Lee County buys land near Twins' stadium

BUYER: Lee County, Fort Myers

SELLER: Suriyah LL

PROPERTY: 14121-14140 Crown Pointe Parkway, Fort Myers

PRICE: $4.81 million

PREVIOUS PRICE: $5 million, August 2005

LAW FIRM ON DEED: Lusk Drasites Tolisano & Smith PA, Cape Coral

PLANS, DESCRIPTION: Lee County purchased 14.29 acres south of the Lee County Sports Complex/Hammond Stadium for $4.81 million.

The price equated to $336,599 per acre.

The land was purchased for future expansion opportunities associated with being next to the spring training home of the Minnesota Twins. In the decision to buy the vacant property, county officials suggested it could be used as a parking lot or for softball fields and a retention lake.

“Nothing has been decided about it at this point,” says Barbara Manzo, director of parks and recreation for Lee County. “We just knew we needed to have it to land bank. We will be sitting down and talking with the Twins sometime in the future.”

The purchase was financed through a $5 million loan from the county's capital improvement fund that will be repaid through the Stadium Surplus Debt Fund.