There are a plethora of real estate projects underway in Melbourne, Florida, a popular area which draws new residents from across the country. Of course, there are many complexities involved with those projects, and it only takes one going wrong for one of the people involved to pursue real estate litigation. Fortunately, however, differences can sometimes still be resolved outside of court with the help of capable attorneys.

That was the case recently with a resort company and a widow. The widow owned a vacation villa on Big Sand Lake, It is a valuable and coveted property, due to its proximity to many attractions. The resort company wanted to buy the widow’s land so that they could move forward with their plan to build a set of high-rise rental towers.

Yet, as though part of a movie plot, the little widow resolutely held onto her land despite all efforts by the big resort company to get it. However, a court directed for there to be mediation between the parties, and that just resulted in a successful deal between them.

The widow’s lawyer indicated that everyone involved is happy about the successful resolution of the matter. The financial numbers have not been released, due to a nondisclosure agreement, but the payment for the property was undoubtedly substantial.

With that taken care of, the resort company can finally move on to their next challenge, which is getting county building officials to offer required permits, certificates of occupancy. The lack of those permits was reportedly costing the resort company thousands of dollars a day. The resort company now hopes to get everything they need from county building officials in order to move forward as expediently as possible. This case illustrates how developers need to get everyone who can affect a project on board before breaking ground.

Source: Orlando Sentinel, “Holdout widow settles with Westgate Resorts for sale of condo,” Stephen Hudak, Nov. 03, 2017