By FRANCO PANIZO
Eminent domain, it is.
The Orlando Sentinel reported Tuesday that Orlando has filed suit in court to force a church in Parramore to sell the downtown property it’s on in order to give MLS-bound Orlando City SC the final piece of land they need for their soccer-specific stadium. New documents show that the city of Orlando raised its offer to the Faith Deliverance Temple to $4 million, but the small African-American-owned church wanted $15 million.
Faith Deliverance Temple initially wanted $35 million while Orlando began negotiations with a $1.5 million offer, which pointed to eminent domain being the likely route that the city would have to take in order to secure the land.
Now, it will be up to a judge to determine what happens next. If the city wins the case, it would then take possession of the property while a fair market value for the land is determined.
Orlando City wanted to play in their $115 million stadium during their inaugural MLS season in 2015, but have pushed the opening date back to 2016.
What do you think of Orlando (the city) finally filing for eminent domain? Expect the city to win the case? Just hoping for stadium construction to get underway as soon as possible?
Share your thoughts below.