Wellington ousts board members on eve of vote

Bellissimo claimed they would impede fairness

WELLINGTON — The village removed two longstanding members of its Equestrian Preserve Committee at the request of Mark Bellissimo’s team, days before the board reviewed its proposed new showground.

Daniel Rosenbaum, the attorney for Wellington Lifestyle Partners, sent a letter to the village on Feb. 8 requesting that Jane Cleveland and Carlos Arellano be removed from the committee for speaking against the Wellington North and South projects, luxury communities that the council voted this month to allow in the 9,000-acre preserve.

Rosenbaum argued that Cleveland and Arellano’s “conduct in relation to the applications” toward the residential projects would not allow Wellington Lifestyle Partners a fair hearing from the board when it meets at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15, to determine whether the new horse site is compatible with village code.

The new showgrounds would be on land just south of Wellington International and replace Equestrian Village. It would combine several events into one campus and include ring areas, a derby field, barns and a stadium that could be as tall as 65 feet and seat as many as 10,000 people.

Village attorney Laurie Cohen said in an email last week that Cleveland and Arellano’s past criticisms of The Wellington project during public meetings could trigger a lawsuit by Wellington Lifestyle Partners.

“While the Compatibility Determination (“CD”) is a separate application, it is inextricably intertwined with the comp plan amendments, rezoning and master plan amendments that were adopted,” Cohen wrote. “The CD is a quasi-judicial item and if Ms. Cleveland and Mr. Arellano participate in that item over the objection of the applicant, it could give rise to a due process challenge.”

Council members John McGovern and Michael Drahos, who respectively appointed Cleveland and Arellano to the equestrian board in 2022, obliged.