The board of Crown Colony Club Inc., is compelled to respond to the October article your paper reported regarding the ongoing Ocean Ridge dispute involving “the walk.”
Unfortunately, your article was slanted, favoring the view of the Fayette Drive residents, and dismissive of, if not completely excluding, Crown Colony’s legal position.
We will give you credit in reporting the most telling and accurate comment and affirmative statement made, i.e., “Steis and Rodriguez [Fayette Drive residents] didn’t have a problem for decades with residents of Crown Colony using the walkway.” This admission by these residents confirms the decades-long usage of the walk.
However, to be clear, Crown Colony’s residents never needed the Fayette Drive residents’ permission. Absent from your article was any reference to that certain January 1972, 99-year lease agreement between Michael and Ann Susik and Crown Colony Club Inc., which expressly provides Crown Colony’s members beach access by and through the following property:
“The northerly 25 feet lying and being parallel to the northerly lot line of Lot A, Tropical Park Addition No. 1, per plat thereof recorded in official record book 23, Page 228, of the public records of Palm Beach County, Florida.”
Hence, Crown Colony’s residents have always possessed the absolute legal right to use the walk and the permission or acquiescence of the Fayette Drive residents is not needed.
Thus, the Fayette Drive residents’ signage which suggests the walk is private and solely for the benefit of Fayette Drive is patently false.
This is what should have been reported: The improper, inaccurate signage placed in the walk simply foments further dissent and confuses Crown Colony residents as to their access rights.
What you alluded to in your article in passing, necessitating greater emphasis, is that the Fayette Drive residents are more upset about a collateral dispute involving the Ocean Ridge Yacht Club. Yet they strangely seek to take out their frustrations on Crown Colony by placing signage on the walk that erroneously claims exclusive access for themselves.
Given the attention this issue has received in Ocean Ridge, Crown Colony requests a follow-up article be written reminding your readership of the 50-plus-years’ usage by Crown
Colony of the walk and more importantly, that there exists a 99-year lease agreement with express language bestowing Crown Colony’s residents with usage of the walk for beach access purposes.
Thank you.
Ronald E. Kirn, president,
board of directors, Crown Colony Club Inc.
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