All your property are belong to us


A Florida town is planning to use emminent domain to force the eviction of about 6,000 residents from a waterfront area. The Washington Times reports that Riviera Beach hopes to revitalize the waterfront area by turning it over to private developers.

"This is a community that's in dire need of jobs, which has a median income of less than $19,000 a year," said Riviera Beach Mayor Michael Brown.

He defends the use of eminent domain by saying the city is "using tools that have been available to governments for years to bring communities like ours out of the economic doldrums and the trauma centers."

Mr. Brown said Riviera Beach is doing what the city of New London, Conn., is trying to do and what the U.S. Supreme Court said is proper in its ruling June 23 in Kelo v. City of New London. That decision upheld the right of government to seize private properties for use by private developers for projects designed to generate jobs and increase the tax base.

What makes these emminent domain seizures so astonishing is that they are able to displace poor people, so that the property can be used by the rich (formerly the evil, hated, rich).
Viking spokesman Peter Frederiksen said the plan "is to create a working waterfront," adding that the project could take 15 years and that "we would only use condemnation as a last resort."

Viking has said it will pay at least the assessed values of homes and businesses it buys.

Other plans for the project include creation of a basin for megayachts with high-end housing, retail and office space, a multilevel garage for boats, a 96,000-square-foot aquarium and a manmade lagoon.

Mr. Brown said Riviera Beach wants to highlight its waterfront.

"We have the best beach and the most attractive redevelopment property anywhere in the United States," he said.

Mr. Frederiksen said people with yachts need a place to keep and service them. "And we want to develop a charter school for development of marine trades."


Comments

It puts the retired back to work.


Posted by: Ron Hardin at October 4, 2005 6:55 AM

"will pay at least the assessed value," well isn't HE just Big-Hearted Benny?!? And I will not be surprised at all if the magnanimous "payment" was to happen in... oh I dunno, maybe DECEMBER, right before the new assessments come out, haha. While Florida property values have not been climbing as quickly as the DC area, they have still been shooting up, and to be paid anything even CLOSE to the "assessed value" means you are getting a very bad deal. Hard to believe such things can HAPPEN in this country.

Posted by: daltec at October 4, 2005 8:49 AM

And there goes another chip in the Bill of Rights...

Posted by: Robert Garrard at October 4, 2005 12:56 PM

Mpre abuse of power by the city officials they should all be recalled and removed

Posted by: screaming eagle at October 5, 2005 11:01 AM

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