Just a thought on DeSoto ‘mall school’: It’s Sears

To the person in favor of the DeSoto Square mall becoming a school...

When our mall was built, Sears was a commanding retail force. Sears owns its own store here and the 15 acres of parking surrounding it. You can tell the area of parking lot it owns by seeing the different type of security lights atop poles from the type the mall uses. And, of course, by the tax rolls.

Speaking of tax rolls, if you ever wonder how nonprofits like Goodwill do so well — just go to tax collector site and look up Goodwill, it lists all its holdings in Manatee County. It will list what tax you or I would pay, and then say exempt as amount due. For all the good they propose to do, I have a feeling they do themselves the most good.

This story was originally published July 8, 2017 at 2:38 PM with the headline "Just a thought on DeSoto ‘mall school’: It’s Sears."