Environmentalist Maggy Hurchalla watched as her 14-year-old Toyota pickup truck and two equally-weathered kayaks – gifts from her late sister, former Bill Clinton administration Attorney General Janet Reno – were seized by Martin County Sheriff’s Office deputies at her home Monday.
The sudden seizure was to start paying for a $4.4 million-judgment against the 77-year-old Hurchalla, the result of a tortious interference lawsuit filed by developer Lake Point.
Over the next few weeks, however, Hurchalla stands to see much more taken from her.
A source close to the case says Lake Point lawyers are planning to file paperwork in Martin County circuit court showing Hurchalla could be worth somewhere between $4 million and $5 million, give or take a few bucks.
In addition to a maze of brokerage and investment accounts, the source added, Hurchalla owns properties in the United States and even Australia.
“In 2002, she applied for a brokerage account,” said the informant, who asked not to be identified, “and she claimed then she was worth $2 million.
“I expect Lake Point will file their findings over the next few days.”
A hearing before Martin County Circuit Judge William Roby to discuss Hurchalla’s wealth is scheduled for July 31 as she faces the possibility that Lake Point could seize that money, too.
Earlier this year, Hurchalla was found personally liable by a Martin County jury for her actions as the county negotiated with Lake Point on the use of a large plot of land owned by the company near Lake Okeechobee.
Owned partly by Miami billionaire George Lindemann Jr., the land was being used as a mine then was to be used as reservoir for lake runoff, and possibly as water source for larger cities south, including West Palm Beach.
During negotiations in 2013, however, Lake Point noticed the county became increasingly uncooperative, and contends Hurchalla secretly emailed then-County Commissioners Anne Scott, Sarah Heard and Ed Fielding with tips and techniques to torpedo the pending deal.
For several years, Hurchalla and the commissioners attempted to keep their email exchanges hidden from Lake Point, a clear violation of the state’s constitutionally guaranteed government in the sunshine.
Scott, Heard and Fielding were charged criminally last year and face a trial in December. Heard, meanwhile, is running for her fifth term on the commission. Fielding isn’t running again. Scott, a former judge from Chicago, was voted out.
While the county settles its lawsuit with a deal that could cost taxpayers more than $26 million, Hurchalla and Lake Point couldn’t come to an agreement and went to trial, with Hurchalla eventually ordered to pay up.
Lake Point spokeswoman Honey Rand declined to comment on the pending financial filings expected to paint Hurchalla as a multi-millionaire instead of a modest Everglades protector who took to social media to raise money for her legal fees.
Said Rand: “The court will make a determination of what Ms. Hurchalla’s assets are and where they are and how she’s handled the assets since the judgement.
“Lake Point doesn’t want to do this. She could’ve apologized, admitted her mistakes and moved on.”
Hurchalla is appealing the judgement and award on her belief it was her first amendment right to communicate to commissioners her preferred course of action.
She told the mainstream press moments after the seizures of her car and kayaks: “There is something very childish about thinking that if they take away my car and my toys I will burst into tears and stop defending the First Amendment,’’ Hurchalla wrote in an email to several reporters. “The car and the kayaks can be replaced. The First Amendment cannot.’’
Her lawyer didn’t respond to an email seeking her comment.