Donald Trump has withdrawn a lawsuit he just filed against city officials in a Miami suburb over noise-ordinance violations against his resort.
Trump spokesman Ed Russo was quoted by the Miami Herald on Thursday as saying that the lawsuit was being dropped in favor of negotiations with the city of Doral.
"In good faith, we have decided to voluntarily withdraw our lawsuit against the city, and we look forward to productive discourse regarding this matter," Russo said.
Records show that since August, the city's code-compliance department has issued more than 100 violations to Trump's resort, Trump National Doral. Most violations are for the resort's lawn maintenance crews making "unreasonably loud noise."
Dora's attorney, Daniel Espino, said the city looks forward to the discussions. He had previously criticized the lawsuit as an unnecessary escalation of the dispute.
In the lawsuit filed Feb. 12, Trump said the ordinance "is vague and ambiguous in its definition of prohibited activity, and provides the city's Code Enforcement Department with unfettered discretion for determining whether a violation exists."
Trump rejects the noise-violation accusations against his resort.
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"This is the finest resort in the world and you have to cut the grass," Trump said. "Why is it that we have brand new equipment and get fined, when the people who had the property before me didn't get any citations?" he said. "Maybe it's because I have money."
Trump's lawyers say each violation carries a $1,500 fine and he's already spent $50,000 in legal fees to fight the citations. They say since buying the property out of bankruptcy in 2012, Trump has pushed the city to amend the noise ordinance.
The resort recently hosted the Miss Universe pageant.
Trump says he's not sure whether the dispute will interfere with the recently announced plan to award him a key to Doral.
"If it does, this is much more important," he said. "They may be giving me the key to the city, but I have not been treated right."
