Despite some hesitation, Palm Beach County OKs 70-acre transfer of prime land to Scripps for $1 Hannah Morse, Palm Beach Post
Conceding that nothing could be done to alter the path set forth by their predecessors, Palm Beach County commissioners approved a land transfer that gives Scripps Research Institute prime land in Palm Beach Gardens for $1. While I don t think this board would have approved something similar today, it is what it is, Commissioner Melissa McKinlay said, noting that she wasn t an enthusiastic cheerleader on this decision.
Five commissioners supported the land transfer on Tuesday, while Mayor Dave Kerner was absent from the vote and Commissioner Mack Bernard dissented. The vote had been delayed by two weeks at the commissioners request so more information could be gathered about the land value and whether Scripps had held up its end of the bargain.
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When the famed Scripps Research Institute landed in Jupiter nearly 20 years ago, the hopes were that it would spawn a biotechnology hub in the surrounding area.
The state pitched in $310 million, and Palm Beach County kicked in another $270 million. But the dream of big biotech and pharma companies, like Merck and Pfizer, and high-paying jobs never materialized.