TARPON SPRINGS — A developer that spent years fighting Tarpon Springs and its critics over a riverfront apartment complex was welcomed at City Hall this past week, handing the city a $444,000 check, the first private donation to a fund created to preserve green space.
The Morgan group’s contribution, presented at the June 23 City Commission meeting, marked a striking turnabout for a development that survived years of lawsuits, packed hearings and a 2022 election shaped in part by opposition to it. The same dais that once governed amid that fight applauded the company.
The money goes to the city’s Land Preservation Fund, which pays to acquire and protect open space. It stems from a 2021 agreement in which Morgan would pay $444,000 in lieu of building a second access road to its property at Hays Road. After the county refused to permit the road, then-Commissioner Jacob Karr suggested the funds be used for preservation.
“Morgan is proud to support the city of Tarpon Springs’ vision for long-term land preservation,” said Jeffrey Miller, the company’s Central Florida development partner. “This contribution reflects our belief that thoughtful, responsible development should go hand in hand with protecting the natural and community assets that make places like Tarpon Springs so special.”
Miller appeared before the commission alongside Mayor John Koulianos, interim City Manager Mark LeCouris and Karr, among others.
Koulianos called the presentation “the culmination of a lot of work in getting this project completed” and singled out Karr for securing the payment.
“He’s the one that worked out this extra money,” the mayor said. “It goes to show you that you don’t get anything unless you ask.”
Koulianos said Karr asked the developer for the money once it became clear the second road would not be built. “Since you’re not going to build a road, can we have the money,” the mayor recounted, “and they said yes.”
Cyndi Tarapani of Tarapani Planning Strategies said the contribution was likely the first of its kind from a private company and reflected Morgan’s approach to the 404-unit development, Caroline Anclote Harbor. She described it as a first-class multifamily community set within a preserved natural environment.
The project preserved all but a half-acre of its on-site wetlands, removed exotic plants in favor of Florida natives, created a six-acre park for residents and kept all construction at least 150 feet from the Anclote River corridor, Tarapani said.
Caroline Anclote Harbor sits on 12 acres of a 64-acre site along U.S. 19, leaving most of the property for stormwater management, parks, open space and upland preserve, she said. The community spans five four-story buildings and includes boat docks, a clubhouse and a resort-style pool.
Tarapani said the development should add about $400,000 a year to the city’s tax base. Miller said the first units should be finished within two to three months, with the project complete by year’s end.
The ceremony capped a contentious saga that began in 2020. The land, once owned by Walmart and eyed for a superstore, had drawn opposition from environmentalists who pushed for years to turn the riverfront site into a park.
After a long debate, the commission approved the development in 2021. A group of environmentalists then sued Morgan to overturn the approval. The next year, voters elected a new commission majority following a campaign to remove officials who had backed the project; several candidates pledged to oust LeCouris over his work with the firm.
The commission later hired a law firm to investigate dealings among the developer, staff and city attorneys. It found no wrongdoing.