Dear Residents, Businesses and Visitors of St Pete Beach,
I offer the utmost apologies for the nuisance and inconvenience that you experienced due to the unscheduled, unannounced daytime construction on Gulf Boulevard during one of our busiest holiday weeks.
The City of St Pete Beach staff and officials strive to keep current schedules posted and information pushed out to you through our various update systems of website, SPB Connect, SPBinfo email newsletter and Twitter. Much to our chagrin, the information about Gulf Boulevard construction schedule was inaccurate.
The City was not notified about the schedule change. The City did not receive a revised schedule in advance. Thus, the residents and local businesses were not properly notified.
No excuses exist to justify the chaotic traffic debacle suffered by our City due to the poor scheduling decision. However, I wish to at least share an explanation to offer insight as a mechanism of apology.
Due to weather, the FDOT contractor is behind schedule. The project manager therefore decided to work, without the City’s knowledge, on November 24 during the day on the section of Gulf Boulevard south of 55th Avenue. The decision was made with the intent to speed the construction and reach a completion date before the winter holiday season. The decision was not made with the insight nor input of our City Project Manager who would have advised against day time construction during such a busy holiday week.
Florida Department of Transportation have been excellent partners through this construction process. The poor communication of schedule and decision to work during the day this week was a mistake. The City communicated our disappointment with the decision to FDOT and their contractor. We are confident that FDOT will not fail to communicate the change in schedules again. Roadwork is a necessary burden for upkeep and maintenance. The City does not control the Gulf Boulevard construction but we expect to be kept informed so we can keep you informed.
On behalf of the City of St Pete Beach, I again extend our regret for the disturbance in your transit through our City.
Have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.
Mayor Maria Lowe