LEE COUNTY, Fla. — The South Seas resort will build back on Captiva Island, but how big will it be?
That's what's brought the Captiva Civic Association (CCA), South Seas' attorney, and Lee County's attorney to the courthouse.
On Wednesday, a judge ruled that an agreement between the CCA and Lee County from 2003, that the South Seas resort wouldn't be bigger than 912 units, was clear and unambiguous.
Take a look inside the courtroom:
Then, on Friday, the judge heard the CCA's side of the argument. They asked the judge to keep in place that 2003 agreement to help with potential density issues on the island due to the resort.
"We're not against development at all we're just asking that the 912 cap on the amount of density, the number of units that has been in place for almost 50 years remains the same," said Lisa Riordan, Captiva Civic Association.
The judge then decided to have both sides write up their arguments by the end of the day on Wednesday, so we should know more by the end of January.
"We are very very pleased that the judge reinforced our position that the settlement agreement we entered into over 20 years ago in 2003 is valid, it's clear, and it's enforceable," said Riordan.
This doesn't address the height restriction fight that will be coming in February, but has brought us one step closer to seeing what this future resort could look like after more than a year of legal battles.
