ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. — There's a new commission in the city of St. Pete Beach and it wasted no time making major changes, including firing the city attorney.
Tuesday night, two new commissioners were sworn in and there's now a new balance of power, with a development moratorium on the horizon.
The new commissioners, District 2 commissioner Lisa Robinson and District 4 commissioner Joe Moholland, were ushered in following backlash over how the commission appointed interim commissioners in late 2023 that later approved development expansions for the Sirata and Tradewinds resorts, including from Protect St. Pete Beach, which later sued the city.
New commissioner Joe Moholland said he had several concerns about current city attorney Andrew Dickman and motioned to issue a 90-day notice to terminate his at-will contract. Robinson seconded the motion and Mayor Adrian Petrila cast the deciding vote in favor of firing Dickman, 3-2.
“I recommend that we have the city manager immediately begin our search options for what's available for another firm or an attorney slash paralegal,” Moholland said.
Commissioners Karen Marriott and Betty Rzewnicki thought the ousting was rushed.
“I will just say that I heard from exactly three residents about this issue,” Marriott said. “There are also people who are actively involved in litigation against the city. I think this is irresponsible.”
Others in the city are concerned that a new agenda doesn’t prioritize the immediate needs of infrastructure and flood management.
“That was a shock to me,” Ed Chima, President of the Don CeSar Property Owners Corporation, said. “I think it's going to cost the city some money to find new counsel for the 18-20 lawsuits that it's facing right now.”
Also on the new commission’s agenda, a possible 12-month development moratorium suggested by the mayor and supported again by Moholland and Robinson, while the comprehensive land-use plan is updated for the city for the first time in decades.
“Put a pause on certain large-scale development while reviewing the comprehensive plan,” Petrila said. “So I wanted to bring that before the commission for discussion.”
That issue will be discussed more at a planning meeting in September. Also on the table is a new ordinance giving residents “customary usage” rights of private beaches after Redington Beach won its federal lawsuit on the subject earlier this month.
Chima worries tackling that with more than a dozen pending lawsuits and now without a city attorney could cost taxpayers even more.
“I think it's pretty clear that Protect St. Pete Beach has the majority on the city right now, and their agenda is going to be the agenda that gets voted in,” Chima said. “The deck is stacked on the city commission in favor of what Protect St. Pete Beach wants.”
Both the possible new ordinance and resolution pausing development will be further discussed at meetings in September.