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Article Courtesy of The
Islander
By Robert Anderson
Published September 5, 2025
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A
lawsuit challenging the closure of one of Bradenton Beach’s oldest neighborhoods
has been settled.
Judge Edward Nicholas of the 12th Circuit Court dismissed on Aug. 8 the Pines
Trailer Park Homeowners Association’s lawsuit against Pines Park Investors LLC
after the parties reached a confidential settlement.
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The Islander reached
out to members of the park HOA but none would comment on the
settlement.
In an Aug. 25 statement, the park ownership, which includes
developer Shawn Kaleta, said, “Pines Park Investors LLC … is
happy to announce that a settlement agreement has been
reached between PPI LLC and the Pines Trailer Park
Homeowners Association. … PPI LLC can confirm Pines Park
residents will be allowed to remain residing at the park for
an agreed-upon period of time.”
The park ownership did not respond to an Aug. 25 email from
The Islander seeking details on how many units in the park
are occupied or how long people will be allowed to stay.
Many of the 86 homes in the park at 103 Church Ave. were
already vacant at the time the parties announced the
settlement. |
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Church Avenue in the Pines Trailer Park appears like
a ghost town on Aug. 29.
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Elayne Armaniaco, a resident of the park, told The Islander Aug. 28 she
estimated that 20-25 residents remain.
The park operates under a land-lease system, where homeowners pay the
ownership to lease their homesite and maintain the property.
The HOA filed its lawsuit March 28, accusing the ownership of violating
Florida’s Mobile Home Act when it announced plans to close the park.
The suit alleged the ownership failed to provide proper notice, converted a
residential parking lot into paid public parking and acted in bad faith by
offering to sell the land back to homeowners for $75 million, an amount nearly
five times more than PPI paid for the property in 2023.
In January, PPI informed homeowners that the park “must be closed.”
The ownership has maintained that 2024 storm damage and financial strain were
the reasons the park should no longer operate.
“After suffering extensive damage from 2024’s back-to-back hurricanes, PPI LLC,
like many other nearby businesses, has lost its ability to generate enough
revenue to operate as a trailer park,” the ownership’s Aug. 25 statement read.
“The mutually agreed upon extension of time granted by PPI LLC will
unfortunately result in significant time and financial losses to PPI LLC, but a
settlement … was in the best interest of all parties involved.”
About the Pines Trailer Park
The Pines Trailer Park has stood since the mid-1930s on the Bradenton Beach
bayfront at 103 Church Ave.
For nearly 90 years, the Pines Park has been home to retirees, seasonal visitors
and families who formed a tight-knit bayfront community.
In March 2023, the owners, the Jackson Partnership, listed the 2.78-acre
property for $16 million. By August 2023, it was sold to PPI for $16.25 million.
The Pines operates as a land-lease park, where people own the homes but rent the
land. When the Jackson Partnership announced plans to sell, homeowners tried but
were unable to form a cooperative to bid on buying the park.
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