City Hall developer withdraws from deal

St. Pete Beach officials remain hopeful that they can negotiate with Long Key Properties, which was going to donate land.

By AMY WIMMER

© St. Petersburg Times, published January 7, 2001

ST. PETE BEACH -- The developer of the new City Hall backed out of the deal late Tuesday, saying that if the city wants to continue the project it will have to buy the valuable land he had planned to donate.

But city officials haven't given up hope that Paul Skipper and Joe Klingel, local developers who had arranged to donate the property and build the new City Hall, will see the project through.

"Maybe I'm too much the optimist, but I am hopeful that we can reach an agreement with Long Key Properties," City Manager Carl Schwing said of Klingel and Skipper's company, which owns the site at 75th, Corey and Mangrove avenues.

Skipper's abandonment was the most noteworthy in a series of events last week affecting plans for a new municipal headquarters. Also:

The City Commission authorized Schwing to negotiate with the developers to keep plans moving forward.

A city commissioner criticized a commission-appointed group of citizens who have questioned the project.

The same commissioner moved to disband that committee.

Schwing and Skipper spoke briefly Friday, and Schwing said he was encouraged by the conversation. Whether that means the city has any chance of gaining back the offer of free land remains uncertain.

"It's hard to say right now," Schwing said. "I gleaned that he's willing to listen to a wide variety of possibilities."

Schwing announced at Tuesday night's commission meeting that Skipper had rescinded his offer. A year of negotiating over the particulars of a new City Hall ultimately boiled over into hard feelings between the city, the developer and a committee of residents charged with escorting the new City Hall through the steps that should have led to its groundbreaking last month.

But Skipper's attorney, David Bacon, also made it clear that the door was still open for the city to acquire the property. In a letter to the city last week, Bacon said Skipper and Long Key Properties "have expressed a willingness to make subject property available to the city for construction of a new City Hall."

Skipper explained late last week that the offer to donate the property is off the table, and the city would have to pay close to the $1.2-million appraised value if it wants to continue with the project. Skipper also said several businesses have been interested in the parcel throughout the past year, and the property could become anything from a free-standing drugstore to an office building to a marina.

"I just don't really need to work that hard to donate property to the city," Skipper said. "It's just not worth it."

Skipper blames many of the problems in finalizing the project on the City Hall Advisory Committee, a group of residents who were to review the plans and make recommendations to the City Commission.

"The committee was supposed to be an advisory committee," Skipper said. "And they act like they're running the show."

Some committee members grew concerned about the project and leery when they felt their questions went unanswered, particularly about unexplained rising costs.

Those volunteers received more criticism last week from Commissioner Pete Blank, who said blame for the project's demise rests with city staff, commissioners, the committee and even the developer, but then went on to list a litany of changes and problems caused specifically by the committee.

Blank also suggested that the City Commission disband the committee as soon as possible, but the committee must meet at least once more to approve the minutes of its several meetings held throughout 2000. Some committee members say that their lack of minutes -- a requirement under Florida law -- is representative of the lack of support shown to them by city officials.

Jack Ohlhaber, chairman of the City Hall Advisory Committee, said that Blank was frustrated when he made those remarks and that he refuses to take them personally, even though he believes many of Blank's statements were inaccurate.

"We've had enough venting," Ohlhaber said. "What we need to do is focus on what needs to be done."

Saying everyone involved in the process has been "maligned in one way or another," Ohlhaber contends that the new City Hall deal was so close to being finalized that the step that hasn't happened is getting the city's and the developer's architects to meet to hammer out details.

"I'm disappointed that the project is kind of stymied right now, but I hope this isn't the end of it," Ohlhaber said.

The State Attorney's Office has announced no new information about two investigations it is conducting in St. Pete Beach. One deals with whether the citizens' committee violated the Sunshine Law, and the other, brought to the state attorney's attention by local activist Ralph Lickton and committee member Jim Nelson, deals with whether the city and the developer followed the law in their dealings.

Also Tuesday night, Schwing and City Attorney Jim Devito defended the city's decision to look into a possible Sunshine Law violation by the committee. Schwing first turned the matter over to police Chief Ray Kaminskas, who asked the state attorney's office to look into the matter.

Schwing and Kaminskas have said that they felt the state attorney's investigation was necessary to get the issue out of the realm of city politics, but they have met criticism by some who question why the city turned in its own group of volunteers.

"To suggest I would refer a case to the state attorney's office out of some type of spite or revenge is not something I would do," Schwing said.

Aside from the investigations and questions about the committee's role, commissioners say they are disappointed that the plans for a City Hall on Corey Avenue are jeopardized.

"How we can let this slip through our fingers is just amazing to me," Commissioner Jim Myers said.

Charter-change question may go on city ballot

Former City Commissioner John Bailey said he is working to get a charter-changing question asked of voters on the city election ballot. The charter amendment would require the city to get voter approval for all expenditures more than a certain amount.

The amount has not yet been decided, but Bailey is assembling a committee to work on the specifics, and if the group receives enough petition signatures, the issue could appear on the ballot March 13.

The recent activity on the efforts to find a new home for city employees -- preferably, city officials say, on the Long Key property at the Corey Causeway entrance to the city -- guarantees that City Hall plans will be a big issue in the upcoming elections.

Commissioner Jim Myers will be up for re-election in District 3, and District 4 Commissioner Rachel Crepeau, who represents Pass-a-Grille and Vina Del Mar, is stepping down, leaving that race open to new contenders.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

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