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No easy peace in St. Pete Beach

The city offers olive branches to Citizens for Responsible Growth, but the group says they fall short. Members have stronger measures, and more of them, in mind.

By PAUL SWIDER
Published April 16, 2006

City Attorney Tim Driscoll told commissioners Tuesday that the city offered to drop all appeals and simply accept Circuit Court decisions if the other side did likewise.

Citizens for Responsible Growth, whose preferred candidates won in the March elections, asked the city to drop its appeals and repeal its comprehensive plan in order to end all litigation.

"CRG is now a political force," said Ken Weiss, the attorney for the political group. "There'll be a new commission next year."

The two parties are involved in six lawsuits, including one appeal, concerning the city's plans for mixed-use development and tall hotels to spur tourism. After the elections revealed voter discontent, the commission decided to pursue negotiations to reunite the city.

The city has spent nearly $140,000 through February on these cases and a challenge CRG filed and dropped over the city's comprehensive plan. The dispute dates back at least a year to a time when CRG said the city's plan would ruin the community. Beyond the courts, commissioners also discussed how to satisfy concerns over the plans themselves.

"To have an open, honest discussion about how we move forward, that's music to my ears," said Commissioner Mike Finnerty, the CRG candidate who replaced Deborah Martohue in a proxy vote on the city's plans.

The city is considering bringing back its original redevelopment consultant, Glatting-Jackson, to hold public sessions about redevelopment preferences. The city may also make use of St. Petersburg College's Collaborative Labs to hold a stakeholder planning session. The city may even conduct some baseline studies of traffic and sewer service to satisfy curiosity about growth capacity. All these olive branches still fall short of CRG's desires.

"I think it's akin to a Trojan horse," said Bill Pyle, who has single-handedly financed a third of the nearly $50,000 CRG has raised to fight the city. Pyle said the city's workshop was just a way to get some CRG members to adopt the city's line and ignore the others.

Different members of the group have stated different preferences about how the city should grow. Commissioner Deborah Nicklaus asked Pyle who, exactly, speaks for CRG. Pyle often addresses the commission but does not claim to represent the group. He offered no suggestion on who does.

On the legal front, Weiss wants the city to back off its litigation and somehow remove litigation of developer St. Pete Partners, the owner of the Travelodge that sued CRG and the city over referendums. He said it's the city's responsibility if the parties reach no middle ground. He suggested the city might offer charter amendments like those restricting building height in Treasure Island, a case Weiss handled three years ago.

"I want this over for the city and for me," said Weiss, who also works as a mediator in family disputes. "But there are some things you don't compromise."

Weiss also said he wants the commissioners to vote on whether to continue litigation, whether to continue to fight CRG's appeal of one lawsuit, and whether to retain outside counsel Tom Pelham in the matter. Finnerty voiced similar sentiments at the commission meeting.

In the meantime, at least one hotel owner has filed plans to build residential condominiums, which reflects a loss of tourist facilities that even CRG agrees the city should avoid.

Paul Swider can be reached at 892-2271 or pswider@sptimes.com or by participating in itsyourtimes.com.

[Last modified April 16, 2006, 08:54:08]