Board accepts Medalist Group offer for Palm City surplus property; sale includes conveyance of creek parcel to county

The Martin County Board on Tuesday accepted a proposal from Medalist Group LLC to purchase a county‑owned surplus parcel in Palm City for $3,200,000, contingent on the statutory 30‑day notice period for disposition of surplus public property. The vote was 3–1, with Commissioner Hetherington dissenting.

The parcel — a roughly six‑acre property on Martin Highway across from the Danforth area and adjacent to Palm City School Avenue — was purchased by the county in 2023 after an earlier private project plan for 90 apartments prompted strong neighborhood opposition and concern about sidewalk‑fronting, three‑story buildings on a busy corridor. County staff described a multi‑department review and an RFP process intended to recover the county’s outlay while ensuring development would meet conditions intended to limit visual impact and preserve access to Danforth Creek.

Real property manager Carlos Segura told the board the solicitation was advertised twice; the rebid produced one responsive proposal from Medalist Group that met the RFP’s requirements and included a conceptual development plan. Medalist’s proposal offered $3.2 million and accepted the RFP’s development parameters; staff recommended accepting the proposal as being in the public interest.

Commissioner Campey traced the history: an earlier development backer withdrew funding for a lower‑density cottage plan and a later by‑right 90‑unit apartment proposal raised broad local opposition. Campey and staff described county purchases and financing that used CRA funds and internal borrowing to prevent the high‑density project; as part of the current acceptance, the purchaser has agreed to deed a portion west of Newberry Court to the county for a future county CIP project to stabilize and maintain Danforth Creek.

Medalist principal Jeremy Lemaster, who described himself as a Palm City resident and local builder, told the board he plans a mixed‑use project consistent with the RFP limitations, emphasized neighborhood safety improvements (including a new sidewalk and buffered pedestrian route along Palm City School Avenue), and said he would invest in landscaping and streetscape to improve the school entrance and corridor. Staff stressed conceptual plans in the RFP do not constitute development approval; any final project will require the county’s normal development‑review and permitting process.

Public comment included criticism that the process favored local bidders and that notice reached a limited audience; the county’s procurement officer described outreach steps including DemandStar, newspaper ads and targeted mailings. The board accepted the proposal and will publish the required 30‑day notice on the county agenda file; after the notice period closes the county and Medalist are expected to enter a purchase‑and‑sale agreement with closing and deed conveyance conditions that include transferring the creek‑adjacent parcel to the county and applying sale proceeds to retire an internal interfund loan. The acceptance does not represent final development approval.