It’s extremely early in the process, but Sanford officials are exploring the possibility of swapping land with the leaseholder of city-owned Marina Island.
The Sanford City Commission and the Waterfront and Downtown Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) recently held a joint meeting to discuss the extension of the CRA and its future plans.
Both governmental bodies want to see a new events center built downtown to host a myriad of functions, from weddings and fundraisers to reunions and business meetings.
No specific design or location was identified, but the possibility of putting such a center on Marina Island intrigued commissioners. The commission directed Mayor Jeff Triplett to reach out to Frank Cerasoli, managing partner of TFA IV LLC, which has a long-term lease with the city for Marina Island.
Triplett reported back to the commission during Monday’s work session that he and Cerasoli had not yet met, but Triplett said brief phone calls between the two indicated Cerasoli is interested in discussing a possible swap.
At this point there are no details when a swap might take place, what parcels might be involved and what the terms of a swap would be, how the current Marina Island lease would be affected, what land uses or restrictions might be implemented, or even if Cerasoli is ultimately interested in such a deal.
Cerasoli declined to comment.
– by Dan Ping
Sanford, Fla. 
Exactly what land would be swapped is an appropriate question. To give someone who has basically let one of the city’s highest potential sites go to seed anything else good would seem irrational.
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