Stonebridge Golf Club will indeed go to public auction Feb. 14th as part of a Bartlett Bank foreclosure, according to one of the owners.
The Lakeland property is owned by Golf National LLC with partners Mark Lovell and his brother-in-law, Robert Mears.
Mr. Lovell said today (1.31.19) he plans to bid on the property himself. “I am going to bid on it,” he said, noting that he would bid as an individual and not part of Golf Nation LLC. He expects the property to remain a golf course.
The auction notice says six parcels will be sold on the courthouse steps.
Mr. Lovell said it’s business as usual at Stonebridge with only cold weather closing the property. “We are closed when it is below freezing because we have to cover the greens.” He said business is going well at Stonebridge, although rain doesn’t help. “It’s hard to make money when it’s raining so much,” he said.
Noting Lakeland neighbors’ concerns that the property could be changed to apartments, Mr. Lovell said that will not happen. “Don’t worry about apartments. City ordinances won’t allow them,” he said.
He said he doesn’t know if others will come to bid on the parcels. “But I’ll be there to bid on it.”
A lawsuit filed between the two family members in 2016 is ongoing, said Mr. Lovell.
The Club, at 3049 Davies Plantation, was built in 1973 and purchased in April 2013 for $1.5 million from Textron Financial by Golf Nation LLC.
Earlier this week, Lakeland Commissioner Wesley Wright responded to the auction by saying, “I want to calm everyone’s fears about there being apartments, condos or homes being built on the golf course.
“You would have to go through the Board of Appeals, MPC/DRC (Municipal Planning/Design Review Commission) and the BOC (Board of Commissioners). So essentially three Boards would have to approve something like that.
“It’s currently zoned as agriculture which would have to be changed. In addition, we know Stonebridge residents and Lakeland do not want the rezoning or multi-family units on the property.”
… Photo by Jim Willis, Lakeland Currents
