Deadline Hits Today for Bids on 25 Acres of County Land in Downtown Clearwater

Pinellas County's deadline to redevelop nearly 25 acres of its own land in downtown Clearwater arrives at 3 p.m. today, closing a 90-day window during which, as of last week, county leaders said not a single formal proposal had come in.

The land in question isn't a vacant lot on the edge of town. It's 17 county-owned properties spread across 34 parcels, roughly 24.5 to 24.66 acres, right in the heart of downtown. The list includes the main courthouse, the historic courthouse listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and county buildings lining both sides of Court Street. Whoever wins this competition will help decide what downtown Clearwater looks like for the next generation.

During a county budget meeting on September 10, Commissioner Chris Latvala asked County Administrator Barry Burton whether the county was seeing real interest from developers. Burton told him there had been "a lot of downloads" of the solicitation documents, but that hadn't turned into actual proposals yet. Pressed on whether anything had come in, Burton said no, and predicted developers would wait until the literal last minute.

A county spokesperson said officials won't say how many proposals arrive, or who submits them, until after today's cutoff.

Why the county is moving out

The push traces back to Pinellas County's plan to build a new government campus off Ulmerton Road near U.S. 19. Once that's built, county operations will move out of downtown Clearwater entirely, emptying the courthouse and government buildings that have anchored that stretch of the city for decades.

That leaves the county with a decision: what to do with the land it's leaving behind. County officials have framed the redevelopment as a way to offset the cost of the new campus, both by cutting maintenance costs on aging buildings and by generating revenue, through a sale or a long-term lease, from the downtown parcels. County materials note that turning tax-exempt government land into taxable, higher-value property would also grow the tax base for both the county and the city without raising anyone's tax rate.

How the deal gets structured is still an open question. The county could sell the land outright to a developer, or pursue something like a 99-year lease. Officials have said they want a master developer with a track record on projects of similar size and scope, someone capable, as the county's own materials put it, of "breathing new life into downtown Clearwater."

Residents want a say

Not everyone in Clearwater is eager to hand the keys over quickly. Some residents have urged commissioners to move carefully, worried about who could eventually end up controlling the land given the Church of Scientology's deep footprint in downtown Clearwater and its history of acquiring nearby property, including the Landings Golf Club site.

One resident, Mastruserio, told local media outlets that leasing the land rather than selling it outright would keep more long-term control in public hands, even acknowledging the county's need to raise money for the new campus.

What happens next

County staff expect to begin reviewing whatever proposals arrive starting in October. From there, the county plans to move into term-sheet negotiations with developers who meet its qualifications, a process expected to run through roughly January. Another public town hall is expected next spring, likely around March, giving residents one more chance to weigh in before any final redevelopment agreement is signed.

In the meantime, the county is already setting money aside for the new campus. Burton told commissioners the county is currently budgeting about $4.1 million for a future bond payment tied to construction of the Ulmerton Road facility, a sign of how closely the downtown Clearwater deal and the new government center are financially linked.

For more on the county's plans, residents can visit the Pinellas County government center project page.

Want to follow how this deal unfolds? Visit Pinellas County Community Website, join the discussion in our Community Forum, and follow us on Facebook for updates. For more coverage of local decisions shaping the county, check out our government and politics section.

Header photo: Ebyabe / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.5)