Kimberly Regenesis, LLC v. Lee County, a Florida political subdivision

CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Florida
DecidedJune 24, 2024
Docket2:19-cv-00538
StatusUnknown

This text of Kimberly Regenesis, LLC v. Lee County, a Florida political subdivision (Kimberly Regenesis, LLC v. Lee County, a Florida political subdivision) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kimberly Regenesis, LLC v. Lee County, a Florida political subdivision, (M.D. Fla. 2024).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT MIDDLE DISTRICT OF FLORIDA FORT MYERS DIVISION

KIMBERLY REGENESIS, LLC and DAMASCUS TRADING COMPANY, LLC,

Plaintiff,

v. Case No.: 2:19-cv-538-SPC-NPM

LEE COUNTY,

Defendant. / ORDER Plaintiffs Kimberly Regenesis, LLC and Damascus Trading Company, LLC sue Defendant Lee County for disability discrimination and failure to provide a reasonable accommodation under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). This case is set for a bench trial. But before any evidence is taken, the Court must address three motions: • Plaintiffs’ Partial Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. 157)

• Defendant’s Motion for Summary Judgment (Doc. 158)

• Defendant’s Motion in Limine to Exclude Expert Testimony of Plaintiff’s Designated Expert Witnesses (Doc. 148)

These motions are all opposed and ripe for review. BACKGROUND1 This case started a decade ago. In 2014, Plaintiffs asked Defendant to

rezone a parcel of land2 from Agricultural (“AG-2”) to Community Facilities Planned Development (“CFPD”).3 They needed the rezoning to build a 72-bed residential substance abuse treatment center and detoxification facility.4 Plaintiffs were initially successful. Defendant’s staff and hearing examiner

recommended rezoning because the facility was compatible with the surrounding area’s mixed-use character. But the success was short-lived. The Lee County Board of Commissioners unanimously voted against the rezoning at a public hearing on August 5, 2015.5 It found Plaintiffs’ desired

facility “was potentially destructive to the character and integrity of the

1 Unless noted, the facts are agreed to or are undisputed in the record.

2 The parcel is located at 6401 Winkler Road, Fort Myers, Florida 33919.

3 When the rezoning application was made, Plaintiffs did not own the property—a trust did. But the trust authorized Plaintiff Damacus to file and pursue the rezoning. (Doc. 20-1 at 7). In fact, the Hearing Examiner Recommendation identifies the applicant as “Thomas M. Mouracade for Damascus Trading Company, LLC.” (Doc. 157-1; see also Doc. 1 at 31; Doc. 167 at 3).

4 Plaintiff Kimberly Regenesis is the entity that will operate and treat individuals recovering from substance abuse disorders. Plaintiff Damascus is the entity that has owned the land since November 2015, and leases it to Kimberly Regenesis. (Doc. 159 at 55:4-11). The Court refers to both as “Plaintiffs” unless otherwise noted.

5 The Board’s five commissioners were Brian Hamman, Larry Kiker, John Manning, Frank Mann, and Cecil Pendergrass. Only Hamman and Pendergrass sit on today’s Board. Because the parties do not distinguish between the Board and Lee County, neither does the Court. residential neighborhood environment and therefore [did] not meet” Defendant’s land use goals. (Doc. 157-5 at 4).

Plaintiffs dispute why their application failed. According to them, the Board rejected the rezoning because of community opposition to the facility. Local neighbors led an organized “not-in-my-back-yard” campaign against the rezoning and publicly spoke against the facility before and during the hearing.

Because Plaintiffs believe the Board caved to pressure from neighbors’ bias against recovering addicts, they have spent the past eight years litigating the rezoning denial. Plaintiffs started the fight in state court and litigated there for about

four years. They filed a Petition for Writ of Certiorari to quash the Board’s decision and claimed the Board “departed from the essential requirements of law, lacked competent substantial evidence to support its rejection of [their] application, and failed to afford [them] due process.”6 (Doc. 20-1). The Petition

also referenced the ADA: “In addition, the County denied [Plaintiffs’] application for a substance abuse detoxification facility because of community opposition to people in recovery from drug and alcohol addiction (the ‘Recovery

6 About one year lapsed between the Board’s decision and Plaintiffs’ petition. During that gap, Plaintiffs asked a special magistrate to examine whether the denial was unreasonable or unfairly burdened the property. (Doc. 20-6). After an evidentiary hearing, the special magistrate recommended affirming the Board’s decision. The Board then set a hearing to consider the special magistrate’s recommendation, but Plaintiffs abandoned their request and filed suit. (Doc. 20-7). Community’), a legally protected class under the [ADA.]).” (Doc. 20-1 at 5 (footnote omitted)). The state court disagreed with Plaintiffs: “the Board was

aware that it could not simply deny the application simply because members of the community opposed the proposed use, and took steps to instruct the public not to waste time at the hearing with comments that amounted to mere dislike at the thought of having the facility in the community.” (Doc. 20-2 at

17). Plaintiffs appealed again but lost there too. (Doc. 20-5). As the state litigation was proceeding, Plaintiffs pursued another avenue to get the zoning approval. They asked Defendant for a reasonable accommodation under the ADA.7 Their request was twofold: (1) treat the

proposed use (i.e., the residential substance abuse treatment center and detoxification facility) as a permitted use in the AG-2 zone, or (2) rezone the property to CFPD and treat the facility as a permitted use. (Doc. 157-4). Defendant8 denied both options as unreasonable and a key change to its zoning

scheme. (Doc. 157-5 at 1, 8). Plaintiffs took no further action with their reasonable accommodation request until this case.

7 Plaintiffs addressed their letter requesting the reasonable accommodation to David Loveland, Defendant’s then-Director of Community Development. (Doc. 157-4 at 1). The letter was dated June 10, 2016.

8 Mark A. Trank, the assistant county attorney, signed the letter denying Plaintiffs’ reasonable accommodation request but did so on the Board’s letterhead. (Doc. 157-5 1, 8). Having lost in state court, Plaintiffs came here. On August 1, 2019, they filed this ADA suit seeking monetary damages, declaratory relief, and

injunction relief. Plaintiffs have alleged that Defendant (1) intentionally discriminated against them and their proposed patients when it denied the rezoning application, and (2) did not provide a reasonable accommodation. The pleading and discovery stages were fraught with motions and an

interlocutory appeal. It has taken nearly four years to reach summary judgment. And this stage has been no less contentious. Right before the summary judgment deadline, Plaintiffs voluntarily dropped their monetary damages claim and now seek only declaratory and injunctive relief. (Doc. 145).

Both parties have moved for summary judgment, and Defendant has moved to exclude Plaintiffs’ two experts. DISCUSSION A. Motions for Summary Judgment

Defendant moves for summary judgment on jurisdictional grounds and because the merits of the intentional discrimination and failure to accommodate claims fail. Plaintiffs move for summary judgment only on the failure to accommodate claim. The Court begins with the threshold question

of jurisdiction. 1. Standing Since this case started, Defendant has argued Plaintiffs lack standing.

The Court rejected the standing arguments in Defendant’s motion to dismiss. But Defendant reraises standing because Plaintiffs have dropped their damages request and seek only equitable relief. (Doc. 158 at 11). To determine whether Plaintiffs have standing, the Court must decide

whether they have (1) suffered an injury in fact that is both (2) fairly traceable to Defendant’s conduct and (3) redressable by the requested injunction and declaration. See Lujan v. Defs. of Wildlife, 504 U.S. 555

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