Thor Hearne and True North Law have filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida to stop Sarasota County from removing what the county calls “encroachments” on the Legacy Trail corridor.  The lawsuit asks the judge to enter a temporary restraining order and injunction against Sarasota County to stop the county from tearing down hundreds of private landowners’ property.  The lawsuit is filed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, and a copy is available here. 

Sarasota County has alarmed hundreds of Sarasota landowners by demanding that these landowners remove what Sarasota County calls ‘encroachments,’ which have existed for years, if not decades.  Most of these structures, such as swimming pools, patios, fences, septic fields, and other improvements, were built with the county’s permission.  We’ve asked the Sarasota County Commission to explain the legal authority by which Sarasota County can demand the owners remove these improvements from these owners’ private property.  So far, the county hasn’t responded.  The letters sent by True North Law regarding the Legacy Trail to the Sarasota County Commission, the Assistant Attorney General of the United States, and members of Congress representing Sarasota are available here.