West Palm Beach Golf Course Developer Owes Project Attorneys $185,000, Lawsuit Says
WPB Golf Links, the contractor picked to revitalize West Palm Beach's public golf course, faces a lawsuit from attorneys who claim they haven't been paid.
September 20, 2018 at 03:00 PM
4 minute read
The West Palm Beach city-owned golf course at 7001 Parker Ave.
A law firm that represented a developer in its bid to revamp West Palm Beach's municipal golf course and add a hotel, entertainment and more hasn't been paid, and legal bills have mounted to more than $185,000, according to a lawsuit.
Perry & Taylor of Palm Beach Gardens is suing WPB Golf Links LLC, which beat two competitors two years ago on a plan to lease and redevelop the city's only public course.
The Palm Beach Circuit Court suit filed Sept. 5 said the law firm showed an invoice to WPB Golf Links and the developer agreed to the balance.
WPB Golf Links plans $86 million worth of improvements on the 196-acre course at 7001 Parker Ave. Its vision includes a Topgolf entertainment complex, a five-story hotel with 80 to 100 rooms and residences, according to the city.
Perry & Taylor worked on WPB Golf Links' bid for the project and was retained to represent the developer in lease negotiations with the city, said J. Michael Burman, a partner with Reid Burman Lebedeker who filed Perry & Taylor's lawsuit. Burman maintains WPB Golf Links landed the contract because of the work of its attorney, Perry & Taylor name partner F. Martin Perry.
“All of that was done with Marty Perry on the table,” Burman said. “There's no reason for them not to pay this bill. He has done a tremendous amount of work. The reason the project is where it's at today is because of all the work he has done. He should be paid.”
E. Anthony Wilson, one of the principals of WPB Golf Links, called this a “classic lawyer and client dispute.”
“I am not going to litigate it or give you details of what our conflict is on the phone. It will be settled in due course as every other lawsuit does between clients and attorneys,” he said.
Wilson is the founder, president and CEO of the Seagate companies, which include Delray Beach-based Seagate Hospitality Group LLC and the Seagate Country Club.
Raymon Finch III is the other WPB Golf Links principal and is listed as the general manager of the Seagate Country Club on its website.
WPB has paid $10,000 to Perry & Taylor, but that was a pass-through payment for a consultant the law firm hired for the project, Burman said.
The complaint cites two invoices: $178,767 for work from Sept. 1, 2016, to July 29, 2018, including conferences with Finch, presentations to city staff members and about $10,000 in mileage; and $4,620 for work from July 5-31, including conferences and correspondence with the South Florida Water Management District.
The city had issued a call years ago for someone to breathe new life into the golf course opened in 1947. A special commission picked WPB Golf Links for the job Feb. 12, but a final lease hasn't been approved.
The Palm Beach Post, which first reported on Perry & Taylor's lawsuit, reported the fee dispute would have to be resolved before the lease reaches the City Commission for final approval. The city plans to close the West Palm Beach Golf Course on Sept. 30.
WPB Gold Links' proposal calls for a 29-year lease at $500,000 a year with possible extensions. A PowerPoint presentation said the work would eliminate the need for annual city subsidies, bring new property tax revenue to the city and create more than 600 jobs.
The company also committed to support the creation of a boat lift on the C-51 canal that runs along the south side of the golf course and possibly become a sculling center. The course is southeast of Interstate 95 and Forest Hill Boulevard.
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