After this reporter returned back from a Christmas vacation in California in January of 2011, I wrote a story about an effort by a Safety Harbor citizen named Tom Lambdon who was against efforts to raze the iconic St. Pete Pier. His effort seemed a bit quixotic, but he was very much on to something.
That's not where the elite St. Pete establishment is. They think the current Pier is a downscale eyesore that doesn't fit into the renaissance that has taken place in downtown over the past three years. Though Mayor Bill Foster doesn't have to legally put a measure on the ballot this November allowing St. Pete citizens the chance to weigh in on whether to make a complete re-do of the structure, he's a also a politician who's up for re-election next year.
That's why it's looking more apparent that, depending on how the City Council decides next month, St. Pete citizens will get a chance to declare where they stand on the issue, as CL's Nicole Martinez reports.
Across the Bay in Tampa, the City Council there was discussing complaints being registered from West Tampa businesses about Occupy Tampa's encampment in their neighborhood, where some folks there are freaking out about what the camp may look like next month when the RNC comes to town.
There are two features in Cl's latest issue out this week: one is our piece on the fight between advocates and city of Tampa officials regarding preserving and restoring Tampa's Kiley Garden park.
Also contributor Scott Farrell reports on the campaign to try to oust out three Florida Supreme Court justices this November.
This article appears in Jul 19-25, 2012.