Legislation pitched by City Council President Bill Gulliford would spend more than $100,000 to revamp two floors of the Florida Theatre to attract tenants, but the idea didn’t exactly receive a standing ovation Tuesday.
Gulliford said his intent is for the floors to be leased by arts and education groups that could end up expanding throughout the building.
But several council members led by Richard Clark wanted to make sure it wasn’t just the arts- and education-focused nonprofits that would have a shot at renting the floors, estimated to rent for $8 per square foot. The rent would be put into a maintenance trust fund for the building.
“I don’t want to tie our hands,” Clark said. “I want the best tenant … I want a quality tenant.”
Gulliford, along with council members Reggie Brown, Johnny Gaffney and Kimberly Daniels, all voiced their desire for the floors to be for the arts and education communities. But a clarifying amendment passed ensures any business will have the opportunity.
That conversation led to another debate, this one a chicken-or-egg dilemma: Should the city be spending $100,000 on rehabbing floors without a firm tenant signed?
Clark said no and pitched another amendment, this one to ensure the city had a lease in hand before it spent the money.
Council member John Crescimbeni called the amendment “pretty darn prudent” and compared it to the Supervisor of Elections relocation to One Imeson approved last year. In that instance, there was a commitment from a tenant.
But, Gulliford said, Crescimbeni’s analogy is not the same because the condition of the Florida Theatre building is in much worse shape. And, counting on the city to advance improvements promptly in a time-sensitive manner would happen “when pigs fly,” he said.
The Florida Theatre floors once housed some city departments, which moved to the Ed Ball Building several years ago. There is a lack of American with Disabilities Act compliance with restrooms, elevators and other aspects. Discussion also featured talk of “current tenants” being rodents.
The improvements would bring the floors up to code, supporters said, with council member Stephen Joost saying the floors had to be improved first.
“To be left in this condition is untenable,” he said.
Clark’s amendment requiring a lease before improvements are made failed because of a tie vote.
Out of the discussion, though, came a compromise.
Tom Goldsbury, Building Inspection Division chief, said some improvements to the fourth and sixth floors were needed — the bathrooms, elevator and other requirements. But cosmetics could wait until future tenants were determined.
Gulliford said it was a reasonable compromise and said he will offer a floor amendment to the full council Tuesday with a breakdown of repairs and spend only what is necessary to bring them up to code.
And then there was brief discussion about the funding.
The $100,000-plus has been carried over in budgets four years in an information technology account that was used for Property Appraiser computer systems.
“It’s a good thing we haven’t been hurting for cash lately,” Clark quipped.
Past council requests were made to find such funds, but Assistant Council Auditor Janice Billy called this one “outside the norm” because it involved computer system accounts instead of analysis of departments.
The overall bill passed with a 4-2 vote.
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