Pier Lawsuit Mediation Ends in Impasse

Monday's pier lawsuit mediation between the City of St. Petersburg and attorney Kathleen Ford ended with an impasse, according to VoteOnThePier.com chairman Tom Lambdon. 

Any possible citizens' vote on the future of the St. Petersburg Pier will now be in the hands of Circuit Judge Jack Day. 

"As the leader of this two and a half year long fight with city leaders to afford city voters the opportunity to have the final say regarding the fate of the iconic centerpiece structure of the downtown waterfront park system, I believe it is most important at this juncture that we maintain our faith and trust in the judicial system to appropriately decide the merits of the case," Lambdon told Patch.

"And additionally hopeful (the court) considers that to date, more than 23,000 registered city voters have signed our petition asking the city to place the Pier’s final fate and future appropriately in their hands via a citywide referendum," Lambdon added.

Ford filed the lawsuit in August 2012 on to hold a citywide vote on the future of the St. Petersburg Pier after a vote was denied by city council. 

In December, Judge Amy Williams ordered the city and Ford to go into mediation. The first mediation meeting was held Jan. 18 and was continued after no agreement was made. 

The St. Petersburg Pier is still on track to close May 31. 

Lambdon said that while he opposes the "Lens," which is the Michael Maltzan pier design slated to replace the existing pier, it is important to note that the Stop the Lens group petition does not stop the pier from closing. It does not stop the pier from being demolished. 

"The public needs to be made aware that the Stop The Lens petition does not in any way stop the demolition of the entire existing Pier," Lambdon said. "It also does not save a single of the more than 400 full and part-time jobs that will be lost forever as a result of the 30 businesses that will be closed forever in May 2013."

Demolition for the Pier is slated to begin in August.