Elections for sale? Say it’s not true!
With a unanimous vote by the Volusia County Council, the county’s Elections Department will move into retail space on DeLand’s north side, more specifically the northern part of Gateway Village Shopping Center. The county will pay nearly $9 million for the space. The elections offices will take over a former Save-A-Lot supermarket and collect rent from existing stores in the shopping center.
“I have always felt it better to own than to have lease payments,” Elections Supervisor Lisa Lewis told the council April 16. “Our home now has been a temporary space.”
The new facilities, which will enclose almost 72,000 square feet of floor space, have the addresses of 1568 and 1596 N. Woodland Blvd. The cost of buying the 8.57 acres with buildings and a paved parking lot is $8,850,000. That price is based upon two appraisals of the property, as noted in the memorandum for the item on the council’s agenda.
As well as the cost of buying the property, the county expects to spend $2.5 million to replace the roof, renovate the buildings and install a new heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system. The total payout for the Gateway Village property will be $11,350,000. The owner of Gateway Village is Shanri Holdings Corp., of Mobile, Alabama.
That sum is much less than starting from scratch, according to the county memorandum.
“The estimate to build a new facility at 32,000 sf [square foot] at today’s construction prices of $650-$700 sf is estimated at $20,800,000 to $24,000,000. This option including $2.5 million in repairs (roof, HVAC and buildout) represents a better alternative to building new,” the paper reads.
The purchase of the Gateway Village property and the relocation of the Elections Department will put the county in the commercial real-estate business, as retail tenants now in the shopping center to be purchased will be allowed to remain. County officials anticipate keeping those paying neighbors and filling seven other vacant spaces with other retail tenants.
“It’s always good to own, rather than paying rent,” Council Member Matt Reinhart said.
AT WORK — Former Volusia County Chair Frank Bruno, Judge David Foxman and Volusia County Supervisor of Elections Lisa Lewis study election results as they trickle in during the presidential primary March 19. The current election office at 1750 S. Woodland Blvd. is generally abuzz with activity and citizen observers during elections. The apparentally foregone conclusion of former President Donald Trump’s nomination as the Republican presidential candidate (with 20-percent voter turnout, Trump received 80.92 percent of the vote, followed by Nikki Haley at 14 percent) made the evening a sedate affair. Nevertheless, on-site observers from The Associated Press and other media networks gamely awaited the final tally and were offered pizza by Supervisor Lewis.
Council Member Danny Robins noted the county’s purchase of the commercial real estate means the properties will “be taken off the tax rolls.”
“There’s a lot of rent to be collected there,” County Chair Jeff Brower said, adding the rental revenue “will far exceed” what may be lost when the property becomes tax-exempt.
However, regarding the prospect of the Elections Department becoming a landlord in the shopping center, County Council Vice Chair Troy Kent observed, “I’m all for the County of Volusia making money for its residents.”
Kent also commended Lewis for saving about $6 million over the past few years for the possible purchase of permanent offices and a warehouse in DeLand.
“She’s serious about saving tax dollars,” Kent said, referring to Lewis.
The current facilities of Lewis’ department, located in the Victoria Square Shopping Center, 1788 S. Woodland Blvd. in DeLand, cover approximately 26,000 square feet of space for offices and for storing election equipment. Speaking of paying rent, the Supervisor of Elections Office now pays $261,690 per year for the space leased in Victoria Square.
Lewis and her staff moved into Victoria Square in 2020, in time for the presidential election that year.
“We’ve had leaks all over the building,” she told the County Council, citing another reason for needing to move.
The greater space on the opposite side of DeLand will give Lewis’ agency “room to grow,” she noted.
“The county is growing,” Lewis said, “with people registering to vote.”
“We have to be in the county seat,” she also reminded the council.
Lewis could not say when the county will close on the purchase of the Gateway Village property. In any case, don’t expect a quick move in the next few weeks or months, due to the immensity of the task of relocating while preparing for the 2024 voting days.
“We won’t move until after this election year,” she concluded.
