Pinellas County leaders approve purchase for new government complex

PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. - Pinellas County leaders have plans for a new home. The Board of Commissioners approved the purchase of 21 acres for a new government complex Tuesday.

It’s a move that Commission Chair Janet Long said is overdue.

"If you spent any time in this building, you would know that it is past its prime," she said about the building her office is in in downtown Clearwater. "There are a lot of leaks. All the windows leak, for example, and it's very difficult to air condition and to heat it because the building is so old. 

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"You really can't update it would be prohibitive in terms of the cost and the amount of work that it would take to go up into the ceilings, not to mention all of the mold and other things that are growing around up there."

Most of the buildings in the county’s government complex, which includes more than 12 total, were built in the 1960s and 1970s. Officials said repairs and upkeep would be more costly in the long run compared to moving to a new building.

"I think it should've been done a long time ago," Commissioner Kathleen Peters said during Tuesday’s meeting. "We've had several administrators that haven't moved this forward, and I think it's time it moves forward. I think our employees deserve it. I think our citizens deserve the convenience of it."

The land is located at 13600 Icot Boulevard in the Icot Center Business Park off Ulmerton Road in Clearwater. The price tag is about $33 million for purchasing the property. The county’s real estate consultant, CBRE, said the new site is convenient and will house everything under one roof.

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"Coming into downtown Clearwater for building permits and other various needs that you have here in this building, particularly or across the street, is not easy for most people because once you get downtown, guess what? There's no place to park your car," Long said. "So, being out in an area that is very central, people can just drive to, it has got easy parking, [is] a lot more convenient."

CBRE representatives said the current county complex could sell for about $60 to $80 million. That would open up space for redevelopment in downtown Clearwater, commissioners noted at the meeting.

County officials said they plan to use bonds to help pay for the construction of the new site. CBRE estimates construction could cost between about $263 million and $333 million.

Commissioners like Long said it’s an opportunity that they can’t pass up.

"Where do you know in Pinellas County, as overbuilt and as crowded and developed as it is, where you can free up 22 acres that you can do with like a blank sheet of paper and build out exactly what you need," Long said.

Commissioner Brian Scott was the only vote against purchasing the property. He said he wanted more time to look at all the details of the Icot site and the other site that was a contender in the Bardmoor neighborhood.

Long said the cost and convenience of the Icot site made it more favorable. The deal to purchase the land should be finalized by the start of the new year, she said.

CBRE estimated construction will start in 2025 and move-in is planned for 2027.