Ranch DEAL stalls

LAKEWOOD RANCH — Less than nine months after officials from State College of Florida, Schroeder-Manatee Ranch and the Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice announced plans to build a 72,000-square-foot economic development hub in Lakewood Ranch, all movement on the project has stalled.

“There is no activity on this project,” said Kathy Walker, SCF director of public affairs and marketing for State College of Florida.

Officials announced the project, which featured a Design & Economic Acceleration Lab, or DEAL, in January. DEAL was planned for a 150-acre site, originally slated as the home for Springbok Sports Club and Academy near The Lake Club.

Construction costs for the building, which would be part of SCF, were estimated at $14.4 million. Funding already was in place and officials expected to complete the project within 18 months.

However, Walker said in the months following the announcement, organizations key to the project’s success saw significant changes in leadership. Both the Manatee and Sarasota county economic development groups experienced changes between May and August, and Sarasota County’s administrator, Jim Ley, also resigned in late May. SCF has had six of nine board members replaced by Gov. Rick Scott as of the end of August.

“With all these changes that have taken place, the new people in (leadership) will be required to make it move forward,” Walker said, noting board members still are working under a “learning curve” and must decide how to proceed with the project. “We were hoping that all the pieces would fall into place. Almost right after that (announcement), there were some pretty significant changes in leadership.”

Although DEAL has stalled, Walker said an initiative still is in SCF’s plans. However, it may not materialize in the same way leaders envisioned in January.

“I do know the college will continue working on regional collaboration,” Walker said. “While the concept, as it was announced in January, may not play out that way, the vision and the cooperative attitude behind it will continue.”

Walker said SCF is continuing to work with its partner agencies and the local economic development and commerce groups to provide needed training for employees.

SMR Director of Marketing and Public Relations Candice McElyea said SMR is holding the 150-acre site open for DEAL.

“We’re completely on board with it, and the land is still there for its use,” McElyea said. “We’re hoping it still moves forward. We still think it would be great for the area.

“(CEO) Rex (Jensen) and the whole SMR philosophy is to be visionary and to do things with this land that are going to bring life and light to the area,” she said. “We are always open to ideas that are going to move the region forward.”

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].

THE DEAL ON DEAL
As originally envisioned, DEAL would have offered a variety of resources to the business community, including meeting space and guidance to conduct strategic planning sessions, as well as a GIS database of all land for rent or lease in the area.

Plans also included a University Partnership Center modeled after the center at St. Petersburg College, which provides partnerships with colleges and universities through educational programs and an interactive “hub” for delivering instruction, among other tools.

Building features included space for economic development offices for the two-county area, CareerEdge, the Lakewood Ranch Business Alliance, University Partnership Center and SCF administrative staff, including DEAL facilitators.