Court upholds Walmart denial

A Nov. 6 court order in the ongoing battle over the future of the Ringling Shopping Center has fallen in favor of the city of Sarasota.

Circuit Court Judge Kimberly Carlton Bonner denied a petition filed by the owners of the ailing commercial property to void the Sarasota City Commission decision to deny a proposed Walmart at the site.

The property owners argued 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.

Bonner in her order writes that the property owners "were offered procedural due process, that the Commission observed the essential requirements of the law and that the Commission's decision is supported by competent, substantial evidence."