INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — Interested in buying a school? Indian River County might have one available, depending on your offer.
Four schools being repurposed, two adjacent buildings in downtown Vero Beach and five vacant parcels are on a list of potentially available properties listed with Chicago-based real estate company Cushman & Wakefield.
Total market value of all the properties, according to the Property Appraiser’s Office, is more than $16 million, which could go to the district’s capital budget for new facilities and maintenance projects.
None of the properties is officially on the market, but the district wants to see whether there is a potential buyer, said district Chief Financial Officer Bruce Green.
“They’re researching,” Green said of Cushman & Wakefield. The company is expected to report back to the School Board, either with offers or to inform the board of any interest, he said.
The district has no commitments to sell any of the properties, according to Green. The company, which is working solely on commission, would need approval from the School Board to begin sale negotiations, he said.
The schools, and their approximate market values, according to the Property Appraiser’s Office:
Many of the sites are older schools, in need of roof and air-conditioning repairs, Green said.
But others, such as buildings near the former Freshman Learning Center that have been used for exceptional student education offices, could be marketable, Green said. A potential offer on those buildings could be coming to the board by September, he said.
“We have some vacant land. We’re hoping some of that vacant land and some of those little offices will sell,” Green said.
District schools underwent a $3.5 million transition this summer, as the district’s most popular magnet schools, Rosewood and Osceola, moved to middle school campuses to accommodate more students and reduce wait lists.
Oslo Middle moved to the former Freshman Learning Center, and all Vero Beach High ninth graders moved to the main campus. Osceola moved to the former Storm Grove Middle school, and Glendale Elementary merged into the Citrus Elementary campus.
The school district currently has plans for all vacated schools, officials said. The Glendale Elementary campus is being repurposed for the older Wabasso School, 8895 U.S. 1, to move into in 2027. The former Osceola Magnet campus will become an adult learning center and the former Rosewood Magnet facility is housing a creative learning lab for homeschoolers.
Colleen Wixon is the Indian River County government watchdog reporter for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Schools for sale? Florida district putting properties on the block
Reporting by Colleen Wixon, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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By Colleen Wixon, Treasure Coast Newspapers | USA TODAY Network
