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Airport paint-center operator asks to buy building; county says staff will appraise and report back
Summary
The county received a request from the paint-center tenant at the county airport to purchase a 19,500-square-foot building. Commissioners asked staff to obtain an appraisal and ensure any sale would not delay the tenant’s planned new construction on adjacent leased land.
County staff told the board that the long-term lessee operating the paint center at the Okeechobee County Airport has asked to purchase the 19,500-square-foot building it occupies. The request came up during the Sept. 11 meeting; staff said the building needs significant maintenance — including a roof replacement estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars — and the tenant believes it could make the needed investments if it owned the structure.
Staff requested direction to obtain an appraisal and report back. Commissioners said they were open to considering an offer but stressed they did not want any sale to jeopardize the tenant’s already-planned new construction on adjacent leased land. The tenant also has a 1.4-acre parcel under lease for a planned new building; staff said the lessee is engaged in design and permitting and has a financing effort underway.
Commissioners asked staff and the county attorney to ensure the timing of any sale would not interfere with the tenant’s financing or the county’s lease obligations. Staff said the county attorney and airport staff would meet with the tenant’s representatives, check the lease terms and return to the board with an appraisal and analysis of options.
Ending: The board authorized staff to proceed with an appraisal and directed staff and the county attorney to work with the tenant to align timing of any sale with the tenant’s construction schedule; no sale was approved at the meeting.
