Jackie Z to fight Mall at UTC

Jackie Zumba is preparing for battle.

After closing her store, Jackie Z Style Co., a clothing and accessories boutique in The Mall at UTC in October, Zumba is being sued by an affiliate of mall co-owner Taubman Centers for breach of contract. It is seeking $1.52 million because Zumba broke her seven-year lease on the 1,953-square-foot space. She was paying rent of $105,000 annually plus common area charges of about $54,000 a year, documents show.

Zumba has started a gofundme.com page to raise money for attorney’s fees to “try to get really great lawyer to fight Taubman,” she said.

“I’ve spoken with several attorneys and I didn’t realize how expensive it was going to be. It was a $25,000 retainer for one of them,” Zumba said. “I’ve already lost everything because of that mall. I think it’s crazy they are going after the $1.5 million. 

Zumba said she came up with the idea for a gofundme page, after being contacted on Facebook by someone who read about the lawsuit on yourobserver.com. She’d posted the story to her Facebook page. It received more than 100 likes within hours and comments of support.

“It's given me my 'spark' back to stand up for what is right. It’s disappointing that issues with my landlord at UTC mall resulted in this change, but it is time to move forward and focus on the future,” she wrote. “I have to hope we can resolve this lawsuit with all parties maintaining a professional decorum and I can move on and continue to grow. My business provides me with the ability to create jobs and to contribute to the local economy. I hope to move quickly past this lawsuit, which distracts from this greater focus. Share this article if you still believe in the faith of a small business.”

Local counsel for Taubman declined to comment on pending litigation.

Zumba had her store in downtown Sarasota for more than three years, but had to move because her lease was up. She signed a lease with the mall in July 2014. The mall opened in October 2014.

Based on growth trends and foot traffic promised by the mall, Zumba believed her store would perform well at the new location.

Zumba still owns and operates a location in St. Petersburg.

To read the original story, click here.

—Kevin McQuaid contributed to this report.