SANDESTIN — A battle for a driveway access is suddenly not the only obstacle the Sandestin Owners Association faces as it contemplates building offices on land adjoining the main resort.
Sandestin Investments LLC, run by developer Tom Becnel, filed legal papers Wednesday claiming the Homeowners Association misrepresented its plans for using a driveway easement linking the parcel behind Footprints Gift Shop to U.S. Highway 98.
“If they did what they said they were going to do there wouldn’t be any lawsuit,” said attorney Dana Matthews, who represents Sandestin Investments.
Matthewssaid the Owners Association guaranteed Becnel that if Sandestin Investments gave it property to build a bridge linking the association’s office complex to the main resort, dozens of Becnel’s employees could use the connector to access U.S. 98.
But the Reeves family, which owns Footprints and the land under the driveway easement, has objected to the two-lane access, called Reeves Road, being used at all by the Owners Association.
In an effort to circumvent the Reeveses’ complaint and get Walton County’s permission to use the driveway, the Owners Association told the county’s Planning Commission it would limit the use of Reeves Road to just “18 or 19” employees.
Those promises run counter to what the Owners Association told Becnel, who now wants his land back, Matthews said.
“When the HOA told the county they were going to limit the number of people going in and out, that was our first indication they were crawfishing,” Matthews said.
The County Commission recently heard the dispute over the driveway for the first time and voted to table it until Sept. 11.
Doyle and Janet Reeves said Friday they believe the county has waited long enough to act on their request. They say opening the driveway to any traffic is hazardous and in violation of county ordinances and state laws.
“The Reeves are anxious for a favorable resolution that will protect their property rights,” said their attorney, Jill Crew.
Efforts to reach members of the Sandestin Owners Association for comment were unsuccessful.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Tom McLaughlin at 850-315-4435 or tmclaughlin@nwfdailynews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomMnwfdn.