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February 8, 2006

House panel rips Riviera Beach over use of eminent domain

Palm Beach Post
By Alan Gomez

While Brooklyn activists are busy trying to make Bruce Ratner the national poster child for eminent domain abuse, they find that they have competition from Riviera Beach, FL, where mogul Wayne Huizenga Jr. and the city are working on a billion dollar waterfront redevelopment project that threatens the use of eminent domain to acquire the private property.

Pro-Poster Child:

"Riviera Beach, I promise you... is going to be the poster child of eminent domain abuse in this nation." -- Rep. Everett Rice, R-Treasure Island

Anti-Poster Child:

"Riviera Beach, as opposed to being a poster child for abuses of eminent domain, is going to be a model in terms of how we use that tool." -- Floyd Johnson, executive director of the Riviera Beach Community Redevelopment Agency

Pro-Project, Pro-Poster Child:

While Rep. Ron Greenstein, D-Coconut Creek, said he supports what the city is trying to do, he said he believes it is becoming a national poster child because of its mishandling of the entire project.

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Posted by lumi at February 8, 2006 10:06 AM