Deputy County Attorney Bill DeBraal referred to a photograph of the property
owned by Harish and Deepti Sadhwani as he recounted details of the Agreed Order
of Take entered by the Court on December 21, 2020, in the County's Eminent
Domain lawsuit against the Sadhwanis. He informed the Board that the County's
appraiser estimated the total compensation value of the area of take to be $379,500
for the land, improvements, and damages. The Sadhwhani's submitted an appraisal of
$1,803,725 for total compensation.
Attorney DeBraal then outlined possible steps forward. Staff sought approval to make
an Offer of Judgment of $485,000 to the Sadhwanis. He advised the County
Attorney's office was simultaneously pursuing mediation and preparing for a possible
trial should mediation fail.
Under discussion, staff clarified the reason for offering more than the original estimate
was to set a benchmark in the event of litigation, which the County sought to
disincentivize, and was not a reflection of the property's value. Additionally, it was
noted that during mediation the settlement amount could differ from the Offer of
Judgment. In response to the Board's question, Attorney DeBraal informed this item
did not affect the progress of roadwork, as the County had ownership of the property
while compensation was being negotiated.
A motion was made by Commissioner Loar, seconded by Chairman Earman, to
approve staff's recommendation. The motion carried by the following vote:
5 -
Aye:
Chairman Earman, Vice Chairman Adams, Commissioner Flescher, Commissioner
Loar, and Commissioner Moss
14. COMMISSIONERS MATTERS
A. Commissioner Joseph H. Earman, Chairman
B. Commissioner Susan Adams, Vice Chairman
14.B.1.
82nd Avenue Road Conditions
Request discussion and support
Recommended Action:
Vice Chairman Adams requested the Board's consideration in finding a solution to
the chronically deteriorated roadway conditions on 82nd Avenue's southern end
from 69th Street down to 26th Street. The Commissioner provided context
regarding this stretch of the historic Citrus Highway which included an unsigned
Sebastian River Improvement District (SRID) easement, a history of County
maintenance, and probable turnover to FDOT. She explained the urgency of the
present hazardous conditions, and forecast increased traffic from 82nd Avenue’s
