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In a Flash, Scripps, Palm Beach Agree

Posted on: Thursday, 4 May 2006, 15:02 CDT

By Kris Hundley, St. Petersburg Times, Fla.

May 3--In a lightning-fast vote that ended a nearly three-hour meeting Tuesday, Palm Beach County commissioners approved a contract with Scripps Research Institute, paving the way for the construction of a permanent Scripps campus in Jupiter.

The speedy vote came after more than two years of often acrimonious dickering between the county and Scripps over site and contract details.

The county had offered to spend about $225-million to build Scripps' new facilities adjacent to Florida Atlantic University in Abacoa and across the road on 70 acres known as the Briger parcel. But the agreement bogged down over liability issues, with the county wanting Scripps to accept some financial liability should it leave the state and Scripps refusing to jeopardize the assets of its main campus in La Jolla, Calif.

The stalemate finally dissolved Tuesday afternoon after Gov. Jeb Bush's office sent the parties an e-mail saying Bush and FAU's president, Frank Brogan, supported a proposal to have FAU buy the Scripps buildings from the county for $100-million if Scripps leaves the state within 15 years. The purchase would be dependent upon a legislative appropriation.

That promise was enough to prompt a quick vote on the issue. Commissioners were also feeling pressure to nail down a deal after Scripps made it clear Tuesday that it was going to start considering sites elsewhere in the state. Scripps' expansion into Florida, intended to kick-start the state's modest biotech industry, is underwritten with $359-million in state funds. Scripps said continued delays in Palm Beach jeopardized its ability to tap these funds. The institute has recruited nearly 170 scientists and staffers to temporary labs on the Abacoa campus.

Commissioner Karen Marcus urged her colleagues to act decisively Tuesday, saying, "We want everyone in world to know we approved this contract today and that it passed unanimously." And, with a quick call of the vote by Chairman Tony Masilotti shortly after 3 p.m., it was.

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Copyright (c) 2006, St. Petersburg Times, Fla.

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Source: St. Petersburg Times

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