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Razor wire may cut larger deals

The mayor's request to clean up a jail may result in the transfer of two different properties.

By JANET ZINK
Published March 11, 2005

TAMPA - It started as a simple request to the county from Mayor Pam Iorio.

Now that you're not housing inmates at downtown's Morgan Street Jail, could you please remove the razor wire around the building?

It's ugly and looks bad to people entering the city.

That inquiry launched a series of conversations that may push the Florida Department of Transportation to make good on its proposal to buy the site. The county also may use the property as a bargaining chip to acquire state land near the Salty Sol Fleischman Boat Ramp on Gandy Boulevard.

In the meantime, county officials are exploring another possibility: leasing the 500-bed jail between downtown and Interstate 275 to a private correctional firm in Sarasota to house prisoners.

Hillsborough County stopped keeping prisoners at Morgan Street Jail in January 2004 because old plumbing, crumbling walls, a bad roof and an ailing air-conditioning system made it expensive to run. The Sheriff's Office plans to keep administrative offices there until 2008, said Mike Kelly, the county's real estate manager.

Removing the razor wire would cost $13,000, said sheriff's Col. David Parrish of the county's department of detention services. When the jail closed, the Transportation Department said it wanted the property to turn into a hub for different modes of transportation or a parking garage, said Kris Carson, a department spokeswoman. But the department made no definitive offer. The building is appraised at about $8-million, according to county records.

Then in January, Correctional Services Corp. of Sarasota sent a letter to the county expressing its interest in leasing the jail. After touring the facility, company representatives met with officials from the county's real estate department and Sheriff's Office on Feb. 25 to explore the idea.

Correctional Services officials could not be reached for comment.

Kelly asked the private prison company for more details about its proposal but postponed further talks until he could consult with the Transportation Department.

On Tuesday, Kelly received an e-mail from the state saying it planned to make an offer on the jail by the end of the month and close the deal this fall.

That same day, some residents who live near Gandy Boulevard attended a Hillsborough County Commission meeting to object to the state's plans to sell land used for parking around the Gandy boat ramp to St. Petersburg developer Grady Pridgen, who is building condos in the area.

As a result, the commission voted to send a letter to the Transportation Department asking that the county get a chance to buy the property for public parking.

After the meeting, Kelly said the Morgan Street Jail could emerge in talks about the boat ramp property.

"We deal with the FDOT on a regular basis as far as real estate transactions go. We convey property to them, they convey property to us," Kelly said. "There may be an opportunity for us to engage in some type of trade for the Gandy boat ramp property."

Carson said the department had no comment.

[Last modified March 11, 2005, 01:22:10]