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Everyone agrees that the city of St. Petersburg and Florida International Museum are ready to end their often contentious relationship. The only question that remains is how best to handle the breakup.
Mayor Rick Baker and St. Petersburg College president Carl Kuttler have come up with a resolution that would be beneficial to all parties. Both the city and the struggling museum would have a way out of their predicament, and the college would gain enough space to open a downtown campus. Also, a prime block of downtown real estate would be put to better use.
Some City Council members have objected to the financial details. Their displeasure with the museum for failing to live up to its promise is understandable. The glow from 1995's hit exhibition "Treasures of the Czars" has long since faded. But the council's final decision should be based on a careful weighing of the real options available, not on emotion.
The three-way agreement would work this way: The city would sell or lease the northern half of the museum property to SPC for $1-million, with the requirement that the museum forgo its lease with the city and sign a new one with the college. The museum would move into a smaller, more appropriate space provided by SPC. The city would forgive the museum's $1.3-million debt in exchange for ownership of the southern half of the property, which it could sell for an anticipated $1.9-million.
The numbers boil down to a gain for the city of $1.6-million. There are other benefits. The city ends up with a desirable block of land, ready to be developed and returned to the tax rolls. The museum would have a better chance of surviving by reducing its expenses and gaining from the college's experience with its successful Leepa Rattner Museum in Tarpon Springs. The college would have the room to serve the 1,500 students it expects to ultimately attract to its downtown campus.
No one has presented a better way to reach those goals. Some have suggested that the city should wait for the museum to go broke and then reclaim the property. But that is shortsighted. The city would still be on the hook for the $1.3-million debt and possibly for another $500,000 in state grants. Under that scenario, the city would have saved nothing but lost a museum, which still has a chance to enrich the city's cultural offerings.
As to the concern of at least one council member that SPC isn't paying enough, the $1-million price is an average of two appraisals. That appears to be a fair price, especially considering that in the past, the city has given away valuable land to the University of South Florida St. Petersburg. College campuses serve the community with a range of services and economic spinoffs.
There is nothing wrong with seeking more compensation from the museum, as a few council members have insisted. If the museum is able to increase its revenues in the future, it should be willing to share a portion with the city.
But none of these objections should be a deal breaker. The council has a rare opportunity to bring this broken relationship to an amicable end.