Volusia County to use eminent domain for key trails section
“In DeBary, county officials wanted to buy a strip of land planted with palm trees along Dirksen Drive in front of the Riverside of DeBary condominiums, but were unable to convince the homeowners association to accept their offer.
The county wants to construct a multi-user trail, nine-tenths of a mile long, between Mansion Boulevard in DeBary and Deltona Boulevard in Deltona. Once that section is complete, trail users would be able to travel from Gemini Springs in DeBary to State Road 415 in Osteen.
The county asked the condominium owners association for a 5-foot easement, which would require removal of the palm trees, and a temporary 5-foot easement during construction, said County Engineer Gerald Brinton.
The total appraised value of the land was $77,900 and the county’s incentive offer was $111,467, he said.
The association’s first offer was “more than three times the appraised value,” Brinton said. “We negotiated further,” he said, but the association still wants more than twice that.
The council voted unanimously on Jan. 24 to use its power of eminent domain to claim the strip of land for the trail.
That action took the homeowners association by surprise, said John Adams, association treasurer.
“That sort of stunned everyone,” he said. “All we’re trying to do is ensure the value of our property.””
Pulver, Dinah Voyles. Daytona Beach News Journal 23 February 2013.