St Petersburg City Pier Question (November 2012)
A St Petersburg City Pier Question was on the November 6, 2012 ballot in the city of St Petersburg, which is in Pinellas County.
This will be a non-binding question which will ask residents about the future of the current pier. Residents had petitioned to place a measure on the November ballot concerning the preservation of the pier but failed to meet the deadline. Instead, on July 19 the city council voted 5-3 to place a non-binding question on the ballot. The council had until August 2 to decide the ballot language. Proponents of preserving the pier, those who collected signatures for the petition, stated that they were happy that the council chose to place the issue on the ballot. Though others commented that because it is non-binding it will not matter what is voted on as the council will still make the ultimate decision on the matter. Proponents countered, stating that at least the issue was being seen by residents and will be given more attention.[1]
Though the measure to keep the old pier is on the ballot, plans for the new pier are still moving forward. The St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce sent a letter to the city Mayor urging them to keep the present timeline for building and constructing the new pier, even with the proposed measure on the ballot. The architect behind the new pier design has been visiting parts of the city, presenting the new pier plan to residents and highlighting the changes which the new pier would bring to the community.[2]
This question was not allowed to be on the ballot in the November 6, 2012 election. There are plans for a lawsuit regarding this issue by the "vote on the pier" group, who were originally backers of the petition to put this question on the ballot.[3]
Text of measure
The question on the ballot:
| Shall the City of St. Petersburg, Florida preserve and refurbish the existing iconic inverted pyramid structure currently located on Second Avenue NE in the Waterfront Park commonly known as "The Pier?"[4][5] |
Path to the ballot
The city had decided to demolish the current pier and build a new one. Residents opposed to the demolition sought to place a question on the ballot to preserve the current pier. The city had given July 11 as a suggested deadline for turning in the required amount of signatures, but petitioners failed to meet that deadline.[6] Since petitioners missed the deadline, the council decided to still look at the petitions and ultimately decided to place a issue regarding the pier on the ballot.[7]
Additional reading
- Tampa Bay Times, "Pier course is set, but mayor still wobbling," June 3, 2012
- St. Pete Pier referendum will not appear on November ballot, Bay News 9
Footnotes
- ↑ Fox 13 News, "St. Pete to put Pier plan to voters," July 19, 2012
- ↑ Tampa Bay Times, "Lens design evolves as St. Petersburg leaders ponder ballot measure on Pier," July 25, 2012
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ Old Northeast Patch, "Only One Pier Question May Be on Ballot," July 30, 2012
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Fox 13 News, "Pier preservation advocates miss petition deadline," July 11, 2012
- ↑ old Northeast Patch, "Pier Petition to Get Closer Look by City Council," July 19, 2012
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