Group sues over transfers
By Kyle Teal kteal@keynoter.com
Environmental group Last Stand filed another
lawsuit against the city of Key West and Parrot Key Associates
Friday, claiming transfers of transient licenses from the former
Hampton Inn property are illegal.
“City code prohibits the transfer of licenses from 2801 N.
Roosevelt,” Last Stand attorney Eric Dadd said. “The city cannot
change a legislatively enacted land-use regulation by passing a
resolution at a City Commission meeting.”
A resolution passed by the City Commission on July 18, 2006,
included a clause that allows the licenses in question to be
transferred out of the commercial zoning district, a move
restricted by city code.
“They're in a maze, no matter which way they go to do this, in
my opinion, it's illegal,” Dadd said.
More than two years ago, the 157-unit Hampton Inn was demolished
to make way for 74 Parrot Key townhouses on that site. That left
developer Pritam Singh with 83 leftover transient licenses.
Those licenses have repeatedly gone before the board with the
intention of transferring to Old Town properties.
Dadd and members of Last Stand attended Thursday night's
Planning Board meeting in the hopes of fighting another slew of
transient rental-license transfers on the agenda.
Owen Trepanier of Trepanier and Associates Inc. was at the
meeting to represent Singh's transfers.
Singh has stressed the importance of transient licenses to the
Planning Board and the Keynoter, emphasizing the city's
lifeblood - tourism.
Prior to Thursday's Planning Board meeting, Dadd supplied the
board with copies of a letter outlining city code, which
restricts transfers from such a site.
Also attached to the letter was a copy of Monroe County Circuit
Court Judge David Audlin's decision that prevented Singh from
transferring certain licenses from the old Hampton Inn to Old
Town. That decision spawned from a previous suit filed by Last
Stand.
But many other licenses have successfully been transferred,
according to city planning documents from last year.
That material sent to the board was given to Trepanier, who
pulled the items from the agenda.
“I don't think they expected a coherent, organized opposition,”
Dadd said.
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