BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Bradford County is selling the former Pizza Hut location for $150,000.
County commissioners lowered the asking price after attempting to auction the property on GovDeals for $250,000 and receiving no bids.
County Manager Scott Kornegay recommended lowering the reserve after telling the board that an interested party had approached to inquire about the property in person.
“I have no idea where that’s going to go, but there is considerable interest on this business owner’s part to acquire the property,” Kornegay.
Commissioners debated the best price for the property, which was appraised at $171,000 according to county records. The county acquired it in 1993 for $355,000. Pizza Hut leased the restaurant before moving into the Deerfoot Shopping Center.
During cleanup following the move, county staff found repairs that need to be made to the building, which coupled with the lack of interest, helped convince commissioners to lower the price. Commissioner Chris Dougherty suggested $150,000.
“We’ve seen a lot of things pop up in the city of Starke,” he said. “We shouldn’t lose out on an opportunity if there is one.”
Kornegay supported Dougherty’s number, saying the economic benefit of having a “popular restaurant” would make up for any loss in lowering the auction reserve, adding that the purchaser would also have to renovate the building.
Dougherty said the faster the property sold, the faster it will be back on the property tax rolls, charging sales tax and creating jobs.
The buyer was Joe Wiggins of Wiggins Construction Company of North Florida in Green Cove Springs.
The county still has a small commercial building in Brooker listed for auction on GovDeals as well as several surplus vehicles.
