The Atlanta partners behind the SkyView Ferris wheel in downtown Atlanta plan to pay unpaid taxes to a Florida county that is prepared to sell the multi-million dollar attraction to get its money, a spokesman for the partners said Wednesday.
Spokesman Jason Evans said the only dispute is the actual amount of taxes owed and the $100,000 in penalties Escambia County in western Florida wants to access.
“We think that the $100,000 in late fees and penalties are absurd considering we were never informed (about the overdue taxes),” said Evans, spokesman for Atlanta Partners LLC, which operates the Ferris wheel. “We are absolutely willing to pay the actual assessment.”
In a suit filed in Fulton County Superior Court on June 1, Escambia County tax collector Janet Holley asked that Fulton’s sheriff be ordered to “surrender” SkyView to the Florida county “for its retention and/or disposition.”
Holley claims Skyview’s operator failed to pay more than $350,000 in property taxes and penalties before the Ferris wheel left Pensacola Beach for Atlanta two years ago.
The operator at the time was Expo 60 Ventures LLC, which leased the 20-story Ferris wheel from its European owner. The lease was picked up by Atlanta Partners LLC when SkyView moved to Atlanta.
Evans said several of the partners in Expo 60 also are partners in Atlanta Partners.
Escambia County appraises the Ferris wheel at $11.3 million based on a similar attraction in Myrtle Beach, S.C. While the county’s lawsuit claims more than $350,000 is owed, Evans said the actual bill is $238,000, including penalties.
“I really would prefer they just pay their taxes,” Holley, the Florida tax collector, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She said the county has the right to sell the Ferris wheel to satisfy taxes and penalties owed, and a lien on the attraction follows it regardless the operator.
“This is tangible personal property and when those taxes are unpaid, warrants are issued and a lien is placed on the equipment.” Holley said. “The next step is to seize the item and then you can sell it to settle the taxes.”
Evans said Holley is waging a personal vendetta because the Ferris wheel left her county. He contends Atlanta Partners didn’t find out about the unpaid taxes until a Fulton sheriff’s deputy showed up after the suit was filed.
“The moment we were informed that we had a pass due tax bill we made an immediate $50,000 payment on it and we are willing to pay all the taxes that are due as soon as the court tells us what the proper amount is,” Evans said. “We are not tax cheats or tax scofflaws. We pay hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in sales taxes (in Georgia).”
SkyView opened near Centennial Olympic Park in summer 2013, operating under a contract between the city and Atlanta Partners and The Tabernacle Group. The Ferris wheel is on land owned by The Tabernacle that also encroaches on city-owned property.
In December, the Atlanta City Council extended the city’s contract with Atlanta Partners and The Tabernacle Group, allowing the companies to continue operating the attraction through 2015.
Evans said a hearing is planned next month in Florida over the disputed penalties, but he believes the issue will be resolved before that time.
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