By late 2007, things had gotten so cozy around the Pinellas County Commission that the elected property appraiser, Jim Smith, was able to gin up enough “outrage” at how county workers had trimmed some trees and disturbed some land he owned as an excuse to force the county to purchase the property. Smith’s asking price? $225,000 for the vacant parcel — four times higher than his office had valued the land. Did county leaders negotiate him down or ask public questions about the deal? Of course not. They trusted their county manager and county attorney (who had received permission to represent both the buyer and the seller in the deal). Once the sale became public knowledge, however, fingers got pointed and heads rolled. County Manager Steve Spratt resigned; County Attorney Susan Churuti was fired; and Smith and County Commission Chairman Ronnie Duncan decided not to run for another term. As for some of the other commissioners who voted to approve the sale without any comment or question, they face voters in November.
This article appears in Sep 10-16, 2008.
