One resident filed a lawsuit to roll back the lease.
By Derek Gilliam/Suncoast Searchlight
Original Air Date: March 11, 2026
Host: A plan to lease hundreds of acres of golf courses and green space in The Meadows to Benderson Development has sparked a lawsuit over the future of one of Sarasota’s oldest and largest planned developments. Suncoast Searchlight reporter Derek Gilliam brings you this story.
Derek Gilliam: The Meadows Community Association board voted 6-3 last month to authorize its president to sign the contract. The deal would transfer control of 500 acres—including three, 18-hole golf courses and vast expanses of open space—to a subsidiary of Benderson Development, which owns and operates the nearby Mall at University Town Center.
The lease comes after years of operating losses pushed the country club into bankruptcy and forced two of its courses to close. Under the deal, Benderson would lend the community money to pay off the mounting debts and work to reopen the courses.
But the agreement has divided residents.
A foursome finishes a hole at The Meadows on Thursday, February 26. The Meadows Community Association recently signed a contract with a Benderson Development subsidiary to take over golf operations, a deal now being challenged in court. Photo by Derek Gilliam via Suncoast Searchlight
Some homeowners say the negotiations were conducted with too little transparency and fear the deal gives the developer too much control over land long seen as the heart of the community.
One of them, Donald Breece, filed a lawsuit arguing the contract goes far beyond a simple golf lease. Instead, his suit says, it allows long-term and potentially permanent changes to the land that defines the 3,500-home community without a vote of property owners.
Under the terms of the agreement, Benderson must operate the golf courses for three years. After that, the company could walk away following potentially irreversible conservation easements having been placed on the property. The contract also allows Benderson to convert portions of the property into wetlands to generate mitigation credits.
Some Meadows residents also worry the land could become tied to a special taxing district Benderson is seeking to establish at UTC. The new district could potentially hold the easements on the community’s land.
The Meadows was developed in the mid-1970s as one of Sarasota County’s first planned-unit developments. The property encompasses more than 1,000 acres mostly west of Honore Avenue and north of 17th Street. Photo by Derek Gilliam via Suncoast Searchlight
The Florida House of Representatives unanimously approved a bill last week to create a special district around the booming University Town Center area—a proposal that would give one of the region’s largest developers significant influence over the new entity spanning more than 1,400 acres across Sarasota and Manatee counties.
If the bill becomes law, Manatee County-headquartered Benderson Development Co, which owns much of the land inside the proposed district, would hold a majority voting interest in the new government entity, according to the developer’s Tallahassee lobbyist, Dave Ramba.
Susan Schoettle, a former assistant county attorney whose private practice focuses on land use, warned The Meadows community about putting too much power in the hands of one of the area’s largest developers.
Schoettle said prior to the lease being signed: “You’re going to end up with Benderson being your banker, your tenant, golf course operator, planner for golf course redevelopment and likely holder of easements controlling the use of 500 acres of MCA golf course land and open space.”
Meanwhile, the lawsuit that was filed in mid-January in Sarasota Circuit Court seeks to rollback the signed lease for the golf courses and open space.
A lawsuit filed by Meadows Community Association director Donald Breece seeks to require a community-wide vote on the Benderson contract. The association’s master board approved the deal February 12. Photo by Derek Gilliam via Suncoast Searchlight
Breece’s lawsuit argues the agreement effectively transfers control of the land to a commercial real estate company whose primary business is large-scale retail and mixed-use development, not golf. In Breece’s view, that amounts to a de facto sale that would require a vote of all property owners.
The dispute is the latest example of tensions playing out in older Florida communities built around golf courses that are no longer profitable. Across the region, homeowners associations have struggled to maintain aging courses as participation declines and operating costs rise.
Circuit Judge Dana Moss denied an emergency motion February 12 seeking to block The Meadows Community Association from approving the contract. Court records show association President Chris Perone signed the contract the next day.
Lawyers representing the board argue Breece’s suit is now moot because the contract has been signed.
But the case is not over. Moss could still decide whether the agreement required a vote of all property owners—one of the key claims in Breece’s lawsuit, which seeks additional relief.
When contacted by Suncoast Searchlight, Perone declined to discuss specifics, citing the pending litigation. But he said opponents have mischaracterized the agreement.
A golfer rides through The Meadows. Photo by Derek Gilliam via Suncoast Searchlight
Perone said, “Whatever they tell you is speculation and opinion.”
Todd Mathes, director of development for Benderson Development, did not respond to text messages seeking comment, and multiple phone calls to the company were not returned.
Breece, who is also a dissenting member of the community association board, declined to speak on the record. His attorney, Steven Hutton, said the case remains active and that an HOA election scheduled for March 31 could tilt momentum.
If the judge rules in Breece’s favor, then the deal could be unwound, or at a minimum, the lease could head to a community vote.
“At this point,” Hutton said, “we’re considering all the options.”
Reporting for Suncoast Searchlight, Derek Gilliam. To read the full story, go to suncoastsearchlight.org/the-meadows-benderson-golf-lawsuit/.
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