Will Ambitious Skyway Development Move Ahead?

Will the state swap 77 acres in a preserve next to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge for 998 acres of marsh and submerged land?

The Tampa Bay Times raises that question in an article that updates the ambitious Skyway Preserve development plans to build a retail-office-residential complex plus a marine rescue center near the iconic bridge.

The land that developers are eyeing is the state-owned Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve. 

The 998 acres that would be swapped is owned in part by lawyer David Smolker and Brightman Logan, who owns a plant nursery in Pasco County.

The proposal is alive and kicking despite the lack of publicity about it over the past year. Most of the behind-the-scenes work involves meetings with environmental officials.

Here are some key updates:

• Attorney Chris Kise, a governor-appointee to the Enterprise Florida board, has been retained by the developers.
• There have been meetings with the Department of Environmental Protection, which walked the property and offered some initial feedback about the development.
• DEP Deputy Secretary Jeff Littlejohn talked to the landowners about the project during a conference sponsored by the Florida Chamber of Commerce. 
• In May, the DEP sent the developers a list of questions about the project, including how many acres of wetlands would be developed.