Palm Beach County rejects eminent domain request
“Private property rights trumped a developer’s parking lot problem, Palm Beach County commissioners decided Tuesday.
The County Commission rejected an unusual request from the village of Royal Palm Beach for the commission to condemn a 50-foot-wide swath of privately-owned neighborhood land to help a development proposal beside State Road 7.
There was no public need for the county to use its eminent domain power to force residents along Pioneer Road to part with their land for a parking lot driveway, County Commissioner Jess Santamaria said.
“I see ‘public good’ being misrepresented when it’s really development good,” Santamaria said about the proposal. “It’s helping a developer improve their project at the expense of the community.”
Pebb Enterprises proposes to add to its line of shopping centers by building a commercial development at the southeastern corner of S.R. 7 and Pioneer Road, almost a mile south of Southern Boulevard.”
Reid, Andy. Sun Sentinel 3 December 2013.