Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/332945
But problems have now hit both projects. Friends of Warm Mineral Springs, a nonprofit that sent in its own plan for the Springs, has submitted a formal protest to the county, tak- ing issue with the decision to select Jebco as one of the two finalists. The document filed with the county lists Jebco's failure to name a specific admission fee as an example of the company not responding appropriately to the bid and charges Jebco with "improp- erly" using public land for collateral to fund its $35.7 million plan. "We want to make a presentation," Cape Coral attorney Ralf Brookes tells The Sarasota News Leader. Ralf, who filed the protest for Friends, argues that since Jebco didn't offer the information required, the Friends pro- posal, ranked third, should replace it. He says the Friends plan is "much lower-intensity" and that the organization wants to prevent "exploitation of the springs." Per Sarasota County spokeswoman Jamie Carson, since no one plan has actually been selected yet, the county's Office of Procurement is deeming the Friends pro- test "premature." Brookes disagrees, saying Jebco's plan shouldn't even be considered next week. (Jebco CEO James Bridges did not respond to a News Leader message ask- ing for his comments about the protest.) Jebco's opponent next week, National, is fac- ing problems of its own. Last Friday, just days after the National plan was named a finalist, company President Jack Bobo emailed the county to alert it to an error National had Friends of Warm Mineral Springs submitted this handwritten document about the company as part of its bid package. The president is William H. Delp II. Image courtesy Sarasota County. Sarasota News Leader June 20, 2014 Page 33