Commissioner Murman quoted in this Tampa Bay Times story on Channelside:

Port Authority vows to continue fight for Channelside

Jamal Thalji, Times Staff Writer

JAMAL THALJI Tampa Bay Times

Tuesday, April 15, 2014 12:12pm

TAMPA — Buoyed by their win in court last week, the Tampa Port Authority vowed on Tuesday to continue fighting for Channelside Bay Plaza.

“We cannot let it slip through our fingers,” said Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandra Murman, who sits on the port board.

The board members wanted to make sure that CEO Paul Anderson and Chief Legal Officer Charles Klug have all the legal and financial firepower they need to prevail in the court that will decide Channelside’s fate.

“I want to make sure the two of you have the authority to take the right action,” Murman said, “and if you don’t have the authority we need to give it to you today.”

Both men said they have what they need to continue litigation.

Channelside is up for grabs but under the jurisdiction of a federal bankruptcy judge who will ultimately decide who can buy the downtown mall and for how much. Two former suitors, the Tampa Port Authority and Liberty Channelside LLC, are battling each other in court for the right to buy the property.

Liberty had also sued the port for damages from when the port squashed its deal for Channelside last year. But U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Sontchi dismissed all four of those claims. He did, however, give Liberty a month to re-file one of the claims.

“That was a victory for us,” Klug said. “But the matter continues.”

The port failed in its bid to convince the court that it did not have jurisdiction over the Channelside lease. The court decided that the lease is an asset under the de facto control of the Irish Bank Resolution Corp., whose bankruptcy the judge is overseeing.

But Stephen Swindal, the chairman of the port authority, said port officials knew that was a legal longshot.

The port, which owns the land beneath Channelside but wants control of the building, believes it is the best choice to unify ownership and pick a new developer to refurbish the complex.

“We’re strongly protecting our interest in this matter,” Swindal said. “We are committed to seeing this process through with the goal of bringing about the full potential of the Channelside retail complex.”

The board also wanted to make sure that Swindal, who once personally brokered a deal for the port to buy Channelside (a deal the same federal judge dismissed in February) can still act on behalf of the port to resolve litigation.

Swindal still has that power, but port officials said that right now a settlement seems far off. But if the port does get another chance to buy Channelside, it will likely be for more than its last offer of $5.75 million.

“It ain’t going down,” Swindal said of the price.

Klug also would not comment on the port’s legal strategy in the next court round. The judge ordered that the IBRC come up with a new process for bidders to maker offers for Channelside, but the status of that effort is unknown.

“We will continue to stay the course,” Anderson said, “and at the end of the day we want to do what’s best for the community.”