ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. — The St. Pete Beach City Commission preliminarily approved a new set of ordinances aimed at protecting the city’s beaches, but many of the local resort and hotel owners say the restrictions are coming at the wrong time.

The city’s goal of the new ordinances is to clean up and consolidate the current set of rules while also introducing new regulations to keep the beaches in the best shape possible for years to come, according to a presentation from city staff.

What You Need To Know

  • St. Pete Beach city commissioners approved a first reading of the new ordinance on a 3-2 vote

  • Second reading and subsequent vote could happen as early as March

  • New ordinances include taking all chairs/cabanas off the beach every night and increased setbacks

  • Hotel owners say they are trying to recover and now is not the time for more restrictions 

The slew of new, proposed ordinances included changing the setbacks required for hotels with their beach chairs and cabanas, and a new rule that would require all chairs tp come off the beach at night and stored somewhere out of sight. Currently, the ordinance states that chairs must be pulled off the sand only during sea turtle nesting season.

“We have overcrowding issues on our beaches already. The last thing we need is to overcrowd it with more chairs and cabanas when it’s already pretty bad in many areas, and the overcrowding also presents a health and safety hazard,” Mayor Adrian Patrila stated to follow commissioners minutes before the formal vote took place late last month.

Jeremy DaSilva, General Manager of the Postcard Inn, says he hasn’t been able to reopen the hotel since it received significant flood damage during Hurricane Helene.

He said his current focus is on rebuilding and reopening, and feels the push for these new regulations is coming at the wrong time.

“There’s new rules coming at the worst time,” he said. “We are just trying to reopen our business and bring back all our employees, and having these ordinances pushed down our throats is like kicking us while we’re already down.”

The proposed ordinance regarding cabana and chair use states they must be removed nightly, year-round, and placed only while in use.

DaSilva said his umbrellas and cabanas are anchored into the ground to protect those who are using them. He said having to pull everything off the beach and store it hundreds of feet away each night is a huge undertaking.

“We’d need tractors and a team of 15 people to do this every single day, and again we just don’t understand the purpose,” he said.

DaSilva’s sentiment is echoed by the Tampa Bay Beaches Chamber of Commerce, which has over 600 members. Chairperson Scott O’Berry says businesses want to feel like they’re working with the city toward a common goal versus against the city.

“We feel like the focus should be on recovery and getting people back here rather than putting more restrictions on these businesses and hotels,” he said.

Changes to the noise ordinance are also part of the proposal.  

The first reading of the new ordinance was approved on a 3-2 vote in late January. It now must go to a second reading and subsequent vote, which could happen as soon as March.