“There are no concurrency certificates for either project,” St. Pete Beach City Clerk Renee Rose wrote to the Tampa Bay Guardian in response to a public records request. Rose was referring to so-called certificates of…
Large campaign signs with the disclaimers required by Florida law deliberately cut off. Several unlawful cash contributions, one of them from a 27-year old Latvian aspiring model and student who is barred by federal law…
Grant Izzi, a candidate for the District 2 City Commission seat in St. Pete Beach, sent out a mailer to voters in December 2024 that showed him in his Air Force uniform. The mailer was…
The Art Deco style “Beach Theatre” at 315 Corey Avenue in St. Pete Beach has been an icon in the city ever since it opened in 1940. However, the Beach Theatre has been closed for…
“The City Commission failed to afford procedural due process, departed from the essential requirements of law, and failed to support its decision with competent substantial evidence,” an important legal filing in one of many lawsuits…
Four unelected St. Pete Beach city commissioners took to the dais just as the city was deciding on whether to grant conditional use permits (CUPs) for three huge redevelopment projects, each around $500 million in…
“Are you familiar with Sunbiz.org?” St. Pete Beach Mayor asked Attorney George Vinci, Jr. at the Sirata Conditional Use Permit (CUP) hearing (video of the exchange) last Wednesday evening. Vinci represents the company that owns…
“Due to the requirements of Florida Statute 101.62 involving vote-by-mail ballots, the Pinellas Supervisor of Elections would not be able to accommodate holding any election within 15 days,” Deputy Supervisor of Elections Dustin Chase told…
Former St. Pete Beach City Attorney Tim Driscoll told the city commission last night that the basis for his client’s request for a delay in commission approval is that “we don’t want to have any…
Inquiries to the City of St. Pete Beach and responses to public records requests made revealed at least one nonsensical policy, and meeting minutes show that no commission votes were taken on crucial matters. In…
“I don’t have a choice but to resign from my position as City Commissioner, District 3 effective on December 30, 2023,” wrote St. Pete Beach (SPB) City Commissioner Ward Friszolowski in this letter of the…
For once, those promoting and opposing the so-called Sirata CUP (Conditional Use Permit) redevelopment project agreed on something. The law firm representing Columbia Sussex (the Sirata Resort) asked for a continuance of their CUP #23053.…
“We know Betty is here,” newly appointed and unelected St. Pete Beach City Commissioner Nick Filtz said during the discussion of whether to appoint someone to the vacant district 3 seat. His comment was made…
When an Oldsmar city council member resigned last month, that city’s charter provided clear rules on how to fill the vacancy. Oldsmar’s city attorney proceeded to write this 3-page memo explaining the city charter’s requirements…
The City of St. Pete Beach has been sued over how it has recently filled vacant commission seats. The facts of the situation show that many substantive issues have been created, perhaps even deliberately so…
The City of St. Pete Beach is hiring! While that isn’t noteworthy in and of itself, what is noteworthy is the job description: “collect and help analyze transit usage data as a passenger on public…
In his re-election bid, St. Pete Beach Mayor Alan Johnson appears to have violated Florida campaign law at least twice. First by claiming to have a political endorsement he didn’t have, secondly by also touting…
In developing information for another article we are working on, we discovered that Treasure Island Mayor Tyler Payne told a citizen “It’s Mayor Payne, not Tyler” in a text message. However, Payne doesn’t address others…
