Northpinellas: State Attorney looks at Jim Smith land deal

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State Attorney looks at Jim Smith land deal

By Will Van Sant, Times Staff Writer
Published July 24, 2007

McCabe said today that his inquiry will focus on both Smith and the actions of Pinellas government officials. The inquiry has no single direction, he said.

"I don't think I know enough right now to isolate," McCabe said. "So I think it's safe to say a broad examination of every aspect" of the deal is underway.

The St. Petersburg Times today revealed that County Attorney Susan Churuti represented both Pinellas and Smith, as a private land owner, in negotiations that led the county to buy a 1.5 acre parcel from Smith for $225,000.

The county's offer came after Smith, 67, directly appealed to several county officials about flood control work county crews did on his land, which straddles Brooker Creek. He said the work destroyed the land, and in March his attorney threatened to sue the county.

The county contends it last worked on Smith's property in early 2005, when crews operated throughout the Tarpon Woods area doing flood repairs after the 2004 hurricanes.

Smith, the elected appraiser for 19 years, knew of the activity then but took no action.

Smith complained to the county about his "devastated" land, once pitched as a "Beautiful Custom Home Site," only after it sat on the market for nine months without an offer. Experts hired by the county recommended obtaining a civil survey and water study of the property to best determine its value, but the county did neither before agreeing to a price with Smith.

After today's revelation in the Times, County Administrator Steve Spratt said Churuti was wrong to have represented Smith as an individual. He said he did not know of her work on Smith's behalf until last week. Spratt said he welcomes McCabe's inquiry.

"I think it's important that that be done," he said. "And they will have my full cooperation."

[Last modified July 24, 2007, 14:59:01]

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Comments on this article

by Deborah	08/07/07 08:34 AM
Check out reporter Levesque's article Aug.30,2000 Peter A. Christopoulos. Bernie McCabe's refusal to expose corruption, clearly defines his position.

by Andie	07/27/07 10:14 AM
Gee, I wonder how long it will take for this to be swept under the carpet? Keep digging SPT - we need this little incident checked out further.

by Maria	07/25/07 02:04 AM
Ten to one nothing comes of this.

by Steve	07/25/07 01:34 AM
Are we supposed to believe that Bernie McCabe doesn't have a conflict here? Can't Charlie appoint the State Atty. from another county to look into this deal rather than a fellow long-term Pinellas County elected official.

by Tom	07/24/07 09:52 PM
Thank you, Will, for having the personal courage to pursue this important matter of favoritism and cronyism and misdeeds in our county government and for working diligently to bring forth the facts.

by Shannon	07/24/07 08:54 PM
Its about time. When are scumbags like Smith going to stop using their political influence to get what they want in Florida? It starts with the state getting back their $225K and giving this jerk his worthless ($15K) plot of land back.

by Kim	07/24/07 08:14 PM
Churuti needs to resign her post. Duncan needs to go with her.

by Kathleen	07/24/07 07:36 PM
Let's watch closely and see what's done. More and more the need for participatory government becomes evident.

by Weezy	07/24/07 05:36 PM
great! i think he should resign - this all STINKS. thank goodness

by Pinellas Overtaxed Payer	07/24/07 05:16 PM
Keep Digging SPTimes, it keeps getting better by the minute. This is better than the Henry Lyons saga which started in the SPTimes.

by Bennett	07/24/07 04:40 PM
Let the inquiry continue. This has become a very interesting story of "he said, she said" and of public officials who profit from their positions and the pressure they often place on other public employees. And it's public money we're hearing about.

by Linda	07/24/07 04:16 PM
The county is threatened in March and buys the property in June. It would have taken the normal citizen months and thousands of dollars to resolve the same issue and no way would it have been resolved without a lot of surveys and/or studies.

by Bland	07/24/07 04:15 PM
This story just gets better and better. How many assessments will be challenged this year with property owners requesting the same consideration and treatment that Mr. Smith has received on his property value? Only this piece of property, I wonder?

by Truth	07/24/07 03:27 PM
And after they look at that deal they need to send state and federal investigators to look at the St. Pete Police Dept. administration and the top echelon of city hall.