Mayor Foster changes city’s real estate policies after 10 News investigation

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Mayor Bill Foster is demanding more accountability and transparency is the city’s real estate process following a series of 10 News reports, writes Noah Pransky.

10 News first revealed in September that a City of St. Petersburg employee was encouraging higher-than-market value appraisals to fast-track land buys past council.  The city has been paying premiums in recent years to acquire land in the Dome Industrial Park Project (DIPP) to redevelop it and create jobs.

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One council member told 10 News the policy shift was a small “victory” while Foster said Wednesday that he wanted to show his administration was being as transparent as possible.

Peter Schorsch is the President of Extensive Enterprises and is the publisher of some of Florida’s most influential new media websites, including SaintPetersBlog.com, FloridaPolitics.com, ContextFlorida.com, and Sunburn, the morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics. SaintPetersBlog has for three years running been ranked by the Washington Post as the best state-based blog in Florida. In addition to his publishing efforts, Peter is a political consultant to several of the state’s largest governmental affairs and public relations firms. Peter lives in St. Petersburg with his wife, Michelle, and their daughter, Ella.