St. Pete Beach Comprehensive Plan Passes Following Decade of Debate

Residents voiced concerns about building a public boardwalk, allowing resorts to build closer to the shoreline, and allowing high rise hotels prior to the final vote and passage of the St. Pete Beach Comprehensive Plan Tuesday night.

City Manager Mike Bonfield addressed several concerns during the commission meeting.

"There's nothing in the comp plan that allows a public boardwalk. Nothing that allow properties to be built back further," he said.

However, "There is authorization for additional building height," Bonfield said.

According to Bonfield, the allowable height for a large scale redevelopment is 146 feet. And, "that means 67 percent of the finished square footage on the site must be new construction."

"That is only allowed on the west side of Gulf Blvd from The Postcard Inn to the Dolphin Beach Resort," Bonfield said.

Despite some opposition, commissioners voted unanimously on August 13 to approve the revised Comprehensive Plan, which provides guidelines for redevelopment in designated districts.

Bill Pyle, President of one of the Silver Sands Condo Building Associations, told commissioners that 100 percent of residents disapprove of the Comprehensive Plan allowing high rise hotels.

While Deborah Nicklaus, an owner of the Sirata Beach Resort, expressed her support for the plan.

"It's time to move forward. It's very clear our community has gone backward," she said.

The city's comprehensive plan has been discussed and debated about in commission chambers and lawsuits over the past 10, 11, 12 years, according to some.

Here's a look at a summarized timeline provided by the City of St. Pete Beach in Tuesday's agenda packet:

August 26, 2008: City Commission adopted an amendment to its comprehensive plan creating a Community Redevelopment District (CRD) future land use category and amending the future land use map to designate property in the City as CRD.

September, 24, 2008: Petitioner, William (Bill) Pyle, challenged the Plan Amendment, alleging the Plan Amendment was not "in compliance."

February 10-11, 2009: An administrative hearing was held to determine whether the Plan Amendment was "in compliance."

May 4, 2009: The Administrative Law Judge issued an order recommending the Department of Community Affairs find the Plan Amendment "in compliance." 

August 11, 2009: The Department of Community Affairs issued a Final Order determining the Plan Amendment "in compliance" with the Growth Management Act.

August-September 2009: Thirty days following the Department's "in compliance" finding, William (Bill) Pyle, appealed the Department of Community Affairs' Final Order to the First District Court of Appeal, which affirmed the Department of Community Affairs' determination of consistency on March 29, 2010.

Pyle's appeal of the Final Order did not stay the effectiveness of the Plan Amendment and it has been in effect under the Growth Management Act since August 11, 2009.

June 3, 2008: The voters of St. Pete Beach overwhelmingly approved the Plan Amendment in a Citywide referendum.

William (Bill) Pyle and Bruce Kadoura filed a lawsuit in circuit court alleging, among other matters, that the ballot summary for the ordinance approving the Plan Amendment was invalid under section 101.161, Florida Statues, governing ballot summaries for referendum issues; and requesting that the election to approve the Plan Amendment be declared invalid under City Charter.

December 29, 2010: The City of St. Pete beach won the court challenge as to all counts alleging failure to adhere to notice, hearing and review procedures in adoption of the Plan Amendment. The court ruled on Dec. 29, 2010, that the City properly adopted the comprehensive plan amendment under the Growth Management Act.

The circuit court determined that the referendum was invalid and that in order to comply with the then existing City Charter, a new referendum would be required.

William Pyle and Bruce Kadoura appealed the Final Judgements in the litigation in circuit court, but those appeals were dismissed prior to determination. 

July 12, 2011: The Future Land Use Element of the City Comprehensive Plan was amended by Ordinance 2010-13 and adopted on July 12, 2011. The Future Land Use Element, Future Land Use Map and Recreation Elements of the City Comprehensive Plan were amended by Ordinance 2010-15 and also adopted on July 12, 2011.

November 13, 2012: The Comprehensive Plan was amended by Ordinance 2012-21 and adopted Nov. 13.

August 13, 2013: City Commission unanimously adopted Ordinance 2013-13, the revised Comprehensive Plan.