EATONVILLE, Fla. – The lawyers behind a new lawsuit aiming to unwind the deal to sell the historic Hungerford School Property in Eatonville are now speaking out.
Hungerford first served as a trailblazing education institution for black students in the 1800s. Though the school is no longer there, the property still holds historical significance, and the residents of Eatonville want a say in its future.
The 27-page lawsuit is seeking an injunction blocking the deal claiming there wasn’t enough transparency when it came to the sale of the property. This, according to the lawsuit, violates Florida’s Sunshine Law.
The Association for the Preservation of the Eatonville Community lawsuit comes months after the Orange County School Board approved the sale of the historic Hungerford lot to Dr. Phillips Charities.
Southern Poverty Law Center represents the association and claims the board engaged in illegal back-room politics to reach the $14 million deal last fall.
“There hadn’t been public meetings to discuss this at the time they had issued a press statement announcing there was an agreement,” explained Kirsten Anderson, who is with the Southern Poverty Law Center.
The lawsuit does not speak to the substance of the deal that will reshape and redevelop the heart of Eatonville, just the process to GET to the deal.
“What we knew is that everyone was surprised, no one even knew the land was for sale,” said Anderson.
The Orange County School Board did release a statement saying in part:
“The school board of Orange County strongly disputes the allegation in the lawsuit concerning the Hungerford property and believes the lawsuit to be without merit.”
The statement also included a timeline of public meetings where the Hungerford property was discussed. That includes June 17, September 30, January 6 and January 13.
Dr. Phillips Charities also released a statement saying they have established an advisory committee made up of residents and community stakeholders. They go on to say they are actively exploring all thoughtful possibilities for the Hungerford property.
New 6’s Amy Russo went to Eatonville. She walked around for about three hours talking to residents. Almost every single one of them said the same thing - they didn’t want to go on camera and even if they did they fear their concerns would go unresolved. However, one woman did go on camera and she echoed the same sentiment as the lawsuit.
“Everything feels so rushed,” said Priscilla. She told News 6 that she was at the school board meeting when the vote to approve the sale went through. “I didn’t like the language in terms of how they were speaking,” explained Priscilla. “They basically were saying ‘as a courtesy to you we are talking to you about selling it but we really have it fair and square’.”
Right now, there’s no timeline on when a judge could issue an injunction, if at all.