Board presses for transparency on Sutton Hall; staff to document building and mayor to continue outreach

Board members expressed frustration at what they described as a lack of transparency about Florida College’s plans for Sutton Hall and discussed whether to seek a presentation from the college president. Members said they want to know design plans "before the bulldozers arrive," but also acknowledged the board lacks jurisdiction over private-property redevelopment and that City Council and the mayor are the appropriate forum for formal review.

A board member proposed inviting the president of Florida College to present the college’s design plans; others cautioned that the proper venue for such a presentation is City Council. One member observed that, "If we ask them to come here, that we are really overstepping our bounds in a big way." The board agreed that outreach should go through the mayor and council rather than the board acting alone.

Community Development staff said the city will document Sutton Hall. "I can say that, we myself with the marketing department already have some dates that we are going to go through Sutton Hall, and we're gonna be doing, video recordings. So that is set in place for the end of this month, just so we can document the building. I'll at that time, I can ask I'll also ask them about the lidar, if they've gotten any further with doing lidar surveying," the staff member said.

Board members noted the college reportedly agreed not to demolish the building before the city's centennial events; staff said the college indicated it will delay demolition until after the centennial but provided no firm long-term plan. The board also said the mayor toured the building and has communicated with the college on the board’s behalf.

The board discussed possible steps if a demolition or site-plan application appears. Community Development staff said site-plan and building-plan applications would come through their department, giving staff an opportunity to review plans, but stressed staff cannot unilaterally dictate design choices on private property.

Outcome: the board did not issue a formal motion. Members agreed the mayor and City Council are the appropriate channels for requests to the college; the board asked staff to document Sutton Hall with video and to inquire about any lidar survey results and to report back.