Judge dismisses Hialeah suit

A Florida circuit court judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Internet entrepreneur Halsey Minor that alleged that the city of Hialeah had broken its own laws by giving the deed to Hialeah Park to the track's current owner, John Brunetti, according to court papers.

Judge Thomas Wilson of Miami-Dade Circuit Court ruled on Aug. 8 that the Third District Court of Appeal had already settled legal questions surrounding the ownership of Hialeah by ruling in 1986 that Brunetti owed property taxes on the track. Brunetti purchased the track from the city of Hialeah in 1978 by taking out a 30-year mortgage on the property. The mortgage was provided by the city.

Minor filed suit against the city of Hialeah in February in an attempt to have the deed to Brunetti voided, claiming that the city could not have transferred the deed without first holding a public vote. Hialeah provided the deed to Brunetti in 2004.

Minor had previously held informal discussions with Brunetti about buying the track, but those talks were fruitless.