Whole Foods lawsuit dismissed

SARASOTA — Opponents of a planned Whole Foods commercial center that would destroy a north Sarasota County wetland voluntarily dismissed their lawsuit after reaching a confidential settlement agreement.

The trial would have begun Monday [Aug. 22] in Sarasota County Circuit Court.

A two-page document filed Friday in court says that the plaintiffs, led by the environmental group ManaSota-88, were dropping their claims against the county and the developers. The dismissal is “with prejudice,” meaning the opponents waived their right to file another lawsuit with the same claims, which included arguments that the development violated the county's long-range growth management plan.

An attorney for the developers, Scott McLaren of Tampa, said the dismissal came after the parties reached the confidential settlement agreement.