Free Republic

RUSKIN - Mangrove marshes and wetlands rise gently to upland hammocks of live oak and pine in this wilderness area along the tidal flats of the Little Manatee River. Many Ruskin residents say the 167-acre tract is a natural wonder and should remain so. But without a lot of money and a little luck, the land is fated to be just another wild place leveled by bulldozers in Hillsborough County. Little Manatee Bay Associates, a Fort Myers-based development company, wants to rezone the property in the Bahia Beach area for up to 538 single- and multifamily homes and up to...

Sandy Springs widow Eleanor Brazell received an early holiday present Thursday after Hall County commissioners had a change of heart about her family land. The commission voted Thursday to stop pursuing the forced sale of 323 acres owned by her family for a large park in fast-growing southern Hall. "We are very pleased," said Brazell, 67, a retired middle school teacher. She preferred to honor a contract that her husband, Jim, signed last Dec. 1, the day before he died of a heart attack. They planned to sell 311 acres to Del Webb, the retirement community division of Pulte Homes,...

Just heard on the radio news. The Supreme Court has decided to hear a case to decide whether municipalities can confiscate desireable properties from private owners by use of emminent domain, and deed the property to developers who want to build structures that will bring the municipality more tax revenue. This has been a brewing issue for a few years now.

DETROIT -- The Michigan Supreme Court on Friday redefined the power of Michigan governments to take property for development projects, overruling a landmark 1981 decision and barring Wayne County from acquiring land for a 1,300-acre project near Detroit Metropolitan Airport. On the court’s final day of its term, all seven justices agreed that the earlier precedent should be overturned, though they differed on the reasons and whether the decision should be applied retroactively. Justice Robert Young, who wrote the lead opinion, called the 1981 case allowing Detroit’s Poletown neighborhood to be cleared for a General Motors Corp. plant a “radical...

"2. Breathe New Life Into the Takings Clause" "The Fifth Amendment's Takings Clause reads: "nor shall private property be taken for public use without just compensation." As presently interpreted by the Court, that clause enables owners to receive compensation when their entire estate is taken by a government agency and title transfers to the government; when their property is physically invaded by government order, either permanently or temporarily;(2) when regulation for other than health or safety reasons takes all or nearly all of the value of the property;(3) and when government attaches unreasonable or disproportionate permit conditions on use.(4)" "Although...

Title: Pa. high court refuses to hear case to save Saha family's Chesco farm Subtitle: Officials say the 48-acre parcel is key to revitalizing Coatesville. The family has now run out of legal options. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has refused to hear the case of a Chester County family fighting to save its 48-acre horse farm from being turned into a golf course. Dick and Nancy Saha of Valley Township have been battling for more than four years to prevent the city of Coatesville from seizing their land for a recreation complex. "It's devastating," Rick Saha, the couple's son, said...

Hardworking homeowner no match for city slickers By KERRY DOUGHERTY, The Virginian-Pilot © December 2, 2003 Next time some slick city official or urban planner swoons over the merits of a redevelopment and housing authority, tell ’em to talk to Thomas Musick. He’s smart. He’s angry. And he’s not hard to find. Most days, you can find Mr. Musick at the Cape View Exxon station in Norfolk, where he works as the service manager. If he’s not there, you might catch him at home on 6th Bay Street in Ocean View. Although, if Norfolk’s Redevelopment and Housing Authority has its...

This Land is Costco’s Land: Cities steal property, and give it to Costco.Costco, the big warehouse chain, took a minor p.r. hit last year when the city council of Cypress, California, tried to kick a church off its land in order to give it to the company. But this case does not appear to be an isolated incident. The libertarian legal activists at the Institute for Justice say that Costco is a major beneficiary of local governments' abuse of their power to seize private property. They want to put an end to that abuse. The institute does not deny that...