TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

County to consider sale of undeveloped land to private investors

Tribune photo by JIM REED

A wild turkey crosses a road on Cone Ranch Property.

ADVERTISEMENT

By MIKE SALINERO | The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 5, 2009

Related Links

• Photos of Cone Ranch

PLANT CITY - Can 12,000 acres of public land be sold to private investors and remain unspoiled by development?

Hillsborough County commissioners will consider that question Wednesday when they hear about a plan to sell most of the county-owned Cone Ranch, north of Plant City.

A group of investors calling itself the Florida Conservation and Environmental Group wants to sell the land on behalf of the county in order to preserve it.

The group – made up of activists and fund-raisers for the Republican Party - claims it can make money for the county and protect Cone Ranch from further development at the same time.

Potential buyers would have to agree to build just one house and a barn or shed on each of six, 2,000-acre parcels the group proposes to sell. Another 800 acres of ranch property would stay in county ownership for use as a public park.

"The idea is that there would be absolutely no commercial development and no further subdivisions," said Ken Jones, a partner in the group.

The proposal has split local environmentalists, some of whom see the deal as a way to protect the land.

But others question the rationale of selling property the county already owns to ensure its preservation. And the investment group's partisan flavor has raised suspicions that the commission's Republican majority will rush to approve the deal.

Far from a pristine wilderness, Cone Ranch has been cleared, drained and fenced since the early 20th century.

But the wide-open pastures are dotted with clumps of cypress trees and fern marshes. Wild turkeys, hogs and bobcats flourish in pine forests planted by the Plant City Rotary Club.

The Cones, a family of ranchers and contractors, sold the land to a cattle ranching company in 1972.

In the late 1970s, Saudi Arabian arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi bought the land with plans to develop it. Ten years later Khashoggi's financial empire had collapsed and he sold the ranch to the West Coast Regional Water Supply Authority, a group of local governments that later became Tampa Bay Water.

Hillsborough County bought the ranch for $12 million in 1988 as a future source of groundwater.

More recently, County Commissioner Jim Norman wanted to build a $40 million sports complex on the land, but failed to gain support from a majority of the commission.

Besides Jones, formerly a senior staff member to former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, a Mississippi Republican, the group behind the most recent proposal includes J. Patrick "Rick" Michaels Jr., a national fund-raiser for the Republican Party, and Dick Mandt, a Republican fund-raiser and local publisher.

Michaels is chairman and chief executive officer of Communications Equity Associates, an investment banking firm based in Tampa. Jones is senior vice president and general counsel at the firm.

Michaels and Mandt could not be reached for comment. Jones would not address questions about the group's Republican affiliations. He said they were chiefly interested in preserving Cone Ranch.

Jones said Michaels, who owns land near the ranch in east Pasco County, came up with the idea two years ago.

"Rick had heard about all those proposals (for development) that had been brought to commissioners over the years," Jones said. "He said 'Gee, we ought to figure out a way to make sure this land never develops.'"

But the group also intends to make a profit on the deal. Jones said he and his partners will charge the county a fee for bringing buyers to the table, crafting the long-term conservation protections, and enforcing the agreements after the land is sold. He said the fee would be based on a percentage of the sales price, but that hasn't been determined.

That fee could amount to millions of dollars. The investment group estimates the land is now worth between $32 million and $63 million.

Environmentalists stand united in their belief that the property should stay undeveloped. But some question the investors' motives and wonder whether politics will play a role in the commission's decision.

"If we sell to this private conglomeration of political fundraisers, they're going to carve it up and sell it," said Mariella Smith, a spokeswoman for the local Sierra Club. "Later on, somebody who winds up owning this land may ask to change the zoning. How can we guarantee a future county commission wouldn't agree?"

Jan Platt, a member of the county commission in 1988 when it purchased the land, wonders whether the five Republican commissioners – Hagan, Norman, Mark Sharpe, Al Higginbotham and Rose Ferlita – can put aside their political ambitions when voting on a deal backed by Republican fund-raisers.

"These are very powerful, influential people and they have key Republican roles nationally," Platt said, "so unfortunately our locals are going to bend and scrape."

Scott Emery, an environmental consultant who is neutral on the sales proposal, said the ranch is an important wildlife corridor connecting the Green Swamp to the north with the Black Water Creek preserve to the west.

About 600 wetlands could be rejuvenated by filling the drainage ditches that crisscross the ranch, Emery said.

As far as the deal is concerned, "I don't care as long as the land is preserved and stays natural," he said.

Hagan supports the deal and said the group's political affiliation was not a factor.

"I had never heard of any of these people with the exception of Dick Mandt until a couple of months ago," Hagan said. "That's a ridiculous thing to even suggest."

Hagan said he has been assured that the land can be protected from development by placing restrictions on the buyers.

"Clearly the county would receive revenue, but that's of secondary importance," Hagan said. "The primary reason I've been so intrigued by this proposal is the opportunity to restore and preserve Cone Ranch."

As governments at all levels cope with declining revenues, some environmentalists say creative public-private partnerships are needed to conserve land.

"At a time of tough budget issues, it might be appropriate to consider these kinds of conservation options, particularly those which have been successful in other regions of the United States," said Ann Paul, regional coordinator for Audubon's Florida Coastal Islands Sanctuaries in the Tampa Bay area.

Though Jones has been talking to commissioners about his proposal since last fall, Hagan said it's not a done deal. He promised county officials and an independent environmental advisory panel will review the offer.

"I'm not saying this is necessarily the best avenue to do it," Hagan said. "All I'm saying is let's look at it and have a very transparent and lengthy review."

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT