Sebring council orders RFP after heated debate over Harder Hall lease

Sebring — The City Council voted to direct staff to prepare a public request for proposals (RFP) for the municipal golf course after an extended public hearing and lengthy presentations from the Harder Hall ownership group on Tuesday.

The Blackman family representative, who said his group has spent “millions” restoring the century-old Harder Hall hotel and argued the city should accept their lease proposal, told the council it has made multiple concessions and pushed the lease commencement back to 2027. “We felt we were hung out to dry,” he said, describing months of negotiations and urging the council to approve the contract rather than reopen the process to other bidders.

Council members said they appreciated the private investment and Harder Hall’s work to date but raised legal and procedural concerns — including deed reverter language that could limit the city’s long-term control, ambiguity about permissible uses after a sale, and which party would be responsible for chronic drainage problems on the course. Several members called an RFP the most transparent way to proceed; one council member said a public RFP would give “everybody a chance for a seat at the table” while still allowing the council to reject unsuitable proposals.

Public comment was strongly in favor of the Blackman proposal. Multiple residents, former council members and local business owners urged the council to approve the lease or continue negotiating directly with the family, saying the project would deliver jobs, tourism and private investment. Supporters urged the council not to “kill this project” after years of work and multimillion‑dollar outlays by the ownership group. Others said they wanted clearer capital-improvement plans and assurances that the course would remain a public recreational amenity.

Council members considered a motion to table the lease until Oct. 21, which received no second and failed. Later the council debated and approved a motion directing staff to prepare an RFP for the golf-course property; the roll-call vote recorded one no vote and a majority in favor. The council did not vote to approve any lease or sale at the meeting.

City staff and the city attorney advised the council about legal limits on reverter provisions and that restrictions attached to public land can be time-limited under state law. Council members said they prefer a long-term lease with firm conditions rather than an outright sale, but they said they needed more clarity on enforceable protections before they could approve a deal.

Next steps: staff will draft an RFP for the golf course as directed and return with the proposed solicitation and timeline. The council emphasized they retain discretion to accept, reject or modify any response to the RFP.

Sources: Council discussion and public testimony at the Sebring City Council meeting, Sept. 16, 2025.