Thompson Cigar Factory: Bartow commission backs market test, eyes 2027 decision

2027 may be the year a final decision determines the fate of the Thompson Cigar Factory.

It was that determination Elle Withall, executive director of the Bartow Economic Development Council, sought from city commissioners at the Oct. 19 regular meeting: did a practical and credible path exist for an effort to go forward?

“Tonight, I’m asking for the chance to find out,” said Withall. Was there the will and support to apply an honest market test in order to locate a partner with the experience, financial capabilities and a realistic plan to take on the effort? “The question is not whether the building matters. The question is whether a workable future exists and whether the market can prove it for the building and for the land.”

Withall announced that within the past several weeks she had been approached by businesses with extensive adaptive reuse credentials asking about the property.

“They are waiting to see whether the city is serious, and tonight’s vote is how we answer them,” she said.

A two-phase approach

The process, should the city authorize Withall and the BEDC to go forward, would consist of two phases. Phase one would start with an RFQ (request for qualifications), which would determine which bidders qualify and which can deliver, based on redevelopment experience, team strength, and financial capacity.

Phase two would entail an RFP (request for proposal). An RFP evaluates scope, criteria, and submission requirements for a project, instead of just price. It focuses on quality and feasibility and requires a bidder to provide complete solutions that incorporate methodologies and a timeframe.

With that, it provided a proposed timeline should the process be given the green light. The commission would authorize the RFQ in November. The BEDC, working with City Attorney Sean Parker, would then finalize and issue the RFQ in December, and the city would publish the required legal notice. Given the upcoming holiday season, Withall said she expects early responses in early 2027. She said she would like to be back before the commission with a selection after the first of the year.

If it proves fruitless

Among concerns voiced was what if the process failed to yield any desired result.

“What happens if we don’t find a qualified partnership in this?” asked Commissioner Gary Ball. City Manager Mike Herr stepped in to answer, as he said this was a question for him, not Withall. His answer was that if the process did not produce a bona fide developer, he would come back to the commission and ask for direction to proceed with demolition.

“I want 2027 to be the year of decision for this building,” said Ball, who likened this request and proposal from Withall to an “11th hour” effort. Should it fail, it would be (using a baseball term) the third strike.

At one point, Commissioner Trish Pfeiffer gave a brief background on earlier efforts that had not done well, and why: the technology was not there as it is today. Now all that is needed is to type in keywords and phrases, and lengthy rosters of qualified businesses appear.

Discussion then shifted to what should be the composition of those reviewing and deciding. Should it be internal or include outside interests, was what Herr asked. In response, Vice Mayor Laura Simpson favored keeping it internal, to expedite the process, while Ball indicated the opposite.

Herr listed some possible people to be considered, but none of those included CRA Executive Director C. Howard Smith, which prompted Commissioner Leo E. Longworth to ask why Smith’s name wasn’t mentioned, even though the cigar factory is inside the CRA district. Herr said he didn’t include Smith because the latter’s hands were already tied up, having eight projects currently under his purview.

It was proposed and accepted that “external stakeholders” be a part of the process. Among those whose names were floated were Myrtice Young, historic preservation manager at the Polk County History Center; Chase Stevens, with Main Street Bartow; Jerry Williams, a CRA advocate; and Neal Duncan, director of Polk County’s Tourism and Sports Marketing Division, along with one or two others.

The decision, by consensus, was to go forward.

“I’m putting all my money on you, Elle,” said Mayor Tanya Tucker.

About the cigar factory

The building was constructed in the 1920s and opened in 1925. It was the first cigar factory in Florida to make cigars by machine. At its peak, it produced 20 million cigars per year. Production ceased in 1961.

For a time, Polk County used the building as a warehouse. But that was years ago. It has been vacant and deteriorating for decades.

The city purchased it in 2011 from the Polk County Board of County Commissioners, which had planned to raze the structure because it had, through neglect, seriously deteriorated.

The acquisition has since proven to be a bone of contention, not only among various city commissions, but also within the community, as to what its potential uses could be if restored.

Also, in 2018 there appeared to be a qualified potential buyer, who eventually walked away, the reason offered being primarily the complexities surrounding the acquisition.

On Nov. 9, 2021, the then-city commission voted unanimously to demolish the Thompson Cigar Factory.

At the time of the vote, former city commissioner Trish Pfeiffer (having lost her bid for a third consecutive term as a city commissioner) said the city should have been more aggressive in trying to attract an investor who had the money and the drive to give the building a second chance.

Pfeiffer said she could see the dilapidated structure being rehabilitated into something that would boost the area financially, be it a boutique hotel, a mercantile store, or other purposes, such as housing.

“Historic preservation experts and investors know how to turn a diamond in the rough into shining reuse again. It is done all over the world,” she said.

The cigar factory, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002, is categorized among the most endangered historic sites.

Steve Steiner can be reached at [email protected].

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Sources: City of Bartow, City Commission Regular Meeting Agenda, Oct. 19, 2026, item 7.a.2, Discussion relating to the Cigar Factory project, Elle Withall, BEDC, cityofbartow.net/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_10192026-479; Bartow City Commission regular meeting video transcript, Oct. 19, 2026; Polk County Government, Polk County History Center page, polkfl.gov/things-to-do/history-center; Polk County Government news release, Neal Duncan appointed new Polk County Tourism and Sports Marketing director, Aug. 4, 2026, polkfl.gov; Bartow Economic Development Council leadership page, bartowedc.com; FOX 13 News, Ken Suarez, Bartow’s historic cigar factory can’t be saved, city decides, Nov. 9, 2021, fox13news.com; Bartow City Commission regular meeting, Oct. 19, 2026, attended by Steve Steiner

Image alt text: Bartow Economic Development Council Executive Director Elle Withall speaks to Bartow city commissioners about the Thompson Cigar Factory on Oct. 19, 2026.