Osprey developers propose Southbay Office Center

Michele Prins and Rita De Cessia, the Osprey-based principals of Intelig Inc., have submitted a proposal to Sarasota County to develop a 78,000-square-foot office project in southern Sarasota.

Called Southbay Office Center, the proposed development would cover about 10 acres of vacant land at the corner of Luminary Boulevard and South Tamiami Trail, Osprey

For the moment, the project is just a site-plan proposal, and Prins says the approval schedule will largely determine how quickly it's developed.

“We're waiting right now to see what comes out of the county,” he says. “There's always the possibility that they might build up too many obstacles. Everybody knows that the economy is still a bit shaky, of course. So this is being brought forth based on a faith in the future.”

Prins is best known as the developer behind the 350-home Willow Bend community, which he sold to Lee Wetherington Homes.