Washington
City, county weigh agreement with Washington Square developer to fix roads, sidewalks
With no immediate signs of work resuming at Washington Square, city and county staffers are recommending negotiations with the developer of the failed condominium project to compel him to repair public roads and sidewalks surrounding what has become a downtown eyesore.
As of May 1, city code enforcement and permit violations reached more than $413,350 in fines and commissioners voted last month to “take legal action to foreclose code liens and seek recovery of other legal remedies,” city documents said.
Aside from the liens, both city and county staffers have had discussions with property owner Ken McDermott regarding “restoration of the sidewalks and traffic lanes that were closed on Gadsden (Leon County road), Calhoun (Leon County road) and Jefferson (city road).”
On June 11, city commissioners will take up whether to enter into an agreement.
“If the city and developer can agree on the restoration work, the terms can be incorporated into a written agreement,” city documents said. “This agreement could be joint with the county (and include the county right-of-way) or could be solely with the city (and specific to Jefferson Street).”
The mixed-use project was once a promising development billed as downtown’s next big thing with proposed office space, a garage and a Loews Hotel. Construction began in late 2019 but work came to a screeching halt by May 2020.
What followed were lawsuits with the city regarding easement disputes and contractors stating they hadn’t been paid for the full scope of services. The development, which occupies a city block on Calhoun Street, is now a graffiti-tagged eyesore with rusted rebar jetting out of cement.
Work hasn’t picked up in five years, despite hints as of last year from McDermott that there was early interest from undisclosed parties to erect a scaled-down development on the site.
“This time, early plans describe a seven-story hotel with 160 rooms and 100 apartments at 219 S. Calhoun St. (formerly the site of the Ausley and McMullen law firm) compared to the property’s original grand plan for 270+ hotel rooms, office space and a four-story garage,” an August 2024 article in the Tallahassee Democrat stated.
At its June 10 meeting, county commissioners will decide whether to direct staff to enter into an agreement for restoration work for the county’s right-of-way areas.
The work, at the developer’s expense, would include milling, resurfacing and restriping, planting vegetation and removing all materials from the right-of-way that may include fencing and barricades. The county notes “McDermott is willing to complete the restoration work as quickly as possible.”
“Should the present negotiations with the owner and developer fail, or should the owner and developer enter into the agreement and thereafter fail to perform, the County Attorney recommends that the Board authorize staff to file a lawsuit against the Developer and Owner on behalf the County seeking all legal remedies available at law and equity,” county document said.
Contact Economic Development Reporter TaMaryn Waters at tlwaters@tallahassee.com and follow @TaMarynWaters on X.
CLEVELAND, OHIO – MAY 26: James Wood #29 of the Washington Nationals celebrates after hitting a two-run homer during the second inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on May 26, 2026, in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Washington Nationals slugger, James Wood, doesn’t get the credit he deserves.
But he’s turning heads. Opponents fear him. Fans love to watch him play.
The left-handed hitting Wood, only 23, is a clear 5-tool Major League Baseball player. He won’t turn 24 until September 17.
Wood hits for power, has a respectable batting average, has excellent speed, plays good defense, and has a strong throwing arm. Five tools.
Wood is getting every inch of power from his large, 6-6, 234 pound frame.
Not only has Wood hit 16 home rus so far this season, and he has walked 51 times in his 294 plate appearances.
At the start of play Friday June 5, Wood has compiled a very impressive stat line of .264.401.527/.929.
The Nationals have surprised plenty of MLB teams with their consistent power display, their excellent hard contact and extra base hit skills, and their overall offensive performance.
James Wood is a special player for the Washington Nationals.
It would not be out of question to see the Nationals claim a spot in the competitive National League playoffs.
Wood is clearly the leader of the surging Nationals.
Washington Nationals’ James Wood in action during a baseball game against the New York Mets, Thursday, May 21, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Wood hits in the leadoff position for Washington, and he sets the table for the team’s lineup. Using excellent hand-eye coordination, good pitch recognition, and an appropriately aggressive approach at the plate, Wood is a dangerous leadoff bat.
Wood has the ability to foul off plenty of pitches, until he finds the pitch he can drive.
In a series against the Cleveland Guardians May 25-27, Wood hit two home runs, while collecting eight hits in 12 plate appearances.
After the second game of the series, the Toronto Star said this: …”Wood’s towering, 401 foot drive to right field was his 15th homer of the season, and second in as many days…Wood leads the majors with 49 runs and ranks third with 29 extra-base hits.”
Wood was a 2nd round pick of the San Diego Padres n the 2021 Major League Baseball draft. He was chosen out of MG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Wood’s signing bonus was equivalent to the slot value of a first round pick.
Wood’s signing bonus encouraged him to sign with the Padres, as opposed to completing his plan to attend Mississippi State University.
