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THE SUNCOAST NEWS

Published: October 24, 2007

It wasn't many years ago that Pinellas County government officials were concerned the county's tourism industry was on the verge of being swept away.

The looming threat, they believed, was posed by developers buying up all the county's waterfront motels and hotels and turning them into condominiums. A lot of rental accommodations in places like Clearwater Beach and on the Dunedin waterfront did fall, but the condo conversion craze is a thing of the past – here in Pinellas and around the rest of Florida.

The collapse of the Florida condo market, and residential construction and sales in general, is one of the main reasons state tax revenue has plunged, forcing the Legislature to cut about $1 billion from the state budget.

The Pinellas County Commission, however, is not taking any chances. At its meeting Tuesday night it voted 6-0 – Commissioner Karen Steel was absent – to change the county's development regulations to allow up to 125 hotel or motel rooms per acre on sites that are 3 acres or larger. The current cap, depending on the circumstances, is 30 to 50 rooms per acre.

The proposed density limits would only apply to Pinellas cities if the cities choose to adopt them, county officials stressed.

By raising the room-density limit, commissioners hope owning a waterfront hotel or motel will be more financially attractive than condos. Since the condo boom has already fizzled, the proposed room-density increase may strike many as an oddly timed measure.
Should the condominium market revive, however, the increased density could provide a measure of comfort for those who would find that prospect alarming.

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