Non-binding mediation was on the docket to settle the Florida Land Use and Environmental Resolution Dispute Act (FLUEDA) dune walkover dispute with Fort Myers Beach, but the applicant has pulled out. Kurt Kroemer of Squeeze Me Inn LLC was the one to officially halt the mediation proceedings. According to reports, the pull-out occurred after a deadline was missed.

John Herin, Jr., an attorney representing the Town of Fort Meyers Beach, said response for the town’s position regarding a special exception denial was demanded in an email he received about a week before the FLUEDRA pulled out of the mediation.  Herin told the group the city would respond by the end of the day later that week, but it was not fast enough for the group. They demanded an answer a day earlier and Fort Meyers Beach was willing to give one.

According to the representative from FLUEDRA, "We got fed up. We fully believed the town council was open to moving forward.” The representative also stated that the applicants previously canceled a conference call earlier this month over the issue and the group was going tired of how long everything was taking.

Herin says mediation is still an option for the city and points out it would be more convenient for everyone, but it seems unlikely that will occur at this point. Applicants and the town have been feuding for years and have been involved in multiple court battles that involved the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Florida Fish and Wildlife Service.