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Pinellas Board Paves Way For Larger Hotels

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By CARLOS MONCADA, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 17, 2007

CLEARWATER - Pinellas County commissioners on Tuesday night cleared the way for bigger hotels on the beachfront.

They unanimously voted to approve an ordinance that would allow increased densities for hotels and motels, up to 125 rooms per acre for parcels larger than 3 acres. That's up from the current 30 to 50 rooms per acre.

The 6-0 vote, with Commissioner Karen Seel absent, came after 13 of the 16 speakers, many of them hotel and motel owners and operators, voiced support for the countywide measure.

'It's the right thing to do for the future of the tourism industry in our county,' Commissioner Susan Latvala said. 'We have the best beaches in the world and people want to come here. And they deserve a reasonable place to stay that they can afford.'

Since 2004, conversions of hotels and motels into condos have eliminated more than 4,153 of about 30,657 rental rooms in the county, primarily along the barrier islands between Clearwater Beach and St. Pete Beach, according to revised county estimates.

County tourism officials fear the condo conversion trend, which has slowed considerably with the downturn in the real estate market, eventually could displace large numbers of visitors.

The ordinance is aimed at enticing developers to build or expand beachfront hotels rather than condominiums, which in recent years have been more lucrative.

'This would give us a choice of whether we stay as a hotel and whether we can expand someday,' said Russ Kimball, general manager of the Sheraton Sand Key Resort on Clearwater Beach.

Several proponents said allowing hotels and motels to build more rooms would enable them to reduce their average daily rates, thereby enabling tourists on fixed budgets to spend more at shops, restaurants and other retail outlets.

Opponents, though, fear the proposal could lead to a concrete canyon of tall buildings along the Gulf of Mexico and that municipalities could lose control over issues such as the height of hotels.

Commissioners emphasized, though, that each of Pinellas' 24 municipalities, or their voters, would have to adopt the plan before it could take effect within their cities or towns.

'Any city that does not want this increased density doesn't have to have it,' Commissioner Ken Welch said. 'But our tourist industry needs this amendment to happen for our economic future.'

Reporter Carlos Moncada can be reached at (727) 451-2333 or cmoncada@tampatrib.com.

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