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Letter to the editor

Outback Steakhouse closes beach location

By Times Staff Writers
Published February 24, 2008

CLEARWATER

Call the Outback Steakhouse on Clearwater Beach and you hear this message: "Sorry mate, this location is now closed."

The Australian-themed chain shut its north Clearwater Beach restaurant Monday, a little more than five years after it opened.

"This particular location no longer works for us," Pete May, joint venture partner of Outback Steakhouse, said in a written statement Thursday. "The closure is a prudent business decision for us at this time."

May said the company will work with the 100 or so employees to relocate them to one of the other company restaurants in the area.

Restaurant officials declined to comment further.

Beach residents and city officials said they were disappointed but not surprised by the closure. One reason: Despite its location near three large condominium complexes, there weren't enough residents to sustain the restaurant, they say.

"I was one of their good customers and I'm not happy at all," said City Council member Paul Gibson, a real estate agent who lives in the nearby Belle Harbor condo complex and works in Pelican Walk - the same pink strip mall the restaurant once anchored.

Mike Donila, Times staff writer

CLEARWATER

City may hire broker to secure land for garage

The City Council on Thursday night launched a plan to hire a land broker to assemble property for a parking garage on Clearwater Beach away from the sandy shore.

At least three proposals to buy land from developers have fallen through in the past 18 months. So council members directed City Attorney Pam Akin to look into what the city needs to do to hire a broker.

She's expected to have a report at the council's first meeting in early March. Officials then could hammer out details, including how much land they need and who will assemble it.

A broker, if hired, would have about 60 days to assemble the property. But it's still not known how much the land would cost.

A broker would probably collect 2.5 percent to 3.5 percent from the sale, but nothing if it didn't go through.

In the end, the City Council would have to sign off on a sale.

Mike Donila, Times staff writer

PALM HARBOR

Height of rink's roof could be costly problem

Need a roof, a very large roof?

Unless a solution can be found, Palm Harbor Parks and Recreation Department could have an expensive and excess roof on its hands.

The open-sided metal structure is partially built over a roller-hockey rink in the Sunderman recreation complex bordered by Eighth Street and Delaware Avenue. Designed to cover 9,000 square feet, the roof is 33 feet tall at its highest point.

And that's the problem. Pinellas County officials are telling the builder this: 33 feet is higher than what we agreed to.

They ordered work to stop. And it has.

Neighbors are upset, too. The roof over the rink obscures their view, they say.

At a time when governments are facing drastic cutbacks in operational budgets, the $461,000 project - financed with public money - could face demolition.

Theresa Blackwell, Times staff writer

PALM HARBOR

Lawmaker says his tip led to grow house raid

To Peter Nehr's lengthy resume of jobs and activities - businessman, city commissioner, state representative, bodybuilding enthusiast - add this line:

Crime dog.

The 55-year-old state representative proudly stepped forward Wednesday as the tipster who alerted authorities to a marijuana grow house near Lake Tarpon that deputies raided the day before.

Sheriff's officials said the arrest netted 29 live plants, 131 marijuana root balls and more than 136 pounds of harvested marijuana, worth an estimated $500,000. Not to mention an assortment of weapons.

The day after the raid, Nehr sent out an e-mail taking credit for the tip and promoting a bill he has co-sponsored to tighten state drug laws.

Jonathan Abel, Times staff writer

[Last modified February 23, 2008, 21:08:39]