Area417

Local Officials Of Riviera Beach Try To Beat State Legislature To The Punch

Florida legislators recently approved a bill that would restrict the use of eminent domain. Gov. Bush has yet to sign the bill, but his spokesman says that he will "as soon as he receives it."

Meanwhile, the local yokels of Riviera Beach raced to sign a contract on a $2.4 billion development which could displace over 5,000 citizens.

The move will likely now pit the city against state lawmakers who stripped municipalities like Riviera Beach from using its eminent domain powers to seize personal property to hand over to private developers.

"We know our enemy is now the Legislature," said Mayor Michael Brown, who insists the project will benefit all residents in this downtrodden town, even those who may be displaced.

Link: Riviera Beach tries to outwit Legislature with eminent domain move: South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Eminent Domain Abuse In The Making

Mayor Natiss, you should hang your head in shame!

Marvin Natiss, mayor of North Hills Village (New York), is toying with the idea of stealing (by eminent domain) the private golf club, Deepdale.

The mayor said a poll found that village residents "would favor a village golf course 'as an amenity.' "

A lawsuit has been filed to stop this gross abuse of eminent domain.

The attorney for the group, Mark S. Mulholland, cautioned, "The acquisition of a private golf course by a municipality for the stated purpose of offering it as a golf club for hamlet residents certainly appears to be a stunning perversion of the purpose of the eminent domain laws. The fact that it is being considered in executive session by a village board seeking to shut out public discussion underscores the serious questions surrounding this proposal. A dose of daylight in the form of the coalition is just what the doctor ordered."   Link: Residents Form Oversight Group on Future of Deepdale Golf Course

For information on this issue, try these links: Reason Foundation: Eminent Domain; Castle Coalition

Hat Tip: Neal Boortz

Hats Off To Montgomery Bank

Montgomery Bank, which has six branches in St. Louis and five branches in Southeast Missouri, announced late last week that "it will not lend money for projects in which local governments use eminent domain to take private property for use by private developers.”

In a press release issued by the bank, Chief Operating Officer Troy Wilson said, “The sanctity of private property ownership is one of the hallmarks of our individual rights as private citizens. Eminent domain should only be used for public projects, not to benefit private developers.”

Link: Glenn Nielsen : Weblog.

Clayton, Missouri Property Owners Seek Referendum On Eminent Domain

Clayton business owners have gathered five times the number of signatures need to try and force a public vote on the use of eminent domain.

City Manager Mike Schoedel said the Centene project had unanimous support from the board. Centene provides managed health care for Medicaid recipients and for children whose family income is too high for Medicaid but not sufficient to afford private insurance.

Part of Centene's plan appears to have nothing to do with "the children" however (they always invoke the children, don't they) as a strip mall is included in their development plans.

Link: STLtoday - News - St. Louis City / County.

Legislation Would Give Property Owners Displaced by Eminent Domain A Stake In Development's Success

Rep. Jane Cunningham (R-Chesterfield, MO) is proposing legislation that would give property owners displaced by eminent domain 2% of the gross generated by the development, capped at 20 years.

Cunningham said "I see it as the homeowners getting what they desire but the developer getting around the problems of the eminent domain process."

What if what the property owner's only desire is to keep what is rightfully theirs?

Link: STLtoday - News - St. Louis City / County.