Grand Jury Rebukes Pinellas Land Deal.

Byline: Carlos Moncada

Aug. 29--CLEARWATER -- A grand jury report criticizes Pinellas County's purchase of land from the property appraiser, an action that took all of 19 seconds but which the panel said will have a lasting effect on how residents view their public officials.

"The manner in which the transaction was handled has raised questions that continue to impact the perceived integrity of our county's government," reads the 22-page report unsealed Tuesday.

Although the report rebukes the key figures involved in the land deal, Property Appraiser Jim Smith and County Attorney Susan Churuti, it falls short of accusing anyone of criminal wrongdoing or of "maliciously" abusing their public positions.

It recommends legislative reforms and changes in the way the county conducts the public's business.

State Attorney Bernie McCabe impaneled the grand jury this month to examine the county's purchase of Smith's private, vacant land in north Pinellas for $225,000, nearly four times what the one-quarter-acre site was valued for tax purposes by Smith's office. The site was valued at $59, 400.

The land purchase came four months after an attorney for Smith sent Pinellas a letter contending county workers ruined Smith's property by cutting down trees and clearing debris after storms in 2004.