one hit city hall.
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, Bert Harris claims started rolling in, 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.
With 150 days to respond to each claim with a settlement offer, the city, with the help of city attorney Becky Vose, is now running into deadlines to make offers and whittle down the long list of Bert Harris claims awaiting response.
Vose has provided settlement offers that mostly allow two occupants per bedroom, plus two more occupants.
At the prior commission meeting Sept. 8, Vose brought 20 settlement responses that included potential purchase offers amounting to more than $20 million.
Anna Maria Mayor Dan Murphy has said that any purchase offers accepted by the claimants would be submitted to an investor — although no investor has been named.
Murphy said the city will not buy or own the properties, if the settlement offers are accepted.
A new claim was submitted to the city Sept. 22 on behalf of TML of Tampa Bay, LLC for a home at 521 Magnolia Ave., claiming $345,000 in lost value.
Later Sept. 22, the commission met and approved settlement offers to four claimants in a 3-2 vote with minimal discussion among the commissioners.
The now-routine vote included “no” votes from Commissioners Nancy Yetter and Chuck Webb, who have voiced opposition to settling the Bert Harris claims in the past.
Vose now has brought settlement suggestions to the commission for all but eight of the 68 claims.
However, none of the claimants have made responses or acceptance of the various offers.
If the claimants deny a settlement offer, the next step could be to advance the case to the circuit court.