"I wish I had a crystal ball. But I’ll tell you that I’m going to be drinking some Cuban coffee, because I think it’ll go late."
Ahead of a key meeting today, two battles are playing out in St. Pete Beach over the possible expansion of the Sirata Beach Resort, where the owner is seeking to add two new waterfront hotels.
One is about the development’s merits and drawbacks. In public comments, including hundreds of emails submitted into the public record, opponents have contended that the construction of a 290-room JW Marriott and a 130-room Hampton Inn would degrade local character, intensify traffic and pose a threat to wildlife, particularly sea turtles.
“I think at its core, this is a tipping point for the city of St. Pete Beach, and this is why the decision is so critical to its future,” said Jane Graham, an attorney for the nonprofit Protect St. Pete Beach Advocacy Group, which opposes the project. “The Sirata is actually one of the first of these large resort developments that are coming through for redevelopment, and what this developer has tried to do is pack it to the hilt.”
Read more at the Tampa Bay Times