LOS ANGELES, CA – JULY 18: Juan Soto #22 of the Washington Nationals holds the T-Mobile Home Run Derby Championship Trophy and wears the championship chain as he poses for a photo with Bad Bunny after winning the final round during the T-Mobile Home Run Derby at Dodger Stadium on Monday, July 18, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
MLB Photos via Getty Images Wood never played for the San Diego Padres. He was traded to Washington in a blockbuster deal that sent budding star Juan Soto to the Padres.
As Baseballreference.com noted, in that August 2, 2022 transaction, the Padres sent Wood, shortstop CJ Abrams, pitcher MacKenzie Gore, outfielder Robert Hassell III, right-handed pitcher Jarlin Susana, and first baseman Luke Voit to Washington for Soto, and first baseman Josh Bell. It was the type of franchise-changing deal the Padres were noted for at the time.
Of course, Soto now plays for the New York Mets, and Wood is thriving as the team-leader of the Nationals.
Wood is only in his third year with Washington, and there is no telling how much more impact he will have when he reaches his baseball prime. That’s still some four years away, and already, Wood is busting fences, stealing bases, making outstanding defensive catches, and playing the game with passion.
Wood was an All Star for the National in 2025, when he hit .256/.350/.475/.825, with 31 home runs, and 94 RBIs in 689 plate appearances. He stole 15 bases.
The only blemish on Wood’s 2025 production, was his 221 strikeouts. He walked 85 times. While there is swing-and-miss in his game, Wood appears to have improved his contact this season.
Wood has also exercised good pitch selection, as his walk rate is climbing.
Wood has plenty of raw power, but an inside the park, grand slam home run he hit against the Mets May 19 exemplifies the type of season Wood is having. Here is a comment about Wood’s homer on msn.com, “Wood hit a Statcast measured 29.4 feet per second sprint speed. The Nationals Park crowd was on its feet, sensing something special.” The homer never left the park.
The Washington Nationals now find themselves with a highly competitive, highly entertaining team. Finally. They have waited a long time for this type of excitement in Washington.
5-Tool star James Wood is just the type of player to lead the Washington Nationals to great success in this 2026 MLB season.About Washington Nationals James Wood:
As noted by MLBtraderumors.com at the time he sighed with the Padres, Wood received a massive $2.6M signing bonus from San Diego as the No. 62 player taken in the draft. That 62nd slot value was listed at $1.1M.The San Diego Padres Traded James Wood to the Washington Nationals:
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – A request was approved for the Alabama National Guard to support operations surrounding the America250 events in Washington, Gov. Kay Ivey announced Thursday.
“One month from today, our nation will mark 250 years of freedom. Without hesitation, the Alabama National Guard is proud to support America250 events,” Ivey said.
As the nation prepares to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence, 150 soldiers from the 123rd Quartermaster Company in Arab will assist with support operations connected to major public events in Washington, D.C.
The guard members will work alongside the D.C. National Guard and civil servants throughout the U.S. National Capital Region in coordination with the National Guard Bureau.
“From the founding of our country to the freedoms we are still blessed to defend today, America’s 250th anniversary is a powerful reminder of the service and sacrifice that make greatness possible,” said Alabama National Guard Adjutant General Maj. Gen. David Pritchett.
The soldiers are expected to arrive in Washington before the 4th of July activities and serve a 90-day rotation.
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Copyright 2026 WSFA. All rights reserved.
The Catholic archbishop of Washington DC on Wednesday removed a well-known priest as an exorcist of the archdiocese after he made public comments suggesting that UFO sightings were the work of demons.
Cardinal Robert McElroy said the archdiocese also was cutting ties with the St Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal, a Washington-based non-profit headed by the priest, Monsignor Stephen Rossetti.
The archbishop said Rossetti’s statements “linking UFOs to demonic presence and the Center’s recent use of social media gravely undermine the Church’s very precise teaching on the devil, demons and exorcism”.
“There’s a danger here,” Rossetti said in a 29 May video posted on his Facebook page addressing UFO sightings and the existence of aliens. “As an exorcist I wanted to raise that danger. And that is that demons like to hide … They don’t want us to know what they’re doing because they’re more effective when we don’t realize it.
“They can kind of get into your head, you know, and manipulate things in the world to influence us to do evil.
“It’s my personal belief that probably many if not most of these UFO sightings are in fact demons,” Rossetti added.
Rossetti also said that people can be good Catholics and believe there’s life on other planets, though he does not personally believe life exists elsewhere.
In a statement posted on the St Michael Center website, Rossetti said he was saddened by the action of the archdiocese.
“I ask forgiveness for any ways that I have not been faithful to the teachings of the Church’s Magisterium, particularly in the cited video on ‘aliens and the demonic’,” he said. “I believe it is of the utmost importance to be obedient to the Church and I will continue to endeavor to subject all that I do and the Center to be thus obedient.”
Rossetti, who has more than 148,000 followers on Instagram, is a prominent psychologist as well as an exorcist. His center has specialized in offering spiritual healing for priests troubled by various difficulties.
In 2023, he told the Associated Press there was increasing and renewed appetite for information about demonic possession and exorcism.
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