On Thursday, March 2, Creative Loafing Tampa Bay found that at least two properties in South Tampa were being used by Tampa City Council District 4 candidate Blake Casper to conduct business for Stovall House and Casper’s Company, which he owns.
The properties, which are zoned for residential use, are located adjacent to each other near the intersection of Coachman Avenue and S Richards Court in South Tampa, alongside Bayshore Blvd.
At 2902 W Coachman Ave., a package for Rachel Bennett, a Stovall House chef, waited outside. This CL reporter knocked on the door and asked the person who answered if the property was being used for residential purposes or commercial. “You’re welcome to call the Casper’s Company about this,” the person responded.
At a neighboring address of 4617 Bayshore Blvd., a security gate let in a Stovall House transport van, with a “Casper for Council” sign attached to the side. The gate closed and the van was inside for just a couple of minutes before leaving and taking a right hand turn toward the Stovall House, located next door to the property.
After the van left, a box truck with Italian sparkling wine markings pulled into the backyard, which looked more like the back of a restaurant, and workers began unloading it.
Another property across the street at 4608 S Richards Court had a sign telling people to send deliveries to another address. CL was unable to confirm if this was Casper’s business property or not, but was told by an anonymous resident that it is also being used as such.
The resident, who asked not to be named out of fear of retaliation from Casper, said that the commercial activity in the area was “disruptive” to the lives of those who live in the area, and that it affected parking and traffic. They also claimed that the residential homes have been used as commercial sites for at least more than a year.
City records show that multiple complaints have been made against the property and that Casper didn't get the required permitting to use the residential houses as commercial.
One complaint about the Bayshore address reads, "This property is being used as a commercial kitchen and or bakery. " The complaint said that people in chefs outfits are constantly walking in and out, which this CL reporter also confirmed while outside of the property.
But code enforcement has not taken any action against Casper.
Joel Sousa, a planner in the Growth Management and Development Department, told CL via email that code enforcement didn't witness the properties being used as commercial when they inspected them last month, and so the city closed the complaints.
Casper said that he believes he should be allowed to use his properties how he wants, regardless of zoning.
“City ordinance forbids receiving/serving customers at a residential property,” Casper wrote to CL in a text message yesterday. “I am not doing either. I have private property rights and am allowed to use it in the matter with which I am doing so. We have not been issued a citation claiming otherwise.”
CL asked Casper if he thinks a commercial use property should be zoned and permitted as such, but he did not respond.
Tampa City Attorney Andrea Zelman told CL the code enforcement department is willing to look again at the issue in the event that other complaints were to come in about the properties.
If Casper is caught in violation of zoning rules, he could face fines for each section of the law potentially being violated.
In January of 2021, Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 403 into law, making it easier for businesses to operate out of homes. But the law still requires proper permits and licenses to be obtained before operation. Casper did not answer if he has achieved those requirements.
Casper’s Stovall House is located adjacent to the other properties. In 2018, he purchased the historic home, which was then referred to as the Stovall-Lee House, for $9.5 million—a record-setting Hillsborough County Real Estate deal at the time. Upset residents and members of “Keep Bayshore Beautiful” filed a lawsuit against the conversion of the historic property into a clubhouse, which failed in court.
Since then, it’s been utilized as a private club for the elite.
Casper's father and grandfather were McDonald’s chain magnates, to which Casper became the heir. His candidate financial forms claim that he is worth $334,994,162.
The 49-year-old is running against Bill Carlson, the incumbent councilman, who is a Democrat. Casper has support from local figures like former Tampa Police Chief Brian Dugan and longtime Democrat Bob Buckhorn—to the chagrin of fellow democrats.
Casper’s main aspect of his platform is law and order. When asked by the Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce what he would do if there was an economic slowdown in Florida, Casper said he’d fund the police.
“I'm running on a law and order campaign,” Casper said. “One of my top priorities is the support of our men and women in uniform. And so first of all, the priority needs to be that.”
At a South Tampa candidate forum Casper said that panhandling should be criminalized, and he repeated this sentiment during a candidate appearance on WMNF Community Radio. Carlson pointed out that Casper might be getting into tricky territory with his idea to criminalize panhandling, which has been tried before in Tampa and other municipalities.
“My understanding is that in the United States, we have a thing called the First Amendment and people have the right to speak and say the things they want, whether we like them or not,” Carlson said.