St. Pete Residents Not Fans Of Lens Pier Plans

ST. PETERSBURG —
In what may not come as a big surprise, St. Petersburg residents are not fans of the design chosen for the new St. Petersburg Pier, according to a Tampa Bay Times-Bay News 9-WUSF Radio exclusive poll.

Concerned Citizens of St. Petersburg, sponsor of the Stop The Lens campaign, collected more than 20,000 signatures to force a referendum. Residents will decide Aug. 27 whether The Lens gets built or city leaders have to look at other options.

Of the 810 registered voters in St. Petersburg who were polled, the majority do not want the Lens to be built. When asked if the election were held today, 55 percent said they would support a ballot measure to stop construction of the Lens.

Thirty-seven percent of those asked want the Lens to be built, 7 percent didn’t know and 1 percent refused to answer the question.

The city estimates it would cost $70 million to restore the current inverted pyramid Pier for public use. Only 37 percent of those polled said they favored that idea, while the majority, 54 percent, said they preferred an alternative to both the Pier and the Lens.

 

Source: BayNews9