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County approves changes to marina

Residents fear that the repaired marina will be a departure point for shuttles to a gambling boat.

By NICOLE BARDO-COLON
Published July 11, 2007

TIERRA VERDE - Despite the objections of more than 100 residents Tuesday, the Pinellas County Commission okayed changes at the Tierra Verde Marina that residents fear will lead to a water shuttle taking people to a gambling boat offshore.

However, the marina would need to acquire a conditional use permit from the county to operate such a vessel. As of Tuesday, it had not done so. If it does, the application will not be before the commission before November.

Before the discussion began, Commissioner Robert Stewart urged residents to focus on the issues the commissioners had before them that day. On its face, he said, it appeared the application should be approved.

He said there are no navigational issues and no environmental concerns. The marina needs repairs, and the original configuration is faulty, he said.

The approved changes at the marina call for an additional 3,000 square feet in dock space and a reduction of 14 boat slips.

Tierra Verde residents told the commission they are concerned about traffic, public safety, the Tierra Verde Bridge and the overall quality of life on the island. The commission also received 116 letters and a petition with 175 signatures opposing the application.

"This is our home," said Laura Fulmer, a Tierra Verde resident. "We feel like they are taking baby steps. We know about the gambling boat."

Nancy Besinger, a board member of the Tierra Verde Community Association, expressed concern over the bus stop near the marina.

"There is a child's bus stop," she said. "Gambling patrons will cross a major boulevard. We want to safeguard our community from an overload of commercialism. This is not over."

The primary worry is the marina's application to the Florida Department of Environmental Management for a waiver of a clause in its submerged land lease that prohibits operating a shuttle or vessel to an offshore gambling boat.

Tony Amico, who is one of the owners of the marina, said they had not yet heard back from the state on that issue.

"That was not our intention when we bought the marina," he said. "We are trying to make this the finest facility on the west coast."

He said he has invested $2-million to reconfigure the marina and said he plans to go ahead with the repairs even if the state does not approve the submerged land lease waiver.

In the end Chairman Ronnie Duncan's vote in favor sealed the approval but the residents' efforts did not go unnoticed. Both Commissioners John Morroni and Calvin Harris voted against the application.

"This is opening the door for gambling," Morroni said. "There is no way I can support this."

Harris said it was hard to separate the two issues of the reconfiguration of the dock and the community's concerns about its end use.

Commissioner Susan Latvala agreed with Commissioners Duncan and Stewart that the issue at hand was not the gambling boat, but said if it was, she would vote against. "I won't be in favor of gambling," she said.

Terri Skapik, a consultant with Woods Consulting, and David Smolker, attorney for the marina, both spoke on the marina's behalf. Skapik discussed the construction of the marina and the environmental effects.

"We have environmental scientists and marine biologists on staff to do surveys," he said. Smolker said if they go before the commission again with the gambling issue, they will have to be prepared.

"We have our work cut out for us," Smolker said. "We learned that here today."

Nicole Bardo-Colon can be reached at 893-8779 or nbardo-colon@sptimes.com

[Last modified July 11, 2007, 07:55:53]