Port St. Lucie holds onto hopes as Orlando woos Burnham

By Eve Samples
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
ORLANDO — Beyond the imposing guardhouse and broad white gates at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club, moss-draped oaks lead the way to block after block of multimillion-dollar homes.
The posh and privileged setting, which earned a spot on Travel & Leisure's ranking of the country's top golf course communities this year, is the image linked most often to Lake Nona, the sister community to the Isleworth development where Tiger Woods has a home.

But outside those gates, a new Lake Nona is sprouting — one with fewer cul-de-sacs and more grassy squares. And that urban expansion could become the new home to the Burnham Institute for Medical Research, the sister institute to The Scripps Research Institute.
As a team of top Burnham officials visit Orlando this week, they will weigh whether Lake Nona, where the University of Central Florida plans to open a medical school by fall 2008, is a better site for an East Coast hub than Port St. Lucie's expansive Tradition development, which has been wooing Burnham since last year.

Six months after Port St. Lucie hosted a private catered dinner for Burnham's decision-makers at Tradition's town hall, Burnham officials were flying into Orlando Tuesday night on the Orlando Magic's corporate jet and were scheduled to dine at the Ritz-Carlton.

In Port St. Lucie, all the lavish attention has coaxed the green-eyed monster out of hiding.
"It's like somebody else is dating my girlfriend," Port St. Lucie Councilman Jack Kelly said of Orlando's treatment of Burnham. "I'm not going to deny there's jealousy there, but we put our best foot forward."

With details of both communities' financial offers under wraps — both are reportedly in the $80 million to $90 million range, not including land, with up to $245 million in incentives from the state — the big question is what will tip the scales for Burnham.

Among Port St. Lucie's biggest assets, officials believe, is its proximity to Scripps' Jupiter campus, about a 30-minute drive away. Another strong point is a possible collaboration with the University of Florida, widely viewed as the state's research powerhouse, if Burnham settles on Port St. Lucie.

The Port St. Lucie City Council endorsed new fees on construction Monday to raise an estimated $70 million to pay for the 175,000-square-foot building the city would build, then lease to Burnham.

Though Orlando entered the Burnham race months after Port St. Lucie, it isn't backing off. In fact, it can be seen as an opportunity three years in the making.

That's how long it has been since Orlando lost its bid for The Scripps Research Institute to Palm Beach County, and city officials have been working ever since to beef up their strategy for attracting players in the life sciences industry.

"When we got past our disappointment, we said, 'Hey, (Scripps) is here. Let's take advantage of it,' " said Maureen Brockman, a vice president at the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission.

A big part of that strategy was landing a medical school for UCF, she said.
"We understand what a competitive realm life sciences is," Brockman said. "But with the medical school here, at least we're in the game."
Lake Nona's developer, Tavistock Group, headed by billionaire Joe Lewis, has donated $12.5 million and 50 acres to UCF to help expedite the medical school's plans.

With the medical school only a few years off, Lake Nona has accelerated plans for a 1.5 million-square-foot village center, including an open-air regional mall, within the community, said Robert Adams, marketing and public relations vice president for Lake Nona Property Holdings LLC, the community's development arm.

The medical school and the shopping and entertainment district are not far from the Lake Nona Science and Technology Research Park, a 500-acre undeveloped swath where Burnham could set up its campus. Nearby, some of Lake Nona's New Urbanist development has taken root in the NorthLake Park area of townhomes and an award-winning grade school.

Another feather in Orlando's cap: The well-connected Lewis was credited with helping bring the Scripps possibility to Florida. Plus, his Tavistock Group has a life sciences division based in La Jolla, Calif., the home of Burnham and Scripps.

Burnham officials have said they expect to make a decision this summer about where to open their next campus. Once established, the Burnham site stands to generate hundreds of jobs directly, and could spawn more indirectly by acting as a magnet for other companies.

"There are lots of things that have to be decided and fall into place," said Burnham spokeswoman Nancy Beddingfield, who declined to elaborate on the details of the decision.
Though the Orlando visit has the attention of Port St. Lucie officials, several say they are largely unfazed.

"They absolutely should be doing their due diligence and going and visiting all opportunities for the company," Port St. Lucie Councilwoman Michelle Berger said. "But am I worried? No. I'm not worried. I know that the Burnham Institute people are scientists, and scientist look at facts.
"And the fact is that Port St. Lucie is the best location for the Burnham Institute."