Pasco school board approves sale of former Gulf High property to New Port Richey, 4-1

The Pasco County School Board approved a purchase-and-sale agreement for the former Gulf High School property in New Port Richey on a 4-1 vote. School Board Member Wright moved to approve the agreement; School Board Member Hernandez seconded the motion, and the motion carried 4 to 1.

The agreement includes a restrictive covenant that limits future uses of the property for a 25-year period, a profit‑sharing provision that obligates the purchaser to share net proceeds with the district if the property is resold within a set period, and explicit language intended to prevent multifamily housing as a permitted use. City Manager Debbie Manns told the board the New Port Richey Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) will lead a community visioning process and plans to rely on CRA funds to finance preservation work. "We will hold a visioning session with the SOS group in the lead," Manns said, and added the CRA will plan for the ultimate use of the property and use redevelopment funds to preserve the building and grounds.

Supporters who addressed the board said they want the property preserved as a community and educational resource. Bevah Stevenson Carey, representing the SOS 1922 GHS alumni group, urged the board to protect the site and called it a local "jewel" that could "promote a sense of belonging" and serve countywide educational, recreational and cultural needs.

Board members described lengthy negotiations with the city and said the agreement reflects efforts to protect the district's interest while enabling a local preservation plan. School Board Member Beaudoin said the sale would remove a costly maintenance burden from district books while creating an opportunity for the city to develop the site for public use; Beaudoin noted the covenant and profit‑sharing language as protections negotiated into the deal. One board member expressed reservations about the city’s commitments and media reports, saying they were not fully confident the protections would be honored absent continued oversight.

Discussion and direction: board members and city staff discussed that the CRA would facilitate community engagement and that the purchaser must take "reasonable steps" to preserve the building. Legal protections spelled out in the agreement include a covenant running with the property and staged profit‑sharing amounts that decrease over time if the purchaser resells the property within successive years; the district attorney referenced an addendum (Exhibit C) containing those restrictions.

Formal action: the board approved the purchase-and-sale agreement (motion by School Board Member Wright; second by School Board Member Hernandez). The record shows the vote tally as yes 4, no 1; the transcript does not record the individual names tied to each yes/no vote. The item passed and will proceed under the terms of the executed agreement.

The board chair and staff said they appreciated the time taken to craft the agreement and thanked community members and city negotiators for extended negotiations. The CRA’s planned visioning session and the agreement’s preservation provisions are the next steps noted by city staff and community representatives.