Florida Eminent Domain Blog | Gregory W. Stoner

A major development in SeaTac, the suburb surrounding the Seattle-Tacoma airport, includes a controversial eminent domain action. The city is planning to use eminent domain to condemn a parking lot so it can build a parking garage. The owners of the parking lot have rejected the city's "good faith" offer (which is $2 million less than the owners paid for the parking lot), and have submitted their own proposals to the city, which have been rejected.

In response, the owners not only filed a lawsuit against the city of SeaTac, but also hired a PR firm, and published a full-page ad in the local newspaper asking residents to call the council members and resist the action. In response to the negative publicity, the city is offering to withdraw the eminent domain action if the owners will return to negotiations and drop their lawsuit.

The significance of this fight goes far beyond the area of SeaTac, since it highlights one of the major problems with the use of condemnation in support of development projects. Should a city, county, or condemning authority use eminent domain to destroy an existing (and successful) business to gamble on a development project that may or may not yield the promised revenues? Critics note that most eminent domain-supported projects saddle a city with large amounts of debt, and if they fail, the city is in bad shape financially for many years to come.

If your business is being threatened with condemnation for a risky or foolhardy development project, resisting it is not only in your best interest, but in the best interest of your community. The eminent domain lawyers at the Florida Property Rights Law Firm, PA can help you fight eminent domain, or, at least, get full compensation for your property. Please contact us today to learn how we can help you.