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Letter to the editor

'A good project, but is it Tarpon Springs?'

A resort aimed at "mega yachters" evokes mixed reactions.

By ELENA LESLEY
Published June 7, 2007

TARPON SPRINGS - Jumbles of masts, some partly sunken, and rusted metal roofs frame the industrial skyline across from the Sponge Docks.

It's a somewhat ramshackle backdrop for diners and shoppers on the south side of the Anclote River.

It's also an authentic one.

But a plan for a resort hotel on the river's north side could transform the character of this quaint waterfront.

Jerry Fletcher, president of Bayland Development Group LLC, told city commissioners at Tuesday night's meeting that his planned 200-room destination resort and spa would draw high-end tourists and money to the city.

And he claimed it could be built without driving out what's left of Tarpon's working waterfront.

Commissioners said they needed time to think, and asked Fletcher to return in two weeks for their vote on whether to negotiate a development agreement with him.

Their decision, nearly all agreed, is much bigger than deciding if Fletcher is entitled to permits to build an 84-foot-tall terraced structure that would require dredging some previously filled riverbed. It's a decision that evokes what Tarpon Springs has been and what it will become.

"Sure, it's a good project," George Billiris, husband of Mayor Beverley Billiris, said during the public comments portion of the meeting. But, he asked, "is this Tarpon Springs?"

Fletcher thinks it is. His plan calls for a $700-million resort marketed to well-heeled yachters. Amenities would include 200 to 300 dry slips, 50 to 70 wet slips, a spa and wellness center and space for boats up to 165 feet long. He said the project, located on Island Avenue, would create 270 jobs.

Fletcher described luxury yacht owners, dripping money, who would dock their boats, enjoy the resort's amenities, and then take water taxis over to Dodecanese Boulevard to shop and eat. And they "do buy T-shirts and they do buy trinkets," he said. "And they would buy 20 where I would buy one."

Fletcher called "mega yachters" an underserved niche market. He said resort rooms would be marketed to those willing to buy six-week fractional shares. He predicted the new tourists would pump $300-million annually into the regional economy.

Despite all these potential benefits, commissioners and some residents still struggled with the question of identity.

"Do we want to be Fort Lauderdale, or do we want to be Tarpon Springs?" George Billiris asked the audience.

The problem is, said those supporting Fletcher, maybe Tarpon Springs can no longer afford to be Tarpon Springs -- an authentic little Greek waterfront with lots of history and no hotel rooms.

"That charm is not working any longer," said John Williams, executive director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance and owner of one the properties Fletcher has under contract. "Tourism is going down, buildings at the sponge docks are dilapidated. There are more parking lots than businesses."

In Williams' opinion, the best way to save Tarpon Springs, particularly its working waterfront, is to develop. Plus, Fletcher has offered to accommodate the six shrimping boats -- owned by Williams and a partner -- that the project would displace, and help start a fisheries co-op in the area.

"The fisheries are part of what makes Tarpon attractive to tourists," said Spiro Verras, one of the lawyers who, along with former Rep. Mike Bilirakis, is representing Fletcher.

Commissioner Peter Dalacos, the only commissioner who wanted to enter development negotiations immediately, said he saw where the fishermen were coming from.

"We are rooted in our history, but we have a chance to make new history," he said.

Still, other commissioners weren't convinced this was the future they wanted for Tarpon Springs. They asked Fletcher to return June 19 with plans at varying heights and examples of similar structures they could examine.

"What we have, if we lose it, I don't believe we can ever get it back," Commissioner David Archie said.

[Last modified June 6, 2007, 21:19:16]