FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Five acres of a Florida county park were unknowingly auctioned off last year to a private company, which is threatening to sue if park visitors continue to trespass.
The Sun Sentinel reports that Miami-based Dorado Bells LLC won the bid for $23,900 for parts of West Lake Park in Hollywood.
The auction was conducted by the Broward County tax collector's office in April 2018 after the previous owner didn't pay about $1,526 in back taxes.
Park officials say they didn't know how the auction happened or how the parcel was originally left in private hands. The 15-foot-wide strip runs nearly 3 miles around a lake.
Dorado Bells has put up makeshift fences and "No Trespassing" signs. Attorneys say the trails allow the public to trespass onto the property and must be resolved.
