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By AARON SHAROCKMANThe City Council awards stores a 1,000-foot buffer from tents offering seasonal items such as yule trees.
CLEARWATER - What started as a complex discussion of dozens of proposed development code changes Wednesday night hit a climax with a much simpler question: Are all Christmas trees created equal?
The discussion at the City Council meeting centered around temporary businesses that pop up on roadsides selling Christmas trees, Mother's Day carnations or Halloween pumpkins, according to the season.
Permanent retailers object to the tented businesses, saying they take shoppers and their money from the stores that offer the same products. On Wednesday, they asked for protection: a 1,000-foot buffer in all directions between the tent businesses and their stores.
Which gets back to the original point: Should a business owner who sells plastic trees get a buffer to protect him from the Johnny-come-seasonally selling the real kind?
"Oh my goodness," said council member Carlen Petersen, realizing the faux seriousness of the matter.
Planning director Michael Delk offered his expert opinion.
"We would consider the product to be Christmas trees," Delk said, dryly, lumping them all in the same category.
Mayor Frank Hibbard, an admitted natural tree purchaser, jumped in: "But they're so much more."
He succumbed, however, within seconds.
The City Council, by a 4-1 vote, awarded permanent business owners (including ones who primarily sell fake trees) a 1,000-foot buffer from the seasonal tent owners who sell the same product (fake or real).
Vice Mayor Bill Jonson voted no. But not because he was making a value judgment about Christmas trees.
He just thought 1,000 feet was a little excessive.