Church buys large Teleflex building

BUYER: Faith Life Church Inc. alternatively known as Faith Life Church of Sarasota Inc. (principals: Keith and Phyllis Moore), Branson

SELLER: Teleflex Inc.

PROPERTY: 6980 Professional Parkway E., Sarasota

PRICE: $4 million

PREVIOUS PRICE: $756,000, January 1997

LAW FIRM ON DEED: Shumaker Loop & Kendrick LLP, Sarasota

PLANS, DESCRIPTION: Missouri-based Faith Life Church purchased the 82,010- square-foot Teleflex building, casting doubt over whether the planned move of Winslow LifeRaft Co. to the building will take place.

The $4 million price equated to $49 per square foot.

Built in 1997, the manufacturing building features 22,435 square feet of office space with a two-story reception office, a conference room and an employee cafeteria. Teleflex Marine shut down its facility there last year.

Faith Life Church officials did not respond to calls for comment.

Keith and Phyllis Moore started Faith Life Church in 2002. As the church grew it expanded to include live Internet broadcasts and it started broadcasting on local TV in 2005. Its broadcasts, dubbed FLC-TV, have since expanded to TV stations worldwide. The church practices from the former Remington Theatre in Branson.

Faith Life Church mortgaged the building to First America Bank for $2 million.

Prior to the sale, Winslow LifeRaft Co., a Lake Suzy-based manufacturer of marine and aviation life rafts, said it would be leasing the building from Teleflex.

The building sale has reportedly thrown that relocation in doubt. Winslow LifeRaft was offered $650,000 in incentives from the Sarasota County Economic Development Initiative Fund for the relocation and meeting employment projections.

It's unclear if that move will happen now.