GOAL: “To conduct this comprehensive survey of St. Petersburg voters to assess preferences and attitudes related to a new City Pier.”
# Surveyed: 1,000 Randomly Selected St. Petersburg Registered Voters
Survey Method: Telephone (Mobile and Landlines)
How Confident? 95 Percent confident that their results are within the actual opinions by 3.1% in either direction.
Most Important to Voters: A fine dining experience in air conditioned spaces on a pier with iconic or landmark design and sweeping views.
Almost As Important: An outdoor experience with open-air casual dining plus walking, joggining, cycling and fishing opportunities.
Voters overall aren’t really attached to the Inverted Pyramid design, but they do care about the COST. It is important to voters that the city has a pier. They are also excited about new design ideas.
Our Conclusions: Voters want a pier with pretty views and stuff to do besides just walk around and look at the pretty views. They don’t really care about a ‘futuristic’ design or have any real attachment to the Inverted Pyramid design, but they still want the St. Petersburg Pier to be recognizable across the country. Air conditioning, pretty views, and cost are MOST important to voters when considering a pier for St. Petersburg. The existing pier won’t really work for voters because it costs too much to operate and at least for now there is nothing to do on the first floor.
Voters also want to have something to do when they visit the pier. They aren’t really excited for the walk it takes to get to the end of the pier so there needs to be something to draw them out there. They would also like better parking options when it comes to the pier. (Anyone who has been to downtown St. Petersburg during ‘dining’ hours fully understands the need.)
So here is our challenge to the City of St. Petersburg: Make it FUN! Make it AFFORDABLE! Make it FLORIDA! And remember, no one is going to want to walk out onto a long pier just for the views in the middle of the summer- Its just too darn HOT!
Voters WANT:
- Open-air dining (70% Want) as well as fine dining or destination restaurants with table serives (69%).
- Space for special events and live entertainment. (69% Want)
- World-class design that will be a landmark for St. Petersburg’s waterfront. (68% Want)
- Areas for walking, jogging and cycling. (68% Want)
- A pier that will serve both Tourists and Residents.
Curious Findings:
- 96% of St. Petersburg Voters are AWARE of the existing City Pier and its design
- 88% have visited the Pier at least once in the last year
- Surveyors considered 28% of voters to be ‘frequent’ visitors, having visited at least 13 times in the past 4 years.
- 11% of voters have never visited the Pier in the last 3 years and 16% have only visited once or twice.
- There is a $1.4 million yearly subsidy that keeps the Pier operating. 30% of voters would like to see this operating subsidy decreased or elimintated, 46% of voters are okay with it staying the same, and 14% think it should be increased.
- In the August referendum 63% of the electorate voted to against the Lens, 67% of those surveyed voted against the Lens. Here is why they thought the Lens was a change for the worst:
- 57% didn’t like that it had no air-conditioned space. (10% Liked this better)57% didn’t like that it did not include retail shopping. (10% Liked this better)
- Of the voters in August, 71% thought this was a change for the worse with 57% thinking it was ‘much worse.’
- 49% didn’t like that you couldn’t park or drive on the Lens design. (14% Liked this better)
- 34% didn’t like that they Lens had a modern, futuristic design. (32% Like this better)
- 57% didn’t like that it had no air-conditioned space. (10% Liked this better)57% didn’t like that it did not include retail shopping. (10% Liked this better)
Looking Forward:
- 76% of those survey think it is important that St. Petersburg has a pier.
- 64% think it is important the pier has an ‘iconic’ or ‘landmark’ look, recognizable across the country.
- 49% are willing to park remotely and walk to visit the Pier.
- 31% are AGAINST a tax increase if more money is need to include all wanted amenities in the new Pier
- 26% of voters surveyed said they would be more likely to visit the Pier if they didn’t have to walk as much. About half were unsure or indifferent to the walking distance.
- 39% of voters surveyed were against increasing taxes to save the existing Inverted Pyramid Pier.
- 40% of voters were against saving the existing Inverted Pyramid design without retail, restaurant, or commercial services/amenities on the ground floor.
See the full survey online at http://www.stpete.org/docs/St__Pete_Voter_Survey_Summary_12_2013.pdf.
See the St. Petersburg Pier Process timeline online at http://www.stpete.org/the_pier.asp.