Item O2
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
Meeting Date: December 15. 2004
Division: County Administrator
Bulk Item: Yes
No X
Department: County Administrator
AGENDA ITEM WORDING: Direction to staff regarding the proposed sale of the Stock
Island Public Service Building property.
ITEM BACKGROUND: The City of Key West proposes to purchase the Public Service
Building property on Stock Island in order to expand the adjoining botanical garden. Staff
has received a purchase offer from the City. The property consists of 5.5 acres and is the
only vacant buildable property owned by the BOCC in the Key West area. The County
originally planned to develop the site with a fire station, record storage facility, and public
works facilities. To date the County has not acquired an alternative vacant site.
PREVIOUS RELEVANT BOCC ACTION: On April 17, 2002 the Board directed staff to
obtain appraisals of the property and pursue the acquisition of alternative sites in the event
the City made a purchase offer. On March 19, 2003 the Board authorized staff to submit the
"willing seller letter" required by the City's grant application.
CONTRACT I AGREEMENT CHANGES: N/ A
STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS: Direction to staff as to whether to retain the property for
future County use or to negotiate a contract to sell the property to the City.
TOTAL COST:
BUDGETED: Yes
No
COST TO COUNTY:
REVENUE PRODUCING: Yes _ No _ AMOUNT PER MONTH YR
APPROVED BY: County Atty _
OMB/Purchasing _ Risk Management
~;;Z ~
Thomas J. wiuf,'County Administrator
DIVISION DIRECTOR APPROVAL:
DOCUMENTATION:
Included
To Follow
Not Required ~
AGENDA ITEM # O~
DISPOSITION:
MEMORANDUM
TO:
Thomas J. Willi
County Administrator
FROM:
Dent Pierce, Director
Public Works Division
DATE:
December 3, 2004
RE:
Public Service Building Property
Below is a list of various reasons why staff strongly believes Monroe County should retain title to
the :tS acres of vacant land on Stock Island that formerly housed the Public Service Building:
. The property is already owned by the County;
. There is no other buildable space of this size on Stock Island;
. Monroe County desperately needs an adequate, up to date Fire Department on Stock Island;
. Staff researched other sites on Stock Island for the Fire Department but found them to be
inadequate, not for sale, or cost prohibitive due to current market conditions;
. Public Works Garage, Facilities Maintenance and Road Department, which share very crowded
unsafe conditions at the Key West Airport (KWIA), could be relocated to the Public Service
Building property, as originally planned;
. Rental payments of $66,006.97 per year (FYOS) could be saved by relocating Public Works off
of KWIA;
. KWIA has an offer of $1 Million for the property currently occupied by Public Works at the
airport;
. KWIA could then rent the vacated airport property to providers of airport-related business at
higher rental rates;
· The property on Stock Island could be used to expand Bay Shore Manor;
. The area could also be used for storage, which is always hard to find; and
· Efficiency savings could be realized by also relocating Public Works Management and
Engineering to Stock Island, which would also free-up space at the Gato Building for other
users.
Staff strongly recommends that due to many possible uses of this property that the B.O.c.c.,
should not sell this property.
Should you have any questions or wish to discuss this matter further, please contact me.
CDP /bpl
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COMMITTEES:
PLEASE RESPOND TO!
21 SO AA'I13u!\1\I Hous[ OFFI(;! BUI1.OING
o WASHINGTON, DC 20!l15-0918
(202) ZZGo-3B31
FAX; [202l 226-6620
INTERNA TleNAl RELATIONS
GOVERNMENT F\EFORM
CHAIR;
SUBCOMMITTEE ON
MIDDLE EAST
AND CE:NTRAl. ASIA
(:ongrcs,U of the Oniteb ~tat~
J)OUSt of lttprtsentatibes
ILEANA ROS-LEHTlNEN
, ITrt OI5ll'lICT. I'LOlllOA
CJ
DISTRICT OFFICE:
!l~ 10 SUNsc;T" ORlvi
Sum; 100
MIAMI, FL 33173
(301'H 2'1!5-1 eoo
I'M; ~30lll 215-18Q1
VICE CHJ>J II:
SUBCOMMmEE ON
WESTERN HEMISPHEFlE
SU8COMMITTEE ON
WELLNESS AND
HUMAN RIGHTS
December 14, 2004
The Honorable Dixie Spehi\f
Monroe County Commission
500 Whitehead Street, Ste l02
Key West, FL 33040
Dear Mayor Spehar:
Carolann Sharkey, Pr~ident of the Key West Botanical Garden Society, recently informed my
office that on Wednesday, Dece.mber ISth, there wjIJ be a vote to accept the State's bid on the land adjacent
to the Garden's property. According to Ms. Sharkey, this enhancement will double the size afthe garden
and give them essential acc\.~s to 2 acres ofVl'awrfront property.
Ms. Sharkey shares that the Key West Tropical Porest and Botll.nica.l GMdcn (Porest) is the last
frost-free, tropical forest In the continental Uniu;d States with over 50 threatened or endangered $pecies of
flora and 1auna. Whit WilS once a 55-acre site de....eloped under II WPA project OfPlcsident Fr&nklin
Roosevelt in ]936 has shrunk to a mere 7.S acres. However, within these 7.S acres lies a wealth of
biodiversity to enjoy and rcsea.reh.
Ms. Sho.rkey explains that a group of courageous volu.nteers hZ13 overcome many obstacles in re-
t:stablishing the Forest, resculn8, the remaining acreage from what could be best described as benign
neglect, They are now on the vergc of doubling the sb;e of the rorest by regaining several acres that once
belonced to it. Only through the combined efforts of the State o(Florida, Monroe County and the City of
Key West will this happen.
I thank you for your consideration and urge you to join in the efforts to promote the wonderful
opportunities facilitated by this environmental treasure, both fer the educational value of future generations
and the aesthetic beauty to be enjoyed and studied by all of us today.
IRL:rw
cc: Ms. Calolann Sharkey
Key West Botilnical Garden Society
S210 College Road
P,O. Box 2436
Key West, FL 33045
PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER
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