Florida county's deal to buy SS United States on hold

A $1 million deal to sell the SS United States to a Florida county hit a snag, requiring the ship's stewards to reopen talks to salvage the agreement.

Why it matters: The SS United States Conservancy is frantically searching for a new home for the historic ocean liner ahead of a court-imposed Sept. 12 deadline to remove the ship from its berth in Philadelphia.

Driving the news: Okaloosa County must head back to the negotiating table after hitting a "wrinkle" with dock landlord Penn Warehousing, forcing it to retool its current agreement with the Conservancy, county spokesperson Nick Tomecek told Axios.

• The county board was scheduled to vote Tuesday night to approve the acquisition of the 1,000-foot ocean liner for an artificial reefing project off the Gulf Coast.
• Under the initial signed contract, Okaloosa had until Oct. 4 to reach an agreement with Penn Warehousing about towing the ship.

What they're saying: The county said it's continuing to work with the Conservancy to salvage the deal, Tomecek said, but it's unclear if a new agreement can be buttoned up before the board's next meeting on Sept. 17.

• The Conservancy declined Axios' request for comment. Penn Warehousing couldn't be reached.

Zoom in: The county had estimated the project to cost $9 million, which included relocating the ship from Philly and removing pollutants to prepare it for sinking.

• The county also planned to set aside $1 million for a future museum celebrating the ship's place in American maritime history.

Okaloosa County has already identified three permitted sites that can accommodate the SS United States, which ​​set a record during its maiden voyage in 1952 as the fastest ocean liner to cross the Atlantic.