Pinellas settles with jail wing builder

The Pinellas County Commission voted unanimously today to pay Skanska USA Building nearly $2-million to settle a dispute over construction costs for a jail medical wing.

The payment brought the total cost of the project to just over $36-million.

The wing, which opened in 2007, was a year and a half behind schedule. County officials have admitted to handling the project poorly and approving payments before final designs were complete. Also, the project was begun without first having developed a firm overall cost estimate.

Skanska had sought over $7-million. Though the county points to some performance issues with Skanska that contributed to the fiasco, a decision was made that settlement was preferable to potentially costly litigation.

A workshop will be held on the county's procedures for handling big construction projects.

"I want to be real clear on the process changes that we have implemented so that we're sure this never happens again," said County Commissioner Ken Welch.

Will Van Sant, Times Staff Writer

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