ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. (WFLA) — After more than 10 hours of discussion, St. Pete Beach city commissioners ended their special meeting at 2:30 a.m. Thursday without answers.
The lengthy debacle was over the construction of two waterfront hotels.
One would be 10 stories with 290 rooms and rooftop dining, drinking and music.
You can view the renderings filed publicly by the managing corporation, Columbia Sussex below.
The other hotel would stand eight stories tall with 130 rooms, also with rooftop features.
You can also view the renderings of this hotel filed publicly by the managing corporation, Columbia Sussex below.
Hundreds of people filed public comment, taking issue with things like traffic, blocking views, noise and even the wind.
“The concern for wind, I was there one day by coincidence, it was pretty bad,” Commissioner Betty Rzewnicki explained. “I myself, as the owner, would think to myself, ‘Can my guests open the door?”‘
“It was hard for me when I went there to go visit, I was like wow they weren’t kidding,” she continued.
Joe Young said he contacted the engineers who did the Tradewinds wind study.
“I called them,” he said. “When I gave them the situation, they started laughing.”
“They said, ‘You gotta be kidding me,” he continued. “People really think if they add three floors to this building is going to create an effect that’s not there right now?”
Last week, an attorney from Columbia Sussex sent a letter to the city saying it’s an unfair fight.
That attorney from the hotel’s managing corporation asked that Mayor Adrian Petrila recuse himself from Wednesday night’s meeting claiming he’s biased.
They referenced the mayor’s position as founder of Protect St. Pete Beach, an organization vocally opposed to this project.
Nevertheless, Mayor Petrila and the rest of the city commissioners remain undecided after hours of discussion.
One commissioner even compared this to the Don CeSar.
“I could honestly say, the experience I had working with the Don [CeSar] was very different,” Rzewnicki explained. “I’m not saying what’s right and what’s wrong, but hearing so many residents and so much discourse makes me feel something went wrong along the way.”
The motion is set to come before commissioners again Tuesday.