Florida Eminent Domain Blog | Gregory W. Stoner

In 2002, the Urban Land Institute, a nonprofit research and education organization whose stated purpose is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land for the creation and sustenance of thriving communities, recommended that the Charlotte County, Florida community seek to establish a type of urban center by unplatting small lots into a single large parcel that could support a mixed-use development that might provide stimulus for the stagnant economy of the county.

The county targeted a stagnant development with 2913 empty lots out of 3000, and utilized eminent domain to get land from the last 122 unwilling owners, creating a 1,132-acre block of land which it sought to develop as a single piece. However, a number of developers have dropped out from the project, leaving the area vacant. As the Florida market has followed the nationwide trend of stagnation and decline in the housing market, the development plan's mandate that at least 35 percent of the parcel be residential makes it undesirable to developers, so Murdock village is stuck with $93 million in debt, and no future development in sight.

The only offer still out on the line involves breaking the parcel back up to sell it to a number of smaller developers in "bite size" pieces. However, many in the county question whether this will undermine the new urbanism philosophy and create just another piece of unidentifiable suburban sprawl with no real future.

If your property is being sought for use in redevelopment, one avenue to prevent the taking might be to point out the possible failure of the redevelopment plan. The experienced eminent domain lawyers at the Florida Eminent Domain Law Firm know many different tactics for succeeding in your case. Please contact us today for a free initial consultation.