HomeMy Public PortalAbout2017-09-26 AttorneyClient In The Matter Of Saks Fifth Avenue LLC - CASE 17-15374-CA-041
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BAL HARBOUR VILLAGE
ATTORNEY/CLIENT SESSION
ORIGINAL
IN TH E MATTER OF SAKS FIFTH AVENUE, LLC v. VILLAGE OF
15 BA L HARBOUR
1 6 CASE NUMBER: 17 -15374-CA-04 (Complaint)
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BAL HARBOUR VILLAGE HALL
655 96th STREET
BAL HARBOUR , FLORIDA 33154
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2017
6:29 p .m. -6:34 p.m.
Taken before Mary G. Stephenson, FPR , Notary
Public for the State of Florida
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APPEARANCES:
COUNCILMEMBERS:
GABRIEL GROISMAN, MAYOR
(Appearance via telephone)
SETH E . SA LVER, ASSISTANT MAYOR
DAVID ALBAUM, COUNCILMAN
PATRICIA COHEN, COUNCILWOMAN
JEFFR EY FREIMARK, COUNCILMAN
8 VILLAGE MANAGER:
9 JORGE M. GONZA LEZ
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1 1 VILLAGE ATTORNEY :
12 WE I SS SEROTA HELFMAN
COLE & BIERMAN, P .L.
1 3 BY: JOSEPH S EROTA , ESQ .
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SUSAN TREVARTHEN, ESQ.
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The r eupon, the fo l low i ng proceedings were had :
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ASSISTAN T MAYOR SALVER: We are now going
to discuss Saks Fi fth Avenue , LLC vers us Vi l l age
of Bal Harbour, 17 -15364-CA-0 4 , wh ich is also a
complaint .
MR . SEROTA: This is a complaint , wh i ch is
fi l ed by Saks Fifth Avenue . I t 's s i milar to the
other case , although we haven 't been served by
this eithe r, but this is a l so a master p l an
chal l e nge under Sec tion 1 63 of the F l orida
Statutes , which they filed it with i n 30 days.
They have the same obligation to serve us
eventual l y .
The attorneys here , same people, the same
firm t hat were representing them, wh ich is Stearns
Weaver, and attorney named Darrell Payne .
MS. TREVARTHEN : He appeared at the
hearings .
MR. S EROTA : It's a muc h be t ter written
complaint . I t looks like they put some t ime into
it .
They are claiming that, of course , the
basic argument is the increase in density , the
congestion caused by the mas t er plan . They c it e
var i ous sections of the master p lan t h at a re
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allegedly violated, but i t 's essentially saying
that the project, because of t he traffic it causes
and the densi t y , that it violates the master plan.
They a l so have some challenges --I think
they also have thrown in some just you don't have
adequate substantial competent evidence to support
the record.
So , you know , th i s cou ld be a more
substantive complaint.
COUNCILWOMAN COHEN: They mention t he
loading dock a l so, don 't they?
COUNCILMAN FREIMARK : And the parking.
MS . TREVARTHEN: They mention a number of
aspects of the ir claim that the plan is not
being
COUNCILWOMAN COHEN: Hasn 't been vetted .
COUNCILMAN ALBAUM : The entrance to the
property . They said something about that .
COUNCILWOMAN COHEN: The what? The what?
COUNCILMAN ALBAUM :. The entrance. You
know , th e newly created entrance .
MS . TREVARTHEN : What they do is they echo
the arguments and the witnesses t hat they brought
forward during the hea r ings .
COUNCILMAN FREIMARK : Are t h e Shops i n
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discussions or negotiations with them?
MS. TREVARTHEN : We are, of course, not
privy to that, but we know this is a fundamentally
different complaint. T h i s is a landlord and a
tenant who are at odds with each oth e r , which is a
l it tle bit d i fferent from the pr i or complaint,
which involves citizens being concerned about the
development and its impacts on the community.
But we are aware, we have been t old the re's
some conversa t ions going on.
MR. GONZALEZ: My understanding is that
some period after the vote, Saks went through a
major shakeup in their executive leadership and
l aid off a number of employees, et ce t era,
including t he gentleman who was here, Paul.
MS . TREVARTH EN : I don't recall his name .
MR . GONZALEZ: Something Paul. I think his
las t name was Paul , who spoke and was leading
this . He was an e xecut ive in corporate. So that
needed to settle out , and then I unde r stand they
have been having conversations with the Shops .
COUNCILWOMAN COHEN: Well, there 's huge
changes , becaus e they are c l osing the Saks stores .
They were c l osing the New York store.
MR. GONZALEZ: I can't tell you the
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progress or the substance of those conversat i ons ,
but I have been advised they had a meeting with
whoever the new execut ive le adership is.
COUNCILMAN ALBAUM : Are we allowed to say
something on that or is this privately?
MR. GONZALEZ: This is private .
COUNCILMAN ALBAUM : Can anyt hing be said on
that?
MS. TREVARTH EN : We are speaking on a
transcript that will become publ i c record at the
conc l usion .
COUNCILMAN ALBAUM: I was just going to say
that I know the Shops has met with them in Yew
Yo rk once or twice .
MR. SEROTA : That could be the reason we
haven 't been served yet , because they are trying
to resolve it themselves , but we don 't really
know .
Th i s was, as I said , this was served --it
was filed a little bit later, 6/26/2017 . So they
have got --
MS . TREVA RTHEN: Some extra days .
MR . SEROTA : about a month to serve us.
So maybe i t will be r esolved , maybe it won't.
MS . TREVARTHEN : Any question s on the Saks
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complaint?
Gabe , did you have anything?
MAYOR GROISMAN : No. Sorry . I d i dn 't want
to in t errupt .
We wil l probably be served by these guys at
the end, but we will see what happens .
MS. TREVARTHEN: Okay . Well , if there 's no
fur t her questions, then we can take this back into
the public meeting , and you can read the final
part of the script.
ASSISTANT MAYOR SALVER : I will now reopen
the meeting .
The attorney/client sessions have now been
terminated . The meeting is now open and the
public is now invited to return for any further
proceedings or matters .
Do I have a mot i on to adjourn?
COUNCILMAN ALBAUM : Move .
ASSISTANT MAYOR SALVER : We are adjourned .
(Thereupon , the proceedings were concluded
a t 6:34 p .m.)
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C E R T I F I C A T E
I , Mary G . Stephenson, FPR, State of Florida at
Large , certify that I was authorized to and did
stenographical l y report the foregoing proceedings and
that the transcript is a true and complete record of my
stenographic notes.
Dated this 29th day of September , 2017.
Mary G . Stephenson , FPR
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