Voters repeal redevelopment plan

By CRISTINA SILVA
Published November 8, 2006

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ST. PETE BEACH - This Gulf Coast community became the first city in Florida to give its voters direct control over what could be built and where Tuesday night.

In a tight race, voters in the 6-mile barrier island barely passed four amendments to the city's charter that would keep tall buildings from going up without voter approval.

Pending potential legal challenges, the city's proposed master redevelopment plan, which cost thousands of dollars and was four years in the making, was repealed in a vote that was decided by a margin of just 24 votes.

From now on, any time a developer approaches the city with a plan for something bigger or taller than the city's current plan would allow in a large area of land, it must go up for voter approval.

Residents did turn down two of the six amendments before them.

They struck down an amendment that would require a unanimous vote of the commission to make any changes to the comprehensive land use plan that would be too small to require voter approval. This provision would have essentially given one commissioner veto power.

Voters did choose to allow development in the Dolphin Village shopping center and the Corey Avenue downtown area.

City officials said the vote is very close and that a recount might be necessary.

"I still believe in representative government and I think that a lot of people who voted no still believe in representative government," said Mayor Ward Friszolowski, who supported the master plan.

Kenneth Weiss, an attorney representing Citizens for Responsible Growth, the group that petitioned to have the questions on the ballot, kept his response short.

"We won, they lost," he said.

Patrick Slevin, a spokesman for the Alliance for a Balanced Community, a citizens group that was opposed to the amendment questions, said it was unclear what the next step for the city would be.

"Right now the big question is does this city have a comp. plan?" he said.