The City Council will consider a familiar proposal Tuesday - the extension of the due-diligence period on Harder Hall. ...more

November 5, 2007

A lot of folks are holding their breath, hoping that a deal goes through on Harder Hall Monday. ...more

November 4, 2007

SEBRING — The due-diligence period on Harder Hall ends Monday, and city officials haven't heard anything to indicate the deal won't move forward. If all goes according to plan, Steve Israel, an investor from New York, will move into the next phase of the purchase. The city has a contract with Israel, who will purchase the hotel for $5.6 million. Assistant City Administrator Scott Noethlich said he has not heard anything that would suggest the buyer would not follow through with the contract. The previous purchaser, Sebring Hospitality Group, backed out of its contract Oct.4, the day before its due diligence was to end. Because the city had a back-up contract with Israel, he became the new buyer of the hotel. Nils Richter, a general contractor representing Israel, did not return phone calls seeking comment before press time. ...more

November 4, 2007

Hmmm. Let's dream a little bit. Sebring officials are working their tails off trying to get Harder Hall sold, but they might have missed an incredibly lucrative idea this time of year. They should have turned the historic hotel into the best Halloween scary place in Florida. Perhaps a partnership with Universal Studios or Busch Gardens could have been fashioned, and at $65 per head, just imagine all the money that would have flowed in here. Both entities make an incredible profit this time of year with their terrifying Halloween offerings. ...more

October 11, 2007

SEBRING — Harder Hall is changing hands once again, after Sebring Hospitality Group withdrew its contract just hours before the due-diligence period ended Thursday. The city will now move forward with its contract with Steve Israel, an investor from New York, who has offered to purchase the hotel for $5.6 million. City council approved a back-up contract with Israel at a Sept. 19 meeting, in case the contract with Sebring Hospitality Group fell through. Sebring Hospitality Group requested a 30-day extension to its due-diligence period, which the city council denied at a special meeting Thursday. ...more

October 5, 2007

A lot of people have been anxious to hear if Sebring's deal to sell Harder Hall would happen after the 30-day due diligence period. It didn't, unfortunately, but the good news is that another investor is in line to buy the historic property on Little Lake Jackson. Sebring Hospitality Group, a group of investors from the northeast made up of doctors, wanted a 30-day extension on their due diligence period. Sebring City Council members said no, that there was a better deal waiting from the next investor. We believe the council made a wise decision to move on. Perhaps 30 days isn't enough time, but that's the offer the first group made. Besides, the new investor, Steve Israel, is offering more money for the property. Of course, he wants due diligence as well. In the meantime, the city continues to talk to other potential buyers. ...more

October 5, 2007

SEBRING — Harder Hall is changing hands once again, after Sebring Hospitality Group withdrew its contract just hours before the due-diligence period ended Thursday. ...more

October 4, 2007

SEBRING — Sebring Hospitality Group has withdrawn its contract for the purchase of Harder Hall after the city council denied granting an extension for Sebring Hospitality Group, LLC to complete its due diligence. ...more

October 4, 2007

SEBRING — The Nan-Ces-O-Wee Hotel has a new owner, who has plans to revitalize it into a vibrant part of downtown. Jhonson Napoleon, owner of Napoleon Real Estate in Miami, closed Friday on the hotel, located at 139 N. Ridgewood Dr. "I want to make the hotel into a project that will make the city of Sebring proud," Napoleon said. He is already working with an architectural firm in Lakeland on plans for condominiums on the upper floors and a restaurant on the ground level. ...more

October 3, 2007

To most of us, boarded buildings and homes are an eyesore and a magnet for trouble. ...more

October 1, 2007