CURRENT EVENTS ISSUES & PROJECTS
Current Events
Clean Water Victory in Titusville... In December 2023, we successfully defended the Titusville Right to Clean Water Charter Amendment. We are now defending our client, Speak Up Titusville, Inc. defending our victory on appeal. Watch the oral arguments in the appellate case - https://5dca.flcourts.gov/Oral-Arguments/Archived-Video-Oral-Argument-Sessions (Case # 23-3739)
Victory on Siesta Key... In August 2023, we won a major victory when a Circuit Court Judge in Sarasota County invalidated the County's development approval for a 177 - room hotel on a one - acre parcel of land on Siesta Key. The Judge ruled that the development approval exceeded the density limits on hotel rooms on that coastal barrier island. This hard - fought victory, on behalf of an exceptionally courageous and dedicated client, is now final, as no appeal was brought by the County or the developer.
The spring of 2023 brought two victories preserving appropriate densities in coastal, hurricane -prone areas of southwest Florida. On April 3, we received a favorable Final Order from the Fla. Division of Administrative Hearings in the case of Ramirez v. Sarasota County, which found that a change to the County’s zoning code that increased the number of hotel rooms per acre on Siesta Key from 26 to 177 violated the County’s Comprehensive Plan policies limiting hotel density for evacuation and environmental reasons. Read the Final Order here… https://www.doah.state.fl.us/ROS/2022/22001385Amended.pdf
Just days later, the Lee County Commission agreed with our arguments and denied a rezoning request that would have rezoned coastal wetlands to allow a housing development. Read about it here …https://sccf.org/blog/2023/04/05/county-denies-eden-oak-rezoning-request/
We've had two recent legal victories ... On August 3, 2022, the Third District Court of Appeal overturned the state of Florida's decision to increase the development caps in the Florida Keys. The Court agreed with us that the development increase violated the legal requirement to keep residential development at a level that can be evacuated in 24 hours or less. See the Court's opinion, now reported at Mattino v. City of Marathon, 345 So. 3d 939 (Fla. 3d DCA 2022) , here: https://www.3dca.flcourts.org/content/download/844653/opinion/201921_DC08_08032022_100215_i.pdf
Earlier this spring, a state Administrative Law Judge ruled in our favor on all issues raised in our challenge to a land use plan change approved by the City of Stuart that would have allowed a Costco and other intensive commercial development on important habitat near the South Fork of the St. Lucie River. Read the recommended Order here: https://www.doah.state.fl.us/ROS/2021/21002718.pdf
Richard Grosso argues before Florida’s Governor and Cabinet in opposition to a land use change to allow intense commercial development on sensitive habitat in the City of Stuart… See recording at 2:09:50, at https://thefloridachannel.org/videos/8-23-22-florida-cabinet-meeting/
Richard Grosso featured in Fort Lauderdale Illustrated Jan. 13, 2022 as one of
South Florida’s Guardians of the Green
Richard Grosso named Audubon Florida's 2021 Everglades Champion. https://fl.audubon.org/news/audubon-florida-recognizes-conservation-leaders-2021
Watch the 10/19/21 oral argument before Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal in the Florida Keys growth increase legal challenge – Case No. 20-1921, Cecelia Mattino, et al v. City of Marathon, et. al. - https://www.3dca.flcourts.org/Oral-Arguments/Video-Oral-Argument-Archives
See Richard’s oral argument in in the public records case of Everglades Law Center v. So Fla. Water Management District, Fla. 4th DCA Case No. 18- 1220 (03/12/2019) https://www.4dca.org/Oral-Arguments/Archived-Video-Oral-Arguments
Richard Grosso oral argument in Elvis Cruz v. City of Miami, Fla. 3rd DCA Case No. 17-2708 https://www.3dca.flcourts.org/Oral-Arguments/Video-Oral-Argument-Archives 17-2708_
17-2708_Part_1 - Elvis Cruz vs City of Miami.wmv
17-2708_Part_2 - Elvis Cruz vs City of Miami.wmv