New College and SRQ airport agreement leads to Manatee County waterfront land donation

A ticking timer on the 99-year lease between New College of Florida and the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport has left the college seeking land to expand, but a controversial land donation by Manatee County on Tuesday has given the school a lifeline.

There are about 33 years left on a lease signed between New College and the airport, but a need for student housing is putting pressure on the New College leadership, including the Gov. Ron DeSantis-appointed board and President Richard Corcoran to find long-term answers.

Part of the college sits on SRQ airport property, and rapid growth at the airport has pitted the college board against the growing land needs of one of the region's largest economic drivers, according to John Schussler, former Sarasota Manatee Airport Authority properties director.

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Land lease negotiations between the New College and the airport authority boards are ongoing, but Schussler is concerned that close political ties to the Florida governor's office between the two boards could lead to a lease extension for New College that results in a bad deal for the airport.

The airport authority includes governor appointees such as well-known developer Carlos Beruff, Robert Spencer, and Kristin Incrocci of Manatee County, and Doug Holder, Jeff Jackson, and Jesse Biter of Sarasota County. Members of the authority are appointed by the governor's office.

Schussler said he is not privy to negotiations but is familiar with the politics of the situation from 13 years of experience serving as the airport's properties director until retirement in 2018.

"I'm not accusing anyone of wrongdoing, I just think there is a reasonable concern that this agreement being negotiated right now has the potential to damage the airport's function in the future," Schussler said. "It may not. But on the other hand, you've got two boards that are trying to help New College, but I care about the airport."

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Manatee County commissioners voted unanimously on Tuesday to snub the University of South Florida, and instead throw New College a lifeline, donating 9 acres of the Powel Crosley Estate to the college.

The land had already been donated to USF for the same purpose in 2020 until Manatee County voted Tuesday to gift it to New College instead. Commissioners approved a resolution Tuesday, but a separate agreement inking the deal will still need to be approved at a future county meeting.

"The airport has warned New College many times over many years that the airport will not extend the land lease if it needs that land for airport purposes," Schussler told the Herald-Tribune on Tuesday. "The airport would be better off without New College as a tenant."

The county acquired the 16.5-acre Crosley Estate in 1991 and donated 9 acres on the northern end of the property to USF in 2020 for student housing and an educational facility. It is located immediately west of the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus.

New College spokesman Nate March told the Herald-Tribune on Tuesday the college plans to use the land for residential or educational purposes, now that it has been promised to New College instead of USF.

“We appreciate the Manatee County Commission recognizing the growth of New College and the benefits we can derive from this land," March said. "The parcel is zoned for public interest, meaning it can be used to fit a variety of needs, including residential or educational purposes, as our campus grows to meet our mission of cementing New College as America’s number one liberal arts institution.”

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USF spokesman Kevin Watler told the Herald-Tribune that negotiations with the county over the land fell apart during the summer, but that the university learned of the county's change of plans from Tuesday's meeting agenda.

"USF and Manatee County government have been discussing the donation of this land for our Sarasota-Manatee campus expansion since 2020," ​Watler said after Tuesday's vote. "We have been diligently completing required surveys and planning documentation as we worked together on a land use agreement until as recently as this summer."

"While we are disappointed that the county has opted to enter into a donation agreement with a different university, we remain committed to expanding access to USF's preeminent, AAU-level educational opportunities for current and future students in Manatee and Sarasota counties," he said.

New College's board voted last week to authorize Corcoran to secure a donation agreement between the college and Manatee County for the Crosley parcel. Bill Galvano, the New College board legal counsel, said that the college would have a diligence inspection period to survey the land before a decision became final on what he referred to as "a multi-million dollar piece of property on the waterfront.”

Schussler suggested that instead of pitting higher education institutions against one another, the state could look to acquire property from a landlocked neighborhood between both schools for student housing.

"USF and New College should be cooperating, not competing," Schussler said. "The state could acquire the Uplands Neighborhood that lies between their two campuses. That could provide a large buildable land area for both of them."

"That could also allow New College to vacate airport land when their lease expires in about 33 years," he said. "So the airport can start using that land for passenger terminal-related needs in 33 years when all the other land near the passenger terminal has been developed."

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Manatee's Crosley land donation gives New College of Florida lifeline