Escambia County commissioners continue Beulah Town Center talks as developers offer single-close $45M option

Escambia County commissioners on Feb. 6 continued negotiations over the county’s proposed sale of the Beulah Town Center site, pressing county staff and the developer for clearer contract terms and a timeline before approving any deal. Commissioners discussed two principal offers from Beulah Town Center — a multi‑phase $50,000,000 approach described in the DPZ regulating plan, and a later single‑closing proposal the developer presented at $43,500,000 that county officials said the developer indicated could be increased to $45,000,000 — and directed staff to prepare redlines to the single‑closing proposal and report back at a March board meeting.

The discussion matters because the parcel is governed by a DPZ regulating plan that commissioners repeatedly described in the meeting as an ordinance, and because commissioners said the county wants both jobs and a strong return for taxpayers. Those priorities, several commissioners said, can be in tension: phased closings and broad contingencies could delay or reduce proceeds and make it harder for the county to use sale proceeds for immediate needs, while strict contract protections can affect developer appetite and project timing.

Commissioner Strohberger, who led much of the discussion, said negotiators must find a deal in which “everyone in the negotiation has to walk away with a benefit that’s acceptable in that deal.” He told the board Beulah Town Center had provided “2 proposal contracts” and said he recommended selecting the single‑closing contract around $45,000,000. Staff earlier characterized the $50,000,000 submission as a phased, five‑closing approach tied to the DPZ plan and said that structure left open the risk the developer could decline later closings.

County staff and counsel told commissioners they need clearer direction about which contract form the board prefers and what contract terms are non‑negotiable. The county attorney outlined three possible routes: (a) redline the $45,000,000 proposal and return progress at a March meeting; (b) retain an outside negotiator or advisor for the county; or (c) pause to reconsider the DPZ master plan and other planning controls before proceeding. The attorney also estimated that drafting an initial redline could be completed in a few business days if the parties sat together on focused “redline” sessions.

Commissioner Barry and others said they oppose a multi‑phase closing, arguing it could leave the county with later, less valuable parcels and stretch proceeds over years rather than providing a lump sum usable for immediate priorities. “The multi phase closing, I’m not supporting that at all,” Barry said, noting concerns that contingencies in a phased agreement could prevent the county from seeing the full proceeds.

Beulah Town Center representatives, including Brian Spencer and Will Dunaway, urged the board to keep negotiating and said the developer has been working with county staff, Florida West and economic development partners on job prospects and deliverables. Spencer said the developer had followed up quickly after the January approval and that the team has been spending time and attorney resources to resolve complicated issues tied to the DPZ plan and site constraints. “We are here. We are trying to be very, very responsive,” Spencer said.

County staff and outside economic development representatives told commissioners that exact job counts cannot be guaranteed in a land sale and that job outcomes are market‑driven; staff noted that grant programs can attach clawbacks and measurable job commitments, but those tools work differently than a fee‑simple land sale. The county attorney warned commissioners that once land is sold in fee simple and taxed off the county rolls, there are limited tools to compel specific job creation many years later.

Commissioners also debated who should be at negotiation sessions. Some asked for one or two commissioners to sit in “page‑turner” redline meetings with counsel and staff to speed resolution; others cautioned public negotiating sessions could harm bargaining positions and said the county attorney and administrator should lead redline work.

At the end of the session commissioners agreed to continue negotiations, instructed county counsel and staff to prepare a redline of the $45,000,000 single‑close proposal, and to report progress to the board at a March meeting (board members referenced March 6 and March 25 as possible update dates during the discussion). No formal approval or final vote occurred at the Feb. 6 meeting.

What is next: staff will prepare redlines of the single‑closing proposal and meet with Beulah Town Center and any commissioners the board designates. Commissioners said they expect a progress update at a March board meeting and reserved the option to retain outside negotiators or to revisit the DPZ plan if needed.

Votes at a glance: No formal motions or votes were taken on a purchase and sale agreement during the Feb. 6 committee‑of‑the‑whole workshop; the board’s action was to continue negotiations and ask staff to redline the single‑close proposal and return with an update at a March meeting.