Bradenton to buy Tropicana property for $5.25M after council approves

The Bradenton City Council voted this week to allow the city to buy 32.39 acres from Tropicana for $5.25 million so Bradenton can relocate its public works department there. The land may also be used for additional purposes, officials said at the May 22 council meeting where approval for the sale was unanimous.

Negotiations have been ongoing since November, when the council initially authorized the city to put together a purchase agreement.

“Tropicana’s first price was a lot more than this, and we went back to them and said no,” Mayor Gene Brown told the council on May 22, adding the result of their discussions was “close to seven figures coming down.”