In his Tuesday Facebook Live address, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman said he wants to help local restaurants expand outdoor seating.
Kriseman’s hope is that the expanded capacity—with tables still six-feet apart—will help restaurants working under Gov. Ron DeSantis’ 25% capacity order pay their rent.
“I have… authorized our City Development Administration to allow restaurants with existing parking lots, or other adjacent spaces to expand their on site outdoor seating areas,” Kriseman said.
Restaurants may apply for approval to expand their patios and to use their existing space by emailing a sketch of the area where the tables will be located, along with the property owner’s approval, to devrev@st.pete.org.
“Table layout will need to comply with the six-foot distance requirements, between the tables,” Kriseman said. “There will be no fee for review and the approval will be effective until the end of the emergency order.”
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor has already blocked off some of her streets to let restaurants expand restaurant outdoor seating as part of her Lift Up Local Economic Recovery Plan.
He also defended his decision to keep dog parks, skate parks and other recreational facilities closed by saying that, “While St. Pete was a leader on the front of this crisis, we are not afraid to trail on the backend of this crisis to ensure the health of our residents and the sustained recovery of our economy."
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This article appears in Apr 30 – May 6, 2020.