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ST. PETERSBURG - Already spurned once by the city of St. Petersburg, Pinellas County again wants to secure 122 acres of vacant property in the city for a landfill.
The city has received four proposals for the land known as the "sod farm." The bids ranged from $3.2 million to $5 million.
But none of them meet all of the city's strict guidelines for the property's use, including having at least 600,000 square feet of manufacturing space and generating at least 1,800 jobs.
This time the county is proposing a unique public-private partnership that could wind up using elements from competing proposals for the tract.
The county proposes paying $4.6 million for the land and allowing the city to lease it to a developer who could buil an industrial complex. The catch: The lease would last 50 years, at which time it would free up the site for the county to use it as a landfill - the time when the county projects it will need the space.
The county would collect lease payments, but the city would collect tax revenue and enjoy other, trickle-down benefits of an industrial park, said Warren Smith, director of Pinellas...