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Today's Letters: How Anna Maria retained its charm

By LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published April 1, 2007

Is growth issue really tourist hotels vs. condos? March 28, story

I continue to read how hotels and businesses on the beach can only survive if high-rises exist. This will make the community hideous to many residents.

Many years ago my grandfather, Fred H. Craven, was on the commission in Anna Maria and they restricted the building code far more than it is here. As a result people flock to an area that has retained a lot of its charm. Height and high-rises are not charming!

I don't believe the issue is about seeing the beach but about not seeing high-rises. I keep hearing about condo canyons. Well, I don't want hotel canyons. Visually they are the same!

If small business cannot survive unless high-rise hotels exist, then the cause of that is the problem. The mom-pop businesses and hotels are much more personal than the huge franchise businesses and developments. Let's put together petitions, citizens groups and lawyers to fight the tax structure so small businesses can continue to exist.

My husband and I are planning a trip to Key West soon but wouldn't be going there if it were full of high-rises. As Linda Chaney says, height and density do not equal tourism.

After my grandfather died, I bought his house on Anna Maria and kept if for 20 years. For many years people I didn't know would drop by to tell me how much they appreciated what he had done to preserve the community. We can preserve this one as well.

Sandra French, St. Pete Beach

Density is key to St. Pete Beach economic health 

Is growth issue really tourist hotels vs. condos? March 28, story

I would like to thank Cristina Silva for the most insightful article to date on the development issues in St. Pete Beach. I am a 20-year veteran of the tourism industry in resort group and leisure sales on St. Pete Beach. This is the first time any article has mentioned a need for "common ground" and for an understanding of what tourism does for a community.

It's clear that opposing smart development will hurt the area's economy. Just look at what happened on Treasure Island with the loss of 300 guest rooms at an average daily room rate of $69 per night, times 365 available nights per room, with a 50 percent occupancy.

The loss of room revenue is staggering. Add 12 percent tax to that total of lost revenue for Pinellas County. Just think about how much revenue was lost on food and beverages, bridge tolls, entertainment and shopping for those lost hotel rooms.

There's also the jobs that those 300 hotel rooms represent. Consider the money those employees spent on Treasure Island.

Density is the key for a "common ground" on St. Pete Beach for a good economy.

There is hardly a comparison between Key West and St. Pete Beach, as mentioned by Commissioner Linda Chaney. After all, Key West has 12-story floating resorts that dock daily to keep its economy robust.

Tom Clair, Apollo Beach

Blame all the condos, not CRG's victory 

CRG portends lean times March 25, letter

In regard to the recent election victory for Citizens for Responsible Growth, the writer says that you can already see the effects of the vote with "empty storefronts, failing hotels, starving restaurants." How absurd to put the blame on this vote.

People come to Florida to take a vacation. They don't come to see a beach lined with condominiums. And you can hardly see the water, let alone try to take a swim conveniently.

There used to be many interesting places to visit all along the waterfront. You could make a day hitting all the beaches, not just one. That is all gone due to condos. Tourists spend money in interesting little businesses. People who live in condos do not. Put the blame where it lies.

Donald F. Kelly, St. Petersburg

St. Pete Beach sure appears to be busy 

CRG portends lean times March 25, letter

The letter writer says, "We can already see the empty storefronts, failing hotels, starving restaurants - and this will only increase." The writer also said tourism declined during the past two years, painting a picture of doom and gloom.

Any decline in tourism in the past two years has been due to the economy and the high cost of oil (fuel) and transportation. As I daily traverse St. Pete Beach, I do not see any of the above. I see hotel parking lots full, crowded beaches, beach parking nonexistent. The Frog Pond and the Moon Under Water, two popular restaurants, are expanding to St. Pete Beach. Dockside Dave's is doing a brisk business here. Beverly's and her Annex are jammed daily!

My experience has been one of waiting patiently for a table at beach restaurants, longing for mid April and the end of the season when things (traffic included) return to a more normal pace. Yes, one thing is certain: We on St. Pete Beach have no lack of visitors, and we all will have to wait a couple of years to see the results of what the victory of Citizens for Responsible Growth brings.

Rod Johnson, St. Pete Beach

Dali Museum led way to downtown emergence 

Dali, city grow up together March 23, story

Your article on the Dali Museum's 25th anniversary was a nostalgic reminder of the time when we first began to reverse St. Petersburg's image as Tampa's ugly stepsister and develop a cultural identity and vibrancy that, today, is second to none in the region and the envy of our neighbors across the bay.

With the emergence of downtown St. Petersburg as a source of civic pride, it seems entirely appropriate to remember that the Dali led the way and remains the crown jewel of an ever growing cultural heritage. The opening of the Dali's new, greatly expanded museum near the site of the old Bayfront Center holds the promise of much more to come. This is truly a great time to call this area home.

Jim McGee, Treasure Island

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Letters for publication should be addressed to Letters to the Editor, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731. They can be faxed to (727) 893-8675 or sent through www.sptimes.com/letters. They must include the writer's name, address and phone number. Please include a handwritten signature when possible. Letters may be edited for clarity, taste and length.

[Last modified March 31, 2007, 20:18:55]