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Code proposal rankles St. Pete Beach residents
By AMY WIMMER, Times Staff Writer ST. PETE BEACH -- Ralph Lickton took the 192-page book he has spent so many hours studying, held it in front of him and let it fall to the floor. Slam. "That's what this book is worth," Lickton announced to the crowd gathered at the city's Legion Hall. The Wednesday night meeting was intended to be an information session about the city's proposed land development code -- the document that Lickton, a local hero among some St. Pete Beach factions these days, threw on the floor. But before it was over, the gathering of the Presidents Council, an organization of civic and homeowners association leaders, had become an emotional debate over the historic development of the city, a forum for candidates' stump speeches, and a precursor for what promises to be a heated city election. The land development code is controversial enough without the added theater of an impending election. The city's senior planner, Jerry Speece, was forced to apologize two weeks ago after he wrote a memo stating in bold-faced type and capital letters: "THERE ARE NO CHANGES IN BUILDING HEIGHTS." Problem is, Speece had changed building height limits in several parts of the city, raising a previous cap of 35 feet to 50 feet. City commissioners have since vowed to preserve the 35-foot limit. "The only one who benefits from these changes are the developers and realtors, and while eventually there might be some benefits to the city, they aren't immediate," said Lickton, a house designer with a penchant for studying the complex and mundane document details that make most citizens' eyes glaze over. He was the first to study the code and recognize that, despite Speece's claims, it did change some heights. Speece has said his statement was intended to refer to controversial height changes along Corey Avenue and Hotel Row, which have been removed from the plan. He said he forgot the other height changes remained in the ordinance. "How are we supposed to trust the people who tell us one thing and in the written document do something different? There's no trust," said Bill Allard, who is running for city commissioner against incumbent Peter Blank. Lickton complained that the proposed land development code lists all the new complicated regulations but does not inform residents about what the old rules are. As a result, people are unclear about what is changing. Mayor Ward Friszolowski announced Wednesday that the commission will not vote on the code Tuesday as planned. Instead, the commission will accept public comment on the plan. Friszolowski said the city still wants to move forward with the plan and will accept questions from the public for only two or three weeks -- a comment that wasn't well received by the head of the Presidents Council, Jack Ohlhaber. "I'd say it's more important to get it right than in two or three weeks," Ohlhaber said. Friszolowski said: "We want to get your comments, but get them in a timely fashion so that this doesn't go on for months." In the historically political town of St. Pete Beach, where a vocal faction often accuses city officials of doing favors for their friends and promoting overdevelopment, March 12 is shaping up to be a big day. The two elected officials that group would most like to vote out of office, Friszolowski and Blank, are both up for re-election. Both face opposition from candidates not afraid to point fingers at the current administration. And City Commissioner John Phillips, who represents the north side of the city in the Blind Pass Road area, already has announced he will not run again, so at least one newcomer will be elected to the Commission. "We're at a crossroads," said John Bailey, a former city commissioner who represented Vina Del Mar and Pass-a-Grille. Bailey often voted against his colleagues and was criticized as a divisive force. Bailey wielded a voice of opposition Wednesday night, too, pumping his fist into the air as he spoke. "The documents we have gotten from this planning department are consistently jaundiced and flawed," Bailey said, criticizing Speece and bringing up the problems the city had getting its comprehensive plan approved by the state three years ago. "They consistently favor overdevelopment." The state urged St. Pete Beach to limit development in the barrier island city, considered a "coastal high hazard area." The city eventually negotiated a compromise with the state Department of Community Affairs over the comprehensive plan. "We're trying to keep the qualify of life in our community," Friszolowski told Bailey. "You voted for increased density," Bailey replied, adding that Friszolowski has a habit of getting the "last word" at commission meetings after a resident comes to the podium with a complaint. "You're twisting the truth," Friszolowski said. "That is the truth, Ward, and let's not have the last word," Bailey said. Lost in the rhetoric were details about what this proposed new plan will do. Among the many changes outlined in the document, available at the St. Pete Beach Public Library, are: New rules against parking recreational vehicles, boats and personal watercraft in driveways. Changes in setbacks in neighborhoods and some business districts. Changes in landscaping requirements for new developments. Several residents said they would like to see the city undergo a formalized master plan process before it embarks on new land development codes. Mike Bonfield, St. Pete Beach's new city manager, urged residents to pay attention to the master plan process that Madeira Beach will undertake in a series of meetings later this month. Bonfield was city manager in Madeira Beach. The Wednesday night Presidents Council gathering was Bonfield's first public meeting in St. Pete Beach. "We've got a lot of pages with a lot of words on them," said Terry Gannon, a former mayor, "but it isn't going to tell me what our town is going to look like."
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