TEMPLE TERRACE — Once considered the cornerstone of the city’s downtown redevelopment, the Fountain Shoppes of Temple Terrace has been sold, marking the end of a strained relationship between the city and its former owner.
According to Hillsborough County records, TT Fountain Plaza LLC purchased the property Oct. 7, but the purchase price was not available.
City attorney Ernie Mueller told council members at their Oct. 21 meeting that Temple Terrace had taken former owner Jared Moon of Paragon Property Group to court for a long list of code violations dating to 2023.
“That was successful, but in the meantime, we had the fines that had accrued,” Mueller said. “Well, the Fountain Shoppes is sold, and as a result, they paid off the liens of $161,450.”
Business relations manager Greg Pauley said he had not been formally notified of the new owner’s identity but was told the buyer is a local commercial property owner with other holdings in the city.
The sale ends a contentious stretch between Moon and Temple Terrace officials that had become increasingly public in recent years, to the point where the developer said at one point he wished he had never purchased the property in the first place, and would likely never do business again in Temple Terrace.
While he knew the liens had been paid off on the property, the sale was news to Mayor Andy Ross, who learned of it at the council meeting.
He said it was “probably a good thing” after years of disputes over code violations and maintenance issues.
The Fountain Shoppes have long been viewed as a key piece of the city’s Community Redevelopment Area, anchoring the corner of Bullard Parkway and 56th Street as other nearby projects, like the Enigma Plaza, struggled to gain momentum and the vacant property just to the south went unsold.
The City Council chose Moon’s Safety Harbor-based Paragon Property Group over two other developers back in 2017 to develop the northern portion of its downtown property.
Paragon paid $3.58 million for the 2.85-acre parcel, and 18,110-square-foot retail plaza that opened in 2021.
Current tenants include Starbucks, Jersey Mike’s Subs, the Rocking Crab Seafood and Bar, AT&T, Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa, The Joint Chiropractic and Chase Bank.
According to county property records, the current market value of the property is $4,987,900.
Moon told the Beacon last year that the retail center had become burdensome, due in part to how he felt the city had singled him out, and that he was hoping to sell the property.
In 2023, code enforcement had become a regular at the plaza, citing violations ranging from an inoperable fountain and irrigation system to overflowing dumpsters and poor landscaping.
Moon said he shut off the fountain after homeless individuals began bathing in it, and claimed repairs would have cost $40,000. He said he had already spent $20,000 fixing roof damage he attributed to the same problem.
Ross bemoaned the lack of communication from Moon in dealing with the city’s concerns, while the developer admitted his battle with code enforcement had become “exhausting.”
Many of the violations were eventually brought into compliance, likely clearing the way for a sale.