NSBNEWS.net video by Sera Frederick.
Mayor Adam Barringer speaks exclusively to NSBNEWS.net Tuesday night following City Commission-approval to settle two of three lawsuits out of court with litigants who sued the city.
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Issues or decisions that weren't done on his watch will be cleaned up on his watch, first-term Mayor Adam Barringer pledged in an exclusive video interview with NSBNEWS.net Tuesday night after the City Commission voted to settle with three litigants who sued the city rather than face far-potentially more expensive damages in court.
Barringer said he couldn't comment on specifics of each of the three cases, saying he doesn't want to undermine City Attorney Frank Gummey's negotiations strategies. Nor did the mayor want to get into semantics of whether the city was conceding anything by voting to settle rather than press on with litigation.
Here are the three suits:
* Volusia County Home Builders Association vs. New Smyrna Beach, filed January 2009 in Circuit Court in Volusia County; Claim: Alleging city kept building permit revenues in its general fund as opposed to a building department fund, in violation of Florida law.The city will fight this one in court, having rejected a non-binding arbitration decision.
* Aileen Alexander vs. New Smyrna Beach, filed May 7, 2007 in Circvuit Court in Volusia County; Claim: Applicant alleges she was denied the right to build a 7-story condo on Hill Street, despite previous assurances in writing from the city that it would be allowable; essentially rewritten down-zoning that barred her from exercising her property rights.
* Bill of Rights, Inc. vs. New Smyrna Beach, filed February 2009 in Circuit Court in Volusia County; Claim: Nahum Liitt, proprietor of the NSB Shadow sued, claiming the city took too long to give him a redacted phone bill for police Cmdr. William Drossman and that the redaction was in violation of Florida Open Records laws. Litt also contends the $351.24 charged to him for a redacted copy was unreasonable. P
lease see the attachment for Litt's settlement offer with the city.
Here is a video of Bill Koleszar, a friend of Litt's, asking the city last Tuesday to consider taking up Litt's settlement offer that night, which the city did not do running up against an 11 p.m. deadline.
NSBNEWS.net video by Sera Fredeerick