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School board authorizes purchase of Avon Elementary adjacent property for parking; board asks staff to seek ways to sell house
Summary
The Highlands County School Board approved a resolution authorizing closing on 710 West Winthrop Street in Avon Park to secure two vacant lots used for school parking. Board and community speakers emphasized student safety and parent access; the board asked staff to explore selling the house on the parcel to recoup costs.
The Highlands County School Board voted to authorize closing on the purchase of 710 West Winthrop Street in Avon Park — a parcel that includes a house and two vacant lots that have long been used by Avon Elementary families for parking.
The board’s motion to “approve and authorize the closing to purchase the real property at 710 West Winthrop Street, Avon Park, Highlands County, Florida” was made by Dr. Durrance and seconded by Mr. Whiddon. The purchase price in the current contract is $199,900; board staff reported the independent appraisal that was required by law returned a value of $204,000.
Two public speakers urged the board to buy the property to preserve convenient, on‑campus parking for parents and families. Nikki (Nicki) Cruz, who identified herself as a concerned Avon Park Elementary parent, told the board that making the lot official would improve safety and make parent involvement events more feasible for families.
Ashley Culverhouse, assistant principal at Avon Elementary, presented school data and usage patterns to justify the purchase. She told the board that the school typically hosts large events with “approximately 200 families attending” and that the campus currently has roughly 18 visitor parking spaces, creating a recurring need for the adjacent lots. Culverhouse said the parcel’s two vacant lots have been used “at a minimum of 18 times” for larger events and that relying on a more distant municipal field would require a half‑mile round trip and could present safety and access concerns for families and students with mobility needs.
Board members discussed the cost and whether the district should retain the house that sits on the parcel. Several board members said they supported the purchase to preserve parent access but urged staff to pursue a plan to ‘‘offload’’ or sell the house portion after closing so the district would be left primarily holding the two vacant lots for parking. Counsel explained that separating the lots from the house would require title work and standard surplus‑property disposal steps if the district chose to sell any portion after purchase; any sale would follow state procedures and DOE notification requirements.
Board materials state the contract includes the house plus two vacant lots totaling nearly an acre; comparable sales cited in the meeting ranged from about $130,000 to $250,000. Staff told the board the purchase would be funded from capital funds already set aside in the district budget for this purpose.
The board authorized the closing; board members directed the superintendent and staff to explore options to separate and sell the house or otherwise recoup a portion of the purchase price while retaining the vacant lots for school use.
