by Bob Norman/Trident News
Members of the government board overseeing the Sebring Regional Airport — which includes the historic Sebring International Raceway — tend to speak slowly in a southern drawl, but they pulled a fast one last year with the sale of 17 acres of publicly owned land.
Without properly notifying the public of the proposed sale or opening it up for competitive bids, the city-appointed Sebring Airport Authority sold the land to a partnership that included local developer Mark Gose, who has private business ties to several board members, and former board member John Haviland.
The price for the land was $325,000, an amount the board was informed prior to the sale was grossly under market value. A rival developer, Bruce Ledoux, who owns land bordering the 17-acre tract and was excluded from bidding on it, warned the board the land was likely worth twice that amount.
Read more: Sebring airport officials pulled a fast one on public with shady land sale