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City has secret: Project09-066

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By RICHARD MULLINS

rmullins@tampatrib.com

Published: October 22, 2009

The project is code named "09-066."

Tampa officials are negotiating with a commercial real estate company over Project 09-066 and how it could bring jobs and development to the area.

Almost everything else about the project is secret.

This much is public knowledge: The commercial real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle has requested confidentiality from Tampa economic development officials to discuss the project outside public disclosure laws.

Such confidentially arrangements between developers and the government are common in commercial real estate circles and enshrined in Florida law as part of the process communities use to attract companies.

On Oct. 14, Tampa economic and development administrator Mark Huey wrote to Keith Scott, executive vice president of Jones Lang LaSalle, to describe local confidentiality laws, and that correspondence included this snippet: "your client's decision on whether to locate certain investments and employment within the County."

Jones Lang LaSalle often represents commercial tenants and developers.

City officials and Jones Lang LaSalle officials didn't return calls seeking comment.

Reporter Richard Mullins can be reached at (813) 259-7919.

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