Deal is made for scraps of land

A Pinellas homeowner announces a deal with speculator Don Connolly that ends a property dispute.

By CANDACE RONDEAUX
© St. Petersburg Times
published June 5, 2002

Real estate speculator Don Connolly has agreed to sell submerged land to dozens of frustrated homeowners in south Pinellas County, the homeowners' spokesman said Tuesday.

Geoff Apthorp said he and his wife, Tammy, have purchased the property from Connolly, ending a weekslong dispute over 61 parcels of submerged land near the Pasadena Golf Estates.

As part of the deal, the exact price must remain secret, though Apthorp said he paid between $200 and $500 for each sliver of land.

Connolly purchased the land for about $2,000 at a county tax deed sale in February. That means, if he gets the maximum for each parcel, he could make close to $30,000 on the deal.

The agreement was struck a week after the Apthorps filed a class-action lawsuit against Connolly, arguing that his ownership of the land was "unfair" and allowed him to restrict the use of homeowners' docks.

"We realized we were facing a long legal battle and limited options so we agreed to work it out. We're grateful that Don Connolly was willing to work with us in a reasonable and civil manner," Apthorp said.

According to court records, Connolly is more than $13,000 in arrears in paying restitution on a 1997 tax fraud charge.

A judge has ordered a hearing in Tampa on June 20 to consider whether Connolly has violated his probation on that charge.

Connolly did not return a call Tuesday.

He threatened to cut off access to homeowners' docks and boat lifts unless each agreed to pay $100,000.

Connolly reduced the price of each parcel to $5,000 after the homeowners' attorneys balked at his first offer.

Apthorp said he used family savings to purchase the land outright from Connolly and plans to sell the property to the 59 homeowners affected by the dispute at face value.

Homeowners still must decide if they prefer to keep the land in a community controlled trust or to hold the land individually.

"Some of them have told us that they feel very strongly that after all the trouble they've had they'd rather own the land themselves," Apthorp said.

Attorneys are meeting with the homeowners' association today to discuss how to handle the deed transfers.

The method of sale to individuals or to a community trust will determine the total fees associated with the transfer.

Apthorp hopes that Pinellas County officials will work with homeowners to defray surveying and title transfer fees.

"We're just happy to have this over and done with," Apthorp said. "Now we can rest a little easier."

- Times staff writer Jeff Testerman contributed to this report.

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