The owners of the Coral Reef Hotel property held a public hearing at 7pm on July 11, 2013, at Warren Webster Community Center to air plans for a new hotel they would like to see rise on the property. Bobby and Annie Fleeting purchased the property in 2004 as a going concern with the idea to eventually rebuild. Two weeks later the hotel was condemned by the St. Pete Beach fire inspector.
Annie, a longtime St. Pete Beach resident whose father, Harry Chadwick, was chairperson of the Pinellas County Commission when she was born, married her Scottish sweetheart, Robert (Bobby) Fleeting, an experienced real estate developer. Together they wanted to develop a grand hotel in St. Pete Beach, the community the couple has lived in together for over 10 years.
They have tried to rebuild on the site ever since it was condemned, and even had a contract from a well-known, high-end hotel operator to bring a new national brand to the city some years ago. In a way their presentation felt a lot like déjà vu. The renderings look well thought out, as might be expected of a plan that’s had nine years to germinate.
There were about 70 people present including Mayor Steve McFarland, City Manager Mike Bonfield, Commissioner Marvin Shavlan and Vice Mayor Lorraine Huhn. Planning Board Member Michael Lehman, CABA President Tom Rogers and other community leaders were also present.
There were also a number of folks at least partially responsible for the delays in getting redevelopment underway on St. Pete Beach. Local resident Mike Fox had written a letter containing some of the usual inflammatory lies for which the anti-redevelopment crowd has long been famous. Fox’s letter refers to an organized resident effort to “fight the overthrow of St. Pete Beach Municipal Government by out of town developers who want to… turn St. Pete Beach into Miami Beach with high rise hotels that will overburden the current infrastructure.” It goes on to warn that “these skyscrapers are inching closer and closer to the pristine beach areas of Pass-a-Grille,” Fox’s favorite beach.
The Loews Don CeSar Beach Resort and Spa has shared Pass-a-Grille Beach with the residents for almost 100 years with very few complaints or impact felt by anyone living even a block away. Most feel “the Don” is a pretty nice neighbor to have. We personally lived in that neighborhood for a dozen years and never heard a complaint from anyone about it. We eventually sold our house to a guest that was staying there.
The city’s newly readopted Comprehensive Plan has long defined the southern boundary of the “Large Resort District” as the Dolphin Beach Resort, which is a healthy walk from Pass-a-Grille Beach. No high-rise hotels are likely to “inch” south of that during any of our lifetimes. There are only nine properties in that 0.9-mile strip that could be redeveloped.
The Coral Reef, because of its condemnation, is a logical one to go first. Bobby Fleeting made the point that St. Pete Beach could have had a new 220-room hotel on the site of the old Coral Reef, open and operating as early as 2007, five years and nine months ago. He had had a valid contract in his hands. Quoting national statistics, Mr. Fleeting pointed out that the delays have cost the economy of St. Pete Beach, Pinellas County and the State of Florida an enormous sum of money. He said, “Just 300 jobs would have meant 629,700 Days of Work lost over the past 5.75 years, $132-240* million in lost revenues, $3.354 million tourism development taxes, plus sales taxes and property taxes, let alone restaurant meals, gift shop purchases, car rentals, drinks, scooter and paddleboard rentals, ice cream outings and bait shop visits that would have been generated. That could have meant quite a few otherwise unemployed people might not be homeless today.”
Anti-redevelopment voices say that the city does not have the infrastructure to support the redevelopment. City Manager Mike Bonfield says “The capacity is there to support the growth envisioned by the comprehensive plan. Moreover, with the Community Redevelopment Agency that is being put in place, any redevelopment in the district will generate funds that the city will have to spend on infrastructure improvements in the district.” The City of St. Pete Beach has an aging sewer system that is going to eventually require substantial repairs regardless of any new construction, so, redevelopment is the citizens’ best chance of not having to bear all of these costs alone. Residents have also expressed an interest in seeing power lines under grounded, and plans exist for sidewalks to be widened with landscaping to encourage crossing only at safe well-marked pedestrian crossings, and bike paths added to make the city more walk-able and bike-able.
Many such infrastructure improvements that will hopefully make the community look less commercial and more aesthetically pleasing can have enduring effects, increasing both commercial and residential property values, and can be funded with CRA revenues, once redevelopment of our aging resort properties and our downtown district is under way.
*Direct Impact based on a formula promulgated by the Pinnacle Group, a hospitality consultancy company. See pinnacle-advisory.com/economic-impact-of-hotel-development.
Story by Peter A. Roos
Date: August 2013