Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/124273
Sarasota News Leader April 26, 2013 over the last five years, none of these lawsuits would have been necessary in the first place. There are always at least two sides to every story. But in the end, an amicable resolution is a good thing for everyone and we look forward to working with the County for a long time to come." The County Commission had rejected two previous offers from Brown to settle this third lawsuit. The first, in August 2012, was for $277,219.22. The second, in October 2012, was for $315,000. Brown had claimed more than $1.7 million in damages in the latest suit, which he filed after receiving parking assessments in 2010 for three of his properties in Siesta Village that were up significantly from the 2009 assess- Page 48 ments. In the case of the parcel where Blu Que Island Grill stands on Avenida Messina, the assessment was up about 1,500 percent. At the same time, assessments for other Village properties went down — some as much as 30 percent, according to county tax records. Brown said it was only about a month after the county reimbursed him $2,500 for excessive parking assessments in 2009 — the crux of his second lawsuit — that he received his new tax bill with the higher figures. Prior to a 3-2 vote on Aug. 21, 2012 in which the County Commission rejected the first settlement offer, Commissioner Joe Barbetta pointed out of those later assessments, "If that isn't singling somebody out — I think we have some incredible exposure here." Assessments to cover property owners' share of the cost for the municipal parking lot in Siesta Village were the focal point of the third lawsuit Chris Brown filed against Sarasota County. Photo by Rachel Hackney