After two months of public discussions, the Hillsborough County Commission approved a $6.25 million public subsidy that's anchored to Bass Pro Shops and will improve roads around a new commercial shopping plaza in Brandon near I-75 and the Selmon Expressway.
Construction begins later this year, with Bass Pro opening in 2014. The funds will go to paying a portion of widening Falkenburg Road and extending Palm River Road.
The final vote was 6-1 with Kevin Beckner dissenting.
The approval was a personal victory for Commission Chair Ken Hagan, who led the effort to bring the project to fruition. He said the development will provide more than 1,700 construction jobs and 1,500 permanent jobs in the region.
In December, when the discussion began among board members, the commissioners didn't seem in favor of the project. Since then, the public subsidy was reduced by $2 million and the developer agreed to meet with county officials to ensure they include minority subcontractors in road construction work.
But the suspense of the outcome ended early during today's discussion when two board members who previously expressed serious reservations, Mark Sharpe and Les Miller, said they would support the plan.
This article appears in Feb 21-27, 2013.
