The City of St. Augustine has filed a lawsuit seeking to take control of easements on two private properties through eminent domain, citing urgent public need tied to a major flood mitigation project.
The case targets properties on Marine Street and Hedrick Streets, both located near Lake Maria Sanchez.
Other homeowners have come to terms for access to their homes ahead of the project, but two holdouts have refused.
The City argues that easement rights are essential for constructing flood defenses as part of its ongoing Lake Maria Sanchez Flood Mitigation and Drainage Improvements Project.
An easement is a legal right to use a private property for a specific purpose.
According to the petition, filed June 17 by the City’s outside counsel, attorney Michael Cavendish, officials attempted to purchase the necessary easement rights through good faith negotiations but was unsuccessful.
The two homeowners did not respond to a requests for comment from The Citizen.
The City is now invoking its authority under Chapters 73 and 74 of the Florida Statutes, allowing it to pursue what’s known as a “quick-take” proceeding.
The Marine Street property has one owner, a 68-year-old woman, while Hedrick is held in a life estate by an 82-year-old man.
The City asserts that the easements are necessary to build infrastructure such as a seawall, pump station, and outfall enhancements designed to reduce chronic flooding.
If approved, the City would gain access to the land before a final trial on compensation is held—an approach permitted under Florida’s eminent domain law for urgent public works.
The lawsuit marks the next chapter in a broader campaign to protect St. Augustine’s core from rising flood threats.
