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What's in store for old Ozona marina?
By ROBERT FARLEY
© St. Petersburg Times, OZONA -- Neighborhood questions have abounded ever since John J. "Jack" Bennett bought the landmark Speckled Trout Marina in February. Would Bennett, for example, try to put a restaurant or townhouses there, as former owners once proposed? One neighbor wanted to know whether the large building under construction across the street was going to be a boat house. "That'd be a pretty nice boat house," said Bennett's daughter, Jill Howard, laughing. The building will be Bennett's three-bedroom home. And though all the plans for the property have not been finalized, there are a few definites. For one, there will be no restaurant. The other big question on residents' minds: What will become of the unsightly concrete pilings, the remnants of the aborted restaurant project? Howard said she has taken to calling them the "Stonehenge of Ozona." Bennett, 78, said he hasn't decided yet, though he's leaning toward building a pavilion for a fish camp, complete with a bait house and snack shop. "The history of this is as a fish camp," Bennett said, "and that is really what I'd like to do." Bennett had initially planned to build his home atop the pillars but decided against it. Howard said other options include a boat club or a house for Bennett's son Rick. First up, though, Bennett plans to undertake a $30,000 dredging project. The Pinellas County Commission this week signed off on the plan, which is scheduled to begin in October or November. Bennett also plans to restore the sea walls and dock. In a letter of introduction Bennett passed out to neighbors, he states that area residents "deserve more than just a bottleneck when they pass by the marina on a beautiful weekend day. . . . I am determined to make the Speckled Trout Marina pleasing to the eye and a regular part of the Ozona community." Bennett bought the 1.6-acre properties on both sides of Bayshore Boulevard in February for $680,000, according to the county property appraiser's office. Past plans, like the ones for a restaurant and townhouses, met with strong neighborhood opposition. Bennett hopes for better luck. "I'm trying to keep a low profile," Bennett said this week. "I hope I don't rub too many people the wrong way. I want to be a good neighbor." One group of residents who may be unhappy with Bennett's plans are those who now use the boat ramp. Once the boat storage spaces across the street are filled, the boat ramp -- one of only a few in the area -- may be closed to the public. Howard said she sympathizes with those who want access to the boat ramp, which costs $7 to use. "There are hardly any places for the little guy to launch a boat," she said. The problem is that with the construction of Bennett's house, there will be less parking for boat trailers. There is not enough parking on the property to accommodate a large number of recreational boaters, she said. Bennett, who currently lives in New Jersey, is the founder and former CEO of ANADAC Inc., an engineering consulting company. He once served as the acting assistant secretary of defense and assistant secretary of the Navy under President Gerald Ford. He is a silent partner in TBG Reliance Corp., an Internet software company founded by his twin sons, Rick and Rob, just a few blocks away from his new home, at Orange and Lemon streets.
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From the Times North Pinellas desks |
