Scopellitti's properties were apparently falling apart, as they were subject to a list of code violations, so the city issued citations, and went through the proscribed nuisance abatement procedures. Scopellitti, it seems, pretty much ignored the violations and eventually the city demolished the properties, an action upheld by the city's administrative process. Next step, an inverse condemnation action in U.S. District Court.
These cases are hard enough when you have good facts to back you up, and even harder when you've got facts like these. So it shouldn't be a surprise, should it, that the District Court eventually granted summary judgment, and in Scopellitti v. City of Tampa, No. 15-15394 (Jan. 24, 2017), the Eleventh Circuit affirmed? The dismissal and affirmation wasn't on substantive grounds, but an application of Williamson County's state compensation requirement, since Scopellitti had not sought compensation through a Florida state court inverse condemnation action.
Scopellitti v. City of Tampa, No. 15-15394 (11th Cir. Jan. 24, 2017) (unpub.)
