Auction Bidders shun scrub jay lots
Published March 29th, 2006
Buyers were wary of the Florida scrub jays in the fourth and final North Port lot auction.
Of the 77 lots that remained unsold when the auction closed Tuesday afternoon, almost half had been designated as scrub jay habitat. Only 10 lots denoted as scrub jay habitat were sold.
Scrub-jays aside, about two-thirds of the 223 available lots were sold in the fourth session. Of those that did sell, most sold for somewhat more than the starting bid amount, and one lot sold for $64,250.
During a three-month period, more than 2,000 lots were sold through online auctions managed by Fisher Auction Co. for the city of North Port and Sarasota County.
The county had reclaimed possession of the lots from owners who failed to keep up with property tax payments. The city and county agreed to split the net proceeds of the sale of the lots, with 55 percent to the city and 45 percent to the county.
The lots were sold in four online auctions, which were similar to eBay auctions. Bidders were required to preregister and to post $5,000 in escrow for each lot on which they wanted to bid. The first session opened Jan. 10 and the fourth closed yesterday.
The three earlier auctions were deemed successful by the county and city, earning more than $6 million in total. Costs and fees will be paid to Fisher Auction, and the net will be split between city and county.
