Now that a suit was filed by the town of Longboat Key against the developers of the St. Regis Longboat Key Resort, the resort owner’s lawyers responded to the town’s claims, and a court date was set.
Lawyers Morgan Bentley and Brian Goodrich, who have been retained by Chuck Whittall and Unicorp Developments, Inc. on behalf of SR LBK and SR LBK II LLC, filed an answer to the town’s lawsuit over a metal arch the town claims violates its sign code. The answer, signed by Goodrich, denies a majority of the 62 claims made by the town and explains six “affirmative defenses” that state the metal arched sign placed on a groin behind the resort was legally installed and should not be removed.
The first affirmative defense listed in the answer claims the town does not have jurisdiction over the arch as it is outside of the town’s boundaries. It goes on to claim that even if the arch were within the town’s boundaries, the town “has not enacted regulation to implement its jurisdiction over the arch and sign.”…