Florida town accidentally sells water tower to businessman for $55,000
In a strange series of events, a small mistake made by small Florida town’s Brooksville City Council resulted in one man temporarily receiving a free gift with his purchase: the town’s water tower.
Businessman Bobby Read approached the council in April about buying a small business and garage under the tower. After the $55,000 purchase, Read got the parcel for the city’s water tower. As Read went to the county property appraiser’s office to get the address for his new business, he learned of the city’s blunder.
Mark Kutney, the Brooksville city manager, explained how the tower was accidentally sold to Read due to legal descriptions where the building he wanted to buy was never split off from the parent property where the water tower is based.
After having the property to his name for more than a week, Read did transfer the warranty deed back to the city on May 14, however, he never had any key or access source to it. There was a $10 fee to give it back.
“We’re human,” Kutney said. “Sometimes we make a mistake.”