The nonprofit group Handy is not letting the Broward School District get easily out of a highly scrutinized office space lease, filing a multimillion-dollar lawsuit that alleges breach of contract and damage to Handy\u2019s reputation.<\/p>\n
In a complaint filed last week in Broward County Circuit Court, Handy alleges it is owed full payment for the $2.6 million five-year lease for space in its Wilton Manors headquarters. So far, the district has paid $232,333, the lawsuit states. The nonprofit\u00a0also is seeking compensation for reputational damages and attorneys\u2019 fees.<\/p>\n
Handy, which stands for Helping Advance and Nurture the Development of Youth, has had a longstanding relationship with the school district, providing food to homeless students and providing life skills training to those from disadvantaged backgrounds.<\/p>\n
But the relationship soured in recent weeks after the School Board\u00a0decided on Nov. 4<\/a> to terminate the lease it had approved on June 17. The district had intended to move employees from its facilities department into space at Handy\u2019s recently purchased headquarters in Wilton Manors.<\/p>\n The lease led to a public backlash after the South Florida Sun Sentinel published a news article on Oct. 24<\/a>, calling attention to\u00a0the district\u2019s plan to pay more than $500,000 a year for office space despite facing severe budget cuts and having plenty of room in low-enrolled schools.<\/p>\n The district also has been trying to find new uses for its extra space to stave off \u201cSchools of Hope,\u201d which are special charter schools that are allowed to operate on district-run campuses.<\/p>\n