Lawyers plan Bradenton mediation center

BRADENTON — Husband and wife Bradenton attorneys Trent and Lesa Miller purchased the 42,000-square-foot eight-building K-Center on State Road 64 for $1.85 million.

The price equated to $44 per square foot. That figure is lower than the two-year average price per square foot for office space ($115) in the Tampa Bay area, according to the CoStar Group.

The 6.26-acre property features five completed buildings and three shell buildings with undeveloped interiors. The completed buildings are leased to Dunkin Donuts, Graziano Pizza, Smarty Pants Pre School, Jack Bostock, the Center For Men's Health LLC, Skin Care By Jewls among others. Only 3,000 square feet is still vacant in the completed space.

The buildings were previously bank-owned by Stearns Bank NA.

Trent and Lesa Miller, who separately own and operate their own law firms Miller & Miller P.L and the Work Comp Group, respectively, plan to convert a the three grey shell buildings into the Florida Mediation and Conference Center. The Millers have hired Sarasota-based Dovtec Construction Inc. to create a number of small- and medium-sized conference spaces in the central 5,000-square-foot building.

“We plan to market it as a conference center that focuses on mediation,” says Lesa Miller. “Our venue will offer non-partisan neutral ground for both parties to meet.”

In addition, the Millers will be converting the remaining two buildings (11,000 square feet) into the executive suites for attorneys and other legal mediation-related businesses.