SEMINOLE, Fla. — Homeowners in Seminole packed the Faith Community Church on Tuesday evening to discuss the property of the former Tides Golf Course. Over the summer, the course closed. The owners cited damage from Hurricane Irma for why they decided to close the doors.
- Future of Tides Golf Course in limbo
- Residents fighting to preserve green space
- Golf course closed due to Hurricane Irma damage
- Owners looking to change land use
Last month, the owners of the property had a fence installed with black netting around the grounds. Many residents are upset that it was built, and some are mad it was installed so close to their trees.
The installation of the fence came after the owners received violations for overgrown grass and a building in deteriorated condition. The county says the violation notices were provided in November and the arraignment was held in January. The county says the owners pleaded no contest and sentencing was set for May 1.
Pinellas County leaders answered questions from the residents and explained the process if the owner submits an application for a land use change. The attorney for the owner says they are planning to submit an application, but hasn’t said what they’d like to do on the property.
“We’re here for all of you to engage in that discussion. We will do our best to be good listeners, to give you ideas, and see what can be accomplished,” said Joel Tew, the land use and zoning attorney for the owner.
Many residents who live near the golf course do not want to see the land redeveloped. They want to preserve the green space. An organization called Save the Tides has been working to collect signatures on a petition.
A few years ago, a previous owner submitted an application to change the land use to residential. The application was denied and the property remained a golf course, up until July of 2018 when the new owners closed it.
We asked Ronald Ronz, a Seminole homeowner and a member of Save the Tides, what he’d like to see happen. His response was, "The commissioners deny their application and then the developer doesn't want it as a golf course so they sell it to the county, and it either becomes a county owned golf course or part of Millennium Park."
Tew says he is holding a meeting on February 19 at the Faith Community Center in Seminole to further discuss the future of the property with residents.