Property owners file petition against Walmart decision

Owners of the Ringling Shopping Center, Louis and Diana Doyle, are asking that a judge review the City Commission’s denial of a proposed Walmart at the Ringling Shopping Center.

The Feb. 23 City Commission denial reversed an earlier Planning Board approval of the site plan for the 98,000-square-foot supercenter.

The legal challenge, a petition for certiorari, was filed April 23, just before the deadline to file an appeal. In their suit against the city of Sarasota, the Doyles are seeking non-monetary or injunctive relief.

“The Doyle family is the petitioner,” said Sarasota City Attorney Bob Fournier. “At some point, I hope to talk to their attorney and find out more. We will talk to see if there are any other solutions.”

The property owners argue that they went through the adequate process, holding neighborhood meetings and received written analysis from city staff stating why the project was consistent with the city’s zoning plan.

They also argue that some of the residents who appealed the Walmart project were not “aggrieved persons,” and that the appellants did not follow the proper process to file an appeal.