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.