Why Does The Vinoy Need a Referendum?

The Vinoy is an important piece of St. Petersburg’s history, with guests ranging from celebrities in its ’20s heyday to the homeless in the ‘80s, when the hotel sat vacant.

Here’s a piece of history you may not know: Connecting St. Petersburg’s waterfront parks in 1984, city officials traded several acres behind the hotel for part of what’s now Vinoy Park. Deed restrictions remained, giving voters a say on future development.

That’s why November ballots will have a referendum to build a privately financed one-story parking garage with tennis courts on top. Similar referendums passed in 1997 and 2007.

– Brigitta Shouppe, B2 Communications