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County advances STAR Center redevelopment planning and employment‑sites program; p3 master developer RFP targeted for later this year
Summary
Pinellas County said it will publish an RFP this year to select a private sector master developer for a public‑private partnership to redevelop the 69‑acre STAR Center site and that the county’s Employment Sites Program has cleared 26 projects totaling about $251 million in investments.
Pinellas County economic development staff and OMB presented progress on the STAR Center property and the county’s Employment Sites Program (ESP), and described next steps to solicit a public‑private partnership (P3) master developer.
STAR Center redevelopment: staff said JLL completed a market and financial analysis earlier in 2025 and that the county is preparing a solicitation (RFP) to select a single master developer to redevelop about 69 county‑owned acres (excluding portions under long‑term leases). The plan is to use a P3 approach that shifts initial capital risk to the private sector while the county retains the ability to direct the types of tenants and jobs to be attracted. County staff said the master plan and solicitation documents were in final preparation with an intent to publish later in 2025.
Employment Sites Program: county staff said the ESP — designed to redevelop and modernize industrial and office space in targeted locations — has 26 approved projects totaling about $251.4 million in project costs, with ESP contributions of roughly $36.9 million and about 1.6 million square feet targeted for redevelopment. Staff said six completed ESP projects produced reassessments totaling about $52.4 million in taxable value increases.
Why it matters: the STAR Center redevelopment and ESP are intended to create higher‑paying local jobs, generate increased tax value and support targeted industry clusters. The P3 approach is intended to accelerate redevelopment without large up‑front county capital, but the county will have to negotiate final terms with a selected developer, including timing for site cleanup/utility upgrades and how to structure public incentives.
Details and next steps: staff said the STAR Center fund will remain balanced through FY29 under current assumptions, but the county will monitor leases (including negotiations with anchor tenants such as Raytheon) and market conditions as the RFP and negotiations proceed. The Employment Sites Program will continue its pipeline work; county staff identified the ESP and the STAR Center as central elements in a strategy to retain and expand companies and to align workforce development programs with employer demand.
Ending: County staff said they will release the STAR Center developer solicitation later this year, continue ESP oversight, and coordinate workforce and education partners to capture the jobs created by new or expanded tenants.
