Fill out this form to email this article to a friend
Judge allows fewer people on more of Long Pier
By SHEILA MULLANE ESTRADA
Published July 13, 2006
REDINGTON SHORES - A judge Wednesday allowed more of the Redington Long Pier to reopen but reduced the number of people who can be on it. The nearly 50-year-old pier was closed several times last month when Redington Shores and Pinellas County cited the structure for potential safety hazards. The legal battle over the aging pier began in mid June after Tropical Storm Alberto washed pilings onto the beach. Residents worried the pilings were from the pier, and Redington Shores building official Steve Andrews ordered the pier closed. But owner Tony Antonious reopened the pier, so the town and county got a court order closing the 1,021-foot facility. It was eventually determined that the pilings that washed up on the beach did not break off the pier during the storm. Antonious has been making repairs in an effort to reopen the entire pier. Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Brandt Downey allowed about half the pier to reopen to no more than 333 people at a time. On Wednesday, Downey opened up several hundred feet more of the pier but limited it to no more than 150 people at a time. The judge also ordered Antonious to allow town and county inspectors onto the pier without charging admission. "We just want him to fix the pier. That's really all that is at issue," said Redington Shores Mayor Jody Armstrong.
[Last modified July 13, 2006, 05:45:32]
Share your thoughts on this story
|
News
Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
Print
Email story
Comment
Email editor
