Impact fee lawsuit settlement talks continue

Submitted by Susan Hardee Steger
August 19, 2014 4:47 p.m.

On August 18, 2014, the First District Court of Appeal for the State of Florida received notification by attorneys with Rumberger, Kirk & Caldwell representing the City of Fernandina Beach, and an attorneys with Tanner Bishop representing Joanne Conlon in the class action portion of the impact fee lawsuit, that “discussions toward a potential settlement are continuing.” The parties have requested the Court “defer release of any opinion in this appeal until after September 18, 2014.” This is the third notice of settlement discussions filed with the Court.

Impact Fee clinch
Joanne Conlon flanked by Attorneys Gilbert L. Feltel Jr., Thomas E. Bishop, and Clinch Kavanaugh (File Photo)

As previously reported in the Fernandina Observer, between November 28, 2011, and June 16, 2014 the City of Fernandina Beach has paid its attorneys almost $560,000 in in its effort to justify the imposition of impact fees on new customers.

Editor’s Note:  The Fernandina Observer’s legal analyst, Adam Kaufman, has covered the impact fee lawsuit extensively.  We have placed  previous articles for your review below.

Impact fee class action arguments at the Court of Appeal

“The $5,000,000 – Impact Fee Lawsuit Day 1” 

Impact Fees – “A paper napkin calculation?”