Lake Point Restoration Vindicated By Jury

George Lindemann, Jr. says Public Works Project Back on Track to Help in Everglades Preservation

George Lindemann, Jr. an owner of Lake Point Restoration in Martin County, Florida, and the last company representative to testify in the 5-year case, pointed out that Lake Point would much rather not have spent the time and money that it took to clear the company.

A jury has decided that Maggy Hurchalla, sister of Janet Reno, former Clinton Administration General Counsel, was guilty of tortious interference. Lake Point Restoration contended that Ms. Hurchalla in writing and verbally insisted the company had destroyed wetlands, though they had not. Wednesday, February 14th, the jury vindicated Lake Point. Now, Hurchalla must pay the company $4,391,708 in damages for manipulating Martin County Commissioners with misrepresentations about wetland impacts and other assertions. Based on her manipulations, the public-private partnership between Lake Point, Martin County, and the South Florida Water Management District was breached.

The Lake Point project is an innovative public-private partnership designed to make use of its unique position near Lake Okeechobee, the C-44 canal and channels to the Loxahatchee River. Eventually, Lake Point would donate the land to the South Florida Water Management District to treat and store water, as well as provide recreation for the region. Lake Point Restoration, which is part of the state Northern Everglades Plan, had a primary goal to develop a public works project that would divert dirty water from the C-44 canal and the Indian River Lagoon. The ultimate disposition of that dirty water, cleaned on the property, was yet to be determined when Ms. Hurchalla began a campaign to undermine the relationships that made the public works project possible.

“Every person is entitled to their opinion, but they cannot misrepresent the facts—especially if they claim to be an expert with years of experience. As late as Wednesday, on the stand, Ms. Hurchalla continued to insist that Lake Point destroyed wetlands. This was despite expert testimony to the contrary. The Department of Environmental Protection says wetlands were not destroyed. The Army Corps of Engineers says they were not. Martin County staff says they were not. The Water Management District says they were not. It should be noted that as Lake Point Restoration sought a relationship with Martin County and the South Florida Water Management District, there was literally no opposition to the project, including Ms. Hurchalla. Even Commissioner Sarah Heard, who is now under indictment for destroying public records in this case, voted for it,” said George Lindemann, Jr., a partner in Lake Point.

“But, Lake Point Restoration is not looking back. A new agreement is in place with both Martin County and the District, repairing the breach caused by Ms. Hurchalla. The public works project will move forward. Lake Point is still part of the Northern Everglades Plan and we’re actively considering how we can maximize our participation in the plan to keep dirty water from the estuary and add clean water to the system,” added Lindemann.

The Miami Herald reported on the verdict on Wednesday night writing: “Lake Point claimed Hurchalla worked with local politicians to block its contract with government entities to exploit a rock mine near Lake Okeechobee, to use it to store excess water from the lake. The developer sued Martin County and the South Florida Water Management District for breach of contract. The same action named Hurchalla for tortious interference. Late last year, however, both the county and water district settled for a total $18M. Hurchalla wouldn’t settle, and Lake Point claimed Hurchalla’s role in the contract collapse cost the company $4M.”

The Miami Herald article went on: “To make matters more complicated, Hurchalla’s email exchanges with county commissioners have led to criminal proceedings against three politicians: Current Martin County commissioners Sarah Heard and Ed Fielding, and former Commissioner Anne Scott. On the stand Tuesday, Hurchalla admitted to sending some emails to commissioners on the county’s official servers while communicating with the trio on their private accounts. In her private emails, she appeared to coach Fielding on how to get rid of Lake Point.”

About Lake Point Restoration
Lake Point Restoration Project is a public-private partnership with Lake Point Restoration, Martin County and the South Florida Water Management District. The partnership was formed to construct public stormwater management infrastructure. The purpose of the project is to store and clean water for the regional water system and provide passive recreation for the community.