Despite trying to fit in with the town's character, the retailer meets with protests in Tarpon Springs.
By NORA KOCH, Times Staff Writer
Published January 18, 2005
[Photo: Handout]
To give the store a Mediterranean flavor, Wal-Mart added blue to match the Greek flag in a nod to the city's heritage.
[Times photo: Douglas R. Clifford]
Bob Biolzi, left, of Clearwater and Shelley Eckert of Treasure Island take donations during a folk music concert Sunday in Tarpon Springs. Store opponents cite environmental and traffic concerns and hired a lawyer.
[Times photo: Douglas R. Clifford]
Wal-Mart's plans to put a 24-hour supercenter on undeveloped land on the Anclote River is likely to be approved tonight by the City Commission.
TARPON SPRINGS - In this Greek-settled city, the best coffee in town is still at Mr. Bill's Donut & Deli.
There's off-the-boat fresh fish for sale at the Sponge Docks' seafood markets and a family-owned department store still sells postal-worker uniforms on a tree-lined main street. It is an artist's colony and fisherman's haven, unlike any other place in Pinellas County.
But the distinct character Tarpon Springs has honed over the past century is now under assault, some residents say, with the city divided over a plan to build a 24-hour Wal-Mart Supercenter on the Anclote River.
A Greek-style big-box store, with some 900 parking spaces and a drive-through pharmacy, garden center, supermarket, and tire and lube service station, would sit on a sandy hill on the river bank.
Neighbors have rallied to oppose it, citing concern about gopher tortises and other wildlife. They worry about light and noise from the all-night store, and the impact on the city's signature mom-and-pop stores. And then there's fear of traffic nightmares on already jamme d U.S. 19., with estimates that a Wal-Mart could generate as many as 16,000 extra trips a day.
But it's not just a NIMBY-style fight about the environment and traffic, say opponents, who collected donations to hire a lawyer. The battle against Wal-Mart is to save a piece of authentic Old Florida, they say.
Wal-Mart cites hundreds of new jobs, more tax revenue and a land donation for a park as signs it wants to be a good neighbor - and hired its own team of local lawyers and public relations specialists.
The battle mirrors others waged across the nation against the world's biggest retailer. Most times, the opponents have lost.
In Tarpon Springs, that's the likely outcome. The city attorney has said the City Commission has virtually no legal option but to approve the project at a meeting tonight.
But that hasn't stopped mothers such as Joan Skaaland from standing on the side of the highway holding protests signs, hoping for a different outcome. She knows she's not alone.
"People honk, give you a thumbs-up," she said. "It's all worth it."
* * *
Wal-Mart calls this hard-charging group of opponents a "small, vocal minority."
There are people out there supporting the Tarpon store, Wal-Mart spokesman Glen Wilkins says, and nearly 2,000 shoppers in the Palm Harbor store signed a petition for it.
"It's hard to get people to get out and say, "Yes, I'm for it,"' Wilkins said on a cell phone from a Wal-Mart grocery store grand opening in Nashville. "They think, it's the world's largest retailer, how can I help?"
Wal-Mart has gone out of its way to fit into the community, he said.
Architects designed the store with a Mediterranean flair, matching the blue paint to the Greek flag. Wal-Mart plans to donate 27 acres of land to the city and build a nature walk and kayak launch.
The company says it will bring to Tarpon Springs one-stop, convenient shopping and 485 new jobs. Plus, city officials say, there'll be a potential tax-revenue boost of at least $150,000 a year.
"You're going to have those people who don't want anything (built there), then those people who don't like Wal-Mart for whatever reason, so there's nothing we're going to be able to do make them happy," Wilkins said.
* * *
On Sunday, a hopeful crowd braved chilly winds to gather in a city park that fronts a tranquil bayou to oppose the store. Hand-lettered signs posted at intersections around downtown directed people to the event. Folk musicians took the stage to sing about Old Florida, manatees and eagles.
"I'm Florida. Need I say more? I don't need another Wal-Mart next door," crooned Bobby Hicks, a folk legend-in-the-works.
While folk singers lamented about dying Florida culture, people in sweaters and hats milled around Craig Park passing around petitions, handing out copies of anti-Wal-Mart articles and collecting donations in gray 5-gallon buckets.
"You want to save this country, you got to start in your own neighborhood," Hicks shouted from the stage.
This loosely knit group was launched last fall, when the buzz on Wal-Mart took over the city. People met at hearings, started making calls to each other, and soon, hired a land use attorney from Tampa at $300 an hour to make their argument that the property zoning is not appropriate for a big-box store. Donations trickled in, with checks ranging from $5 to $500. They've raised nearly $15,000.
The Sierra Club held a movie night, screening documentaries that examine Wal-Mart as a corporate giant. City Hall was flooded with hundreds of pieces of mail.
The issue inspired a young lawyer and an artist to run for City Commission. Attorney Matt King bought radio spots on a local AM station.
Local indie station WMNF-FM 88.5 got wind and took up the cause, rallying a crowd for Sunday's event.
Tarpon Springs' own caliber of celebrities turned out, including Hicks and reknowned artist Christopher Still.
Mitch Kolbe, another local artist, painted a sunset scene of the riverfront lot where Wal-Mart wants to build. It auctioned for $1,200 on Sunday.
Kolbe called it The Sun Is Setting on the Anclote .
--Times researchers Caryn Baird and John Martin contributed to this report. Nora Koch can be reached at nkoch@sptimes.com or 727 771-4304.
