Paul Brinkmann:

Universal stormwater suit on pause.

Universal Orlando is hitting the pause button on its stormwater lawsuit against Orange County, the city of Orlando and more than 40 property owners along International Drive.

The olive branch in the threeyear-old stormwater suit comes as the theme-park giant prepares hundreds of acres nearby for new development and a probable new theme park, for which it will need county permits and county infrastructure.

Universal contends in the suit that stormwater is contaminating Sandy Lake, where it plans recreation for new hotels on its former Wet ‘n Wild property. Universal also accuses the county of allowing business on I-Drive to take advantage of the lake without consent, using an easement through the Enclave at Orlando property.

For 45 days, Universal has agreed to set aside its lawsuit, while the city and county study ways to divert the stormwater. One possible solution is to design a new drainage system to divert the flow toward Carrier Drive and ultimately to Kirkman Road’s drainage system.

Universal’s engineer, John Florio, will work with the county’s engineer David Hamstra to present some solutions to the South Florida Water Management District for its approval.

Universal contends that the stormwater could pose health and environmental risks if it continues draining into the lake. That would limit Universal’s use of the property and require expensive cleanup, according to the suit.

In court documents, the county pointed out one of the properties immediately south is where developer Joshua Wallack has been planning his Skyplex attraction. Universal Orlando lobbied in 2015 to derail plans for Skyplex’s 500-foot-tall roller coaster.

In order to get county approvals for Skyplex, and get around Universal’s objections, Wallack agreed to build his own $2 million stormwater system. But if the county fixes the issue with a bigger plan, that might not be necessary.

“It is a great thing to see all sides working together for the greater good of this situation, as obviously this new theme park is the biggest project in Orange County,” Wallack said. “Sometimes the most complex situations can be resolved when people meet together in person and find common ground.

Rifle v. Walmart

In other local business news, Rifle Paper Co., one of Orlando’s brightest entrepreneurial success stories, has settled a lawsuit with two big companies it accused of profiting from a design that was copied illegally from Rifle’s portfolio.

Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

The lawsuit said Walmart and Canadian importer Beco Indus-