• Jeff Green says he talked to new UF prez Ben Sasse
• Stephen Ross has talked to school district for possible Plan B

A once-kumbspanyspan plspann to bring a bustling University of Florida campus to West Palm Beach looked kaput Tuesday when the stspante’s flspangship school groused spanbout “regrettspanble divisions” in the community that almost certainly stem from a fuss over naming rights.

But the self-made Pspanlm Bespanch billionspanire at the center of the fray said he still wants to bring a campus to downtown, is meeting with new UF President Ben Sasse this month and is willing to compromise to get a deal done.

Developer Jeff Greene, who once waited tables at The Breakers before earning billions of dollars betting against the subprime mortgage market, said having his name on the school in exchange for donating 5 acres of land gave him skin in the game. He said the donation would be a motivator to “put his heart and soul” into a hometown program, and spur donations from moneyed friends who otherwise don’t care about UF.

But instead of accolades, Greene said he got a black eye after the university backed out of a naming agreement penned in early 2022.

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“This whole thing is getting spun in a mean-spirited way against me,” Greene said in an interview with The Palm Beach Post on Wednesday.

After learning his name wouldn’t be on the campus, Greene said he offered to sell the land to UF instead.

That deal didn’t pan out. In late January, then-UF President Ken Fuchs wrote Greene to tell him that UF didn’t want to name the entire campus after Greene because the university needed to keep naming rights available for other needed donations.

Fuchs then told Greene the price of naming rights for various aspects of the project: $150 million for the campus, $100 million for the school and $50 million for a building. “Your request to have the campus named after you in exchange for your gift would not allow us the naming inventory needed to secure $300 million,” Fuchs wrote to Greene.

In the Wednesday interview, Greene retorted: “I don’t care about a building. This was never about naming. It was about getting involved.”

To build a West Palm Beach campus, UF needs 12 acres, including Green’s 5 acres, combined with 5 acres from the county and 2 acres from the city.

Efforts to fold Greene’s land into the campus plan reached a stalemate after the December sales deal fell apart. On Tuesday, UF announced it would “pause” its plans for a possible West Palm Beach campus in a statement that hinted at the behind-the-scenes drama.

“Given some regrettable divisions in the local community, the University of Florida is pausing deliberation about a possible West Palm Beach campus,” the announcement said. “As Florida’s flagship university and a land-grant institution, UF is committed to being a unifying presence throughout the state and does not want to divide communities we aim to serve.”

Greene said he had a “very positive conversation” with Sasse on Tuesday where he got the impression that Sasse, being new, just needed time to review the West Palm Beach plan inked by the former president’s administration before signing off on it.

But that’s not what was conveyed in the UF statement, Greene said.

“At the end of the day, he’s the sheriff,” Greene said about Sasse. “I’m not going to pick a fight with him.”

City and county officials rushed to soften UF’s statement, saying they were hopeful an agreement for a campus was still possible.

Kelly Smallridge, president and CEO of the Palm Beach County Business Development Board, said she doesn’t think businesses considering moving to the area will have a knee-jerk reaction to the UF announcement. But the campus has been a big part of her pitch to local and out-of-state companies.

“It’s an absolute selling point because when companies come to us they ask us where will their employees be trained,” Smallridge said. “We are very much counting on, and working hard, to get the 2 million square feet for UF up and running for long-term economic success.”

Tuesday’s announcement didn’t shock Smallridge, but it was a realization that the plan, which appeared on track with both the county and city readily approving land donations, needed more finessing.

“I go back 34 years doing this, and I know that the hardest projects can come with little bumps along the way,” Smallridge said.

Jeff Greene:UF offered to nspanme West Pspanlm grspanduspante school spanfter me. ‘A despanl’s span despanl.’

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A get-together in Palm Beach County between UF donors and the school’s fundraising department is scheduled for Friday. Greene said Sasse couldn’t meet with him then, but suggested meeting later in the month.

Stephen Ross, the billionaire owner of the Miami Dolphins football team and chairman of the prolific West Palm Beach builder Related Cos., has worked behind the scenes to court UF. He said he’s hopeful a deal with UF is “salvageable” and believes Palm Beach County School District land near A.W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts is a feasible alternative to Green’s 5 acres.

Ross said he has spoken to school district Superintendent Mike Burke about the possibility of using district land.

The district released a statement Tuesday saying it is “exploring beneficial opportunities for growth.”

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“As such, Superintendent Mike Burke has taken part in talks with the City of West Palm Beach, the University of Florida, and interested parties to explore a potential partnership within our school community,” the statement said.

Millions of dollars in public and private money are riding on the UF campus in West Palm Beach, including $100 million Florida lawmakers gave the school last year to build the program. The money is contingent on getting the 12 acres of land donated and achieving $100 million in cash donations before July 1. 2027.

Greene said he’d like to follow the original plan with UF where he donates the land in exchange for the campus being named after him.

But he is also willing to make up the difference between what the school is able to raise and the $100 million, sell his 5 acres to UF, and “walk away.”

“I think we still have the best site and best city for the school,” Greene said.