Farewell Toast to the Pier: Is It Really Goodbye?

About 200 people gathered to celebrate and salute a city icon, as the city-imposed deadline draws near for The St. Pete Pier to close.

Locals raised a champagne glass to The St. Pete Pier Saturday, as the sun set and members of the public reminisced about a structure that is scheduled to close at the end of the month. But farewell may not mean a final goodbye as city leaders bicker about the future and whether voters will have a say in the matter. Here's a look at some of the chatter on social media and in the press.

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'Thanks for The Pier Memories' Photo Contest!

Share your favorite photos of The Pier with Patch readers and enter a contest to have the winning photo featured on the St. Pete Patch Facebook Page. Upload your photos here!

Judge Sides With City in Pier Lawsuit

A judge has ruled in favor of the City of St. Petersburg in the VoteOnThePier lawsuit.

On Friday, Circuit Judge Jack Day ruled against attorney Kathleen Ford and the VoteOnThePier lawsuit, stating in his ruling that the petition did not provide the basis to compel a charter amendment referendum. "This lack of connection to the charter is the most serious problem with the form of the petition. It is a fatal defect," Day wrote in the ruling. Day released his ruling Friday in the case of Ford and five St. Pete residents vs the City of St. Petersburg. Ford and the residents filed the lawsuit in August 2012 on behalf of the 15,652 people who signed VoteOnThePier's petition to hold a citywide vote on the future of the Pier after a vote was denied by city council. According Day's ruling, the petition made no reference to city …

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Bill H.

6:34 pm on Sunday, April 7, 2013

If it were only 6%, do you know how hard it would be to find each and everyone of them to get them to sign the ballot? To get 6% there must be many many more out there. Do you have any idea how hard is to get that many signatures? Have you looked at any of the polls that show over 60%, yes that's 6 with a zero after it, say that they want a vote on the Lens and/or whether the pier should be …   more ›

St. Pete Pier Workshop Scheduled to Address Concerns

St. Petersburg City Council agreed to schedule a public Pier workshop to address technical issues.

City Council Chairman Karl Nurse proposed holding a public workshop to allow people to get questions answered about technical and functional concerns, not aesthetic concerns, regarding designs for the future of the Pier, according to the Tampa Bay Times. The newspaper reports that critics of "The Lens" designs say the materials for the canopy are all wrong for the environment and claim they will corrode. The workshop will be held on Thursday, April 18. According to Nurse's memo to council, Nurse recommends asking the "Stop the Lens" organization to provide a letter outlining their technical concerns, not the visual or programmatic concerns, by April 11. This would allow designers, engineers and staff to be prepared to answer their specific…

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St. Pete’s Artists to Rally Around Iconic New Pier

Come out and hear more about the new Pier design called "The Lens," at a one-night-only event hosted by WOW Our Waterfront St. Pete.

The New Pier in the City is a one-night-only event celebrating art, fashion, photography and the iconic architectural design of the new Pier called "The Lens." Tickets are available now for the free event on Thursday, April 11 from 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. at The Mahaffey Theater. Tickets are limited to a first-come, first-served basis and are available now at WOWStPete.com. WOW Our Waterfront St. Pete is hosting the event, which will feature an art gallery, silent auction, fashion show and presentation by "key people involved with the new Pier Design," according to a press release. Twenty-nine area artists have already agreed to participate in the event. Organizers will offer presentations detailing the half-mile loop that will extend St. Pete’s …

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nic weathersbee

11:42 am on Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Babak, the pier is not the only inverted pyramid in the World, it's the only one over water...there are many examples all over the world, some built as recently as 2010, and winning awards..look up the inverted pyramid in Thailand, the Green Jewel.   more ›

'Thanks for The Pier Memories' Photo Contest!

Share your favorite photos of The Pier with Patch readers and enter a contest to have the winning photo featured on the St. Pete Patch Facebook Page. Upload your photos here!

St. Pete Pier Lawsuit Awaits Ruling

The fate of the pier lawsuit is in the hands of Circuit Judge Jack Day.

After listening to three hours of arguments from attorneys, Judge Jack Day adjourned Wednesday's hearing on the future of the St. Petersburg Pier without a decision. Judge Day didn't give attorneys a timeline for his ruling but did thank both sides for "illuminating your respective points." Attorney and former city coucilor Kathleen Ford filed the lawsuit, with five other residents, in August 2012 on behalf of the 15,652 people who signed VoteOnThePier's petition to hold a citywide vote on the future of the Pier after a vote was denied by city council. Wednesday, assistant city attorney Joe Patner argued that the content of the petition needed to be clear, non-political rhetoric and include some disclosure of financial impact. Ford, …

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CJ

10:47 am on Monday, April 29, 2013

good one, sparky...tell him...   more ›

'Stop the Lens' Hires Firm to Gather Petitions

The local group opposing the new St. Pete Pier design "Lens" has hired a California based firm to help accelerate the petition drive.

The Concerned Citizens of St. Petersburg, Inc, the sponsor of the Stop the Lens campaign, announced an effort they say will help reach their petition goal within two months. "It's our waterfront and all of us should have an opportunity to vote on what we want to have on our waterfront," Group spokesperson Bud Risser said. Bud Risser announced the hiring of Los Angeles based PCI Consultants, Inc on Thursday. Risser says the firm is the largest and most successful petition gathering organization in the United States. "By engaging them, we are certain, we are not only going to complete our petition drive, but we're gonna do it in a very expeditious manner," Risser said. Risser says the group has reached the halfway point of their drive. They …

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Bill H.

5:14 pm on Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Now there's the truth on the RFP. Oh and yeah, there was a straw vote of the three, but the Lens that was shown was the 150 million dollar option, not what will be built for 50.   more ›

Video: 'Feeling of Sadness' at St. Pete Pier

Some of the business owners at the Pier are saddened by its upcoming closing.

The St. Pete Pier will be closing on May 31, with demolition for "The Lens" project starting in August. While some businesses have already planned out relocation, others, like the Nic Weathersbee with the Global Candle Company, still haven't found anywhere to go. Deborah Brown of Peppers on the Pier, one of the businesses that doesn't have a place to relocate to, is also upset over the upcoming loss of the iconic St. Petersburg building. "We're losing a part of our St. Pete history, and I think we're losing it for all the wrong reasons," Brown said. Watch our attached video interviews to hear from Nic and Deborah. How do you weigh in on the Pier? Let us know in the comments. Related Coverage: Sign up for the free St. Pete Patch email …

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Patriot

2:22 pm on Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Good post nic....I sometimes get lost in arguing with idiots myself...In this case we all know there are people in St.Pete that want money wasted on the LENS thingy. We simply want this to go to a vote....no point arguing with them, they will not change there mind.   more ›