Manatee School District property up for sale

Commercial property the Manatee County School District owns is back up for sale, after a potential buyer for the site terminated a contract on the land.

The site is known as the Checkers/Owens property because it once contained a Checkers Drive In and housed the district's human resources department in what was known as the Bill Owens Annex. The 65,210-square-foot property is located at the southwest corner of Manatee Avenue and First Street West, in Bradenton.

The Manatee County School Board had approved a contract on the site with Blackrock Development May 6. Blackrock's offer was for $1.65 million, with a $50,000 earnest-money deposit. 

Blackrock terminated the contract June 12.

The school district has issued a new request for proposals through its purchasing department and is advertising the RFP. A selection committee, which will make a recommendation to the superintendent, will review the offers, due mid-July. Then, a new contract would be submitted to the School Board, based on the superintendent's recommendation.

For more information on the property, visit manateeschools.net and click on "Real Property Information" under the "Hot Topics" tab.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].