WHO PAYS MY LAWYER FEES & APPRAISAL COST?
Under Florida Law, the government is required to pay the landowner or business owner’s: 1) Attorney Fees; 2) Fee for appraisers, accountants, engineers, and other experts’ fees; and 3) Costs for exhibits, video tapes, deposition testimony, court reporting fees, etc. The purpose for requiring the government to pay one’s attorneys and experts fees is to ensure that the individual has resources equal to the government in an eminent domain action. WHAT HAPPENS TO MY BUSINESS THAT IS DAMAGED IN THIS CONDEMNATION PROCESS? Florida has recognized, since 1933, that business owners need to be paid for their losses, which occur because of right-of-way takings. What this means is: • If less than the entire property is taken; and • If the business has been in existence, at the same location, For more than four years; and • If the business is going to be damaged by a roadway project; than • The business owner is entitled to make a claim for business damages. Business damages can arise from lost park
