William Cea, leading a team of Becker & Poliakoff attorneys, recently secured a federal court ruling in favor of their client, Premier Parks, resulting in an open competition to bid on a future water park planned for 65 acres in Fort Lauderdale (Premier Parks v. City of Fort Lauderdale).
Premier Parks sued the City after it tried to allow Schlitterbahn, a waterpark operator, to build on a 65-acre property owned by the City, including the existing Ft. Lauderdale and Lockhart Stadium facilities. After buying out the Federal Government’s interest in the land in 2015, the City entered into a 30-year lease with Schlitterbahn. Premier Parks argued that the City should have been required to obtain competitive bids for the project and the court agreed.
While the City bemoans the consequent delay in building a water park by either having to open it to competitive building or appeal the court’s decision, sentiment seems to be coming around to the appropriateness of the court’s decision. Writing in an April 7, 2017, SunSentinel opinion piece, reporter Andrew Abramson welcomes the news. “[Fort Lauderdale] should absolutely put [the water park project] out for bid,” says Robinson, noting that “Fort Lauderdale’s charter requires the city to seek bids when it leases land.” Gary Rosen, managing shareholder of Becker & Poliakoff, says that “Premier Parks has every intention of submitting a bid should the city decide to solicit competitive bids for a water park.”
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