Gabrielle Russon
The state is putting a multimillion-dollar piece of real estate up for auction in Orlando.
The Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Division of State Lands is auctioning off the former Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) facility with minimum bids starting at $6.65 million. The 6.5-acre property is located at 133 S. Semoran Blvd. in a busy commercial area on the way to the Orlando International Airport and two miles from the Orlando Executive Airport.
The Orange County Property Appraiser’s Office listed the site’s market value at $6.595 million in 2024.
The site was once a hot piece of property, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Before the FHP used the space, it was once the home of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s Regional Service Center. When the property was up for sale in 1997, at least 16 potential bidders in Orange, Pinellas and Miami-Dade counties wanted it, the Orlando newspaper reported at time.
“Property improvements consist of two buildings totaling 63,465 square feet. The largest structure is a 60,669 square foot single-story, concrete block office building built in 1958. A secondary metal building consisting of 2,796 square feet is located on the northwest corner of the site. There is adequate parking available to support the existing office use with 286 surface spaces,” according to the state surplus land bid notification.
The state plans to sell 133 S. Semoran Blvd. “as is” and is taking bids until noon, Dec. 17. Bids will be opened at 2 p.m. that same day.
“A minimum acceptable bid of $6.65 million has been set by the state, with a deposit in the amount of 10% of the bidder’s bid due,” the state’s notification bid said.
“Any award made will be to the highest responsive bidder, provided it is in the interest of the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund to accept the bid. … Any bids that are less than the minimum acceptable bid will be considered counter proposals and will be deemed non-responsive and rejected.”
