Promenade officially adjusted on Property Appraiser’s map as ‘subdivision’ property, website updated
BY MARCY SHORTUSE – It’s been a long, hard road to find out exactly what Lee County calls the thin strip of land that borders the sea wall between 1st and 4th Streets, but the Lee County Property Appraiser’s office has done some homework and come up with the best information we have received so far.
According to Chief Deputy James A. Sherron, a chief deputy at the property appraiser’s office, and Lee County Property Appraiser Ken Wilkinson, the property does not belong to the homeowners along those lots … and yet, in a way, it does.
“Our interpretation of the documents is that the areas we did not have drawn are subdivision property,” Sherron said. “When we list subdivision property on our tax roll, it gets listed as ‘common element’ for classification purposes; the listed ownership also reflects our interpretation of the subdivision property.
“I have nothing to indicate that the land in question should be in the name of individual lot owners. I am saying, currently, this office looks at that land as being a common element and part of the subdivision. That said, and as you are aware, the question of ownership and title is best left up to the court when there is a question.”
So while the answers afforded by the property appraiser’s office make all of our questions as clear as mud in some ways, we can now look at the property appraiser’s maps at leepa.org and clearly see where the original “subdivison property” begins and private property ends …
that is, of course, until the subject of litigation is broached.
If you would like to see the newly-redone property lines for yourself on the website, type in an address on the western side of Gilchrist Avenue, click on “aerial viewer” mode, and you will be able to scroll up and down.
Meanwhile, we have provided you with photos of what the southern end of the Promenade looks like at this time (at right).
We are currently awaiting more answers from Lee County entities regarding this story that did not come in as of press time.
Stay tuned next week … maybe the week after.
