Roma Court offered for sheriff's operations headquarters

Palm Coast Observer
News

Less than a week after officials decided on the old hospital as the location for the new Sheriff’s Office headquarters, a new option has emerged.

The owner of Roma Court, a complex on Palm Coast Parkway, has offered to lease 30,000 square feet of the building to the county at a cost of $5.25 million over 15 years.

At the end of those 15 years, as long as the county meets the terms of its lease, the owners would then donate the space to Flagler County.

The currently accepted plan to purchase and then renovate the 66,000 square foot old Memorial Hospital in Bunnell would cost an estimated $6.075 million. The County Commission approved the plan last week, and is now poised to move forward with the design phase of renovating the old hospital.

John C. Bills Properties LLC recently acquired Roma Court for $1.55 million. In a proposal sent to County Administrator Craig Coffey on Monday, the company offered a lease price of $10 per square foot for the first five years of the lease. Then, the lease price would increase to $11.50 per square foot for the next five years, and then again to $13.50 per square foot for the remaining five years.

During the lease with the county, John C. Bills Properties LLC would reserve the right to sublease the remainder of the space. The company already has some tenants lined up, said Jerry Masiello, of Watson Realty Corp, who brokered the sale of Roma Court to John C. Bills Properties.

Masiello estimated that it would take about six months before the space at Roma Court was ready for the Sheriff to move in.

Part of the appeal of the old hospital is its size and its potential for future expansion. County Commissioners have discussed housing organizations like the Flagler Free Clinic in the old hospital once it is renovated. Masiello said, the county could potentially lease more space at Roma Court if it wished.

Commissioners selected to old hospital from a list of seven options Coffey prepared, all of which are in Bunnell, the county’s seat. The reason for this, commissioners said, is because of Florida Statute 30.10, which mandates that “the place of office of every sheriff shall be at the county seat.”

Masiello said the law requires that the sheriff’s office — not the sheriff’s entire operation center — be in the county seat. If Sheriff Jim Manfre were to keep his office in Bunnell but move his other operations, the cost to the county would be greatly reduced, Masiello argues.

“Looking at the carry cost of the hospital deal — especially because they want to pay it off fast — it’s a huge tax burden for residents,” Masiello said.

Also on Monday, about 20 residents came to the County Commission’s regular meeting to complain about the hospital purchase, saying the price was too high and the deal irresponsible.

The old hospital purchase has faced criticism because it is owned by Bruce Page, CEO of Intracoastal bank; Michael Chiumento, an attorney; and James Neslow, a builder. Some say the deal was made to benefit wealthy county residents.

The original asking price for the building was $1.7 million, Coffey said. The county will pay $1.23 million for the building, which needs extensive repairs. Some residents said the plan is too costly to be practical.

The county is still in its due diligence phase of purchasing the hospital, so while the plan is moving forward, the county still has some room to back out.

Masiello said Roma Court has sufficient facilities and parking to accommodate the Sheriff’s Office operations center. And, he said, much of the county’s crime is concentrated on Palm Coast Parkway, so having law enforcement’s presence there would be beneficial.

Before approving the county purchase, commissioners said the same of locating the sheriff’s operations in Bunnell. A search on crimereports.com shows a greater number of incidents reported in Palm Coast, perhaps due to its higher population, but it also shows a cluster of reports in Bunnell, near the old hospital.

Coffey could not be reached for comment before press time.

Purchase pending for City Marketplace

John C. Bills Properties is also in the process of acquiring City Marketplace, Masiello said. The company has a history of purchasing properties and turning them around.

The company entered the due diligence phase of the purchase on Friday. The 113,000 square foot complex was listed at a price of $5.4 million.

The city of Palm Coast currently houses its city offices in City Marketplace. The city is in the midst of a debate about whether it needs a new city hall, and if so, whether the city should purchase an existing building or construct a new one in Town Center. Purchasing the complex has long been considered a potential option for the new city hall.

When asked whether John C. Bills might consider entering an agreement with Palm Coast, Masiello said the option had not yet been discussed, since the acquisition of both properties are recent developments.