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Ex-Justice To Settle Weeki Wachee Rift

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 21, 2007

BROOKSVILLE - Former Florida Supreme Court Justice Ben Overton will mediate the ongoing legal dispute between the Weeki Wachee mermaids and the state agency that acts as the landlord for the venerable roadside attraction.

Lawyers for the 60-year-old Hernando County theme park and the Southwest Florida Water Management District agreed to use Overton as a mediator in a case that has dragged on for nearly four years, court documents said.

The attraction and the water agency - which owns the land and leases it to the park - have been in and out of court and failed at previous attempts to mediate the dispute.

The two sides have clashed over issues ranging from the wording of the lease to whether Weeki Wachee, a city of nine residents, can legally own the for-profit enterprise.

Both sides have filed lawsuits accusing the other of violating the lease, and park managers say a judge's ruling on any of the issues could result in the water district canceling the lease and closing the park.

A judge delayed a trial on the issues and ordered both sides back to mediation last month. The latest session is scheduled for Tuesday.

One proposal to end the dispute has the state managing the land as a state park while preserving the mermaid attraction.

The Associated Press

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