Naples Zoo Eyed For Eminent Domain September 20, 2005

By Trey Radel
Naples -

A Collier County Commissioner tells Wink News he's ready to do whatever it takes to save the Naples Zoo.

Commissioner Fred Coyle says he wants to explore eminent domain. He thinks there are several factors making the zoo eligible, including turning parts into a park and making sure the environmentally sensitive areas around the zoo stay intact.

He says the current asking price and appraisal is "flawed". He says, "Quite frankly the way this acquisition has been handled by the seller... it appears more like extortion to us. And no, I feel no guilt at all about proceeding with a possible eminent domain action."

Next Tuesday, Coyle will ask county staff to explore the possibility of eminent domain, but to do that he'll need the support of fellow Commissioners.

The attorney and spokesman for the property owners says he cannot comment on the possibility of eminent domain until he sees an actual proposal.

State and local officials move to reform eminent domain laws

State and local officials move to reform eminent domain laws

Despite the pleas by the menacing alliance of tax-hungry municipalities and land-hungry developers to do nothing, legislators across the country are quickly moving to fix their abysmal eminent domain laws. The problem of eminent domain abuse was highlighted by the U.S. Supreme Court’s dreadful decision in Kelo v. City of New London, which gave governments the green light to take your home or business and give it to a politically connected private developer because that developer might be able to produce more taxes and more jobs off of your land.
In a relatively short period of time, legislators in more than two dozen states and the U.S. Congress have either proposed or promised to propose legislation that would significantly protect property owners from unauthorized government land grabs. Alabama recently passed a reform bill, which was signed by Governor Bob Riley. Given the amount of outrage on the issue, from across the political spectrum, we expect other states to follow suit.