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BayWalk developer to leave his ambassador post in Italy

Mel Sembler says he wants to return later this year to be near family in the bay area.

By BILL ADAIR
Published January 19, 2005

WASHINGTON - St. Petersburg developer Mel Sembler plans to step down from his post as U.S. ambassador to Italy later this year.

Sembler, a prominent Republican fundraiser who has held the diplomatic job since 2001, said he expects to return to St. Petersburg in about five or six months.

He has not formally resigned but has notified the White House that he wants to return to the United States. Sembler said President Bush has asked him and his wife, Betty, to remain in Italy until his replacement is confirmed by the Senate.

Sembler, the developer of BayWalk in St. Petersburg and founder of the STRAIGHT drug treatment program, said diplomats typically serve a four-year term and that he and his wife are eager to return to the Tampa Bay area to see their children and grandchildren.

"Betty and I have been away three or four years," he said. "It's time for us to come home."

Sembler is in Washington to attend President Bush's inauguration. On Friday, he will present congressional leaders with a gold seal that was given to George Washington during the construction of the U.S. Capitol.

He and Betty recently bought the seal, which Washington used for sealing letters, and decided to donate it to Congress so it can be displayed at the new Capitol visitor center.

Sembler, 74, of Treasure Island, said he does not know what he will do when he returns home but that he might be less active in Republican politics. "Been there, done that," he said.

His company, which has become famous for urban developments such as BayWalk, has done well in the past few years, but Sembler noted wryly that the company seems to perform better when he's out of the country.

"The fact is, the more time I spend away, the better I do," he said.

Rep. C.W. Bill Young, R-Largo, said Sembler earned high marks from President Bush for his diplomatic work and that the Italian government would like him to stay longer.

Sembler, who served as ambassador to Australia from 1989 to 1993, said he enjoyed his time in Italy.

"It's been a fabulous posting, but it's been very busy," he said. "We have brought the message of America to all of Italy. We feel good about what we've accomplished."

Diplomacy has a lot in common with being a real estate developer, he said. "It's all about building relationships."

[Last modified January 19, 2005, 00:32:23]