St. Pete Beach District 2 forum centers on hurricane recovery, permitting and development

St. Pete Beach candidates for District 2 focused Thursday on post‑hurricane recovery, speeding building permits and how to manage redevelopment and tourism growth in the city.

The forum in City Commission Chambers featured incumbent Commissioner Jenny Robinson and a challenger identified in the forum as Izzy. Both candidates said their top priorities are getting residents and small businesses back into habitable, operating condition after recent storms; they differed sharply on how fast the city should change permitting rules and on how to balance redevelopment with infrastructure limits.

The forum mattered because the city is in the middle of rebuilding from hurricanes and officials are still deciding how to interpret and apply the city’s comprehensive plan and land development code when approving repairs and new development. Those decisions affect insurance, sewer and other infrastructure costs residents may face.

On permitting and the so‑called "look back" policy — which determines what earlier work is counted toward current permitting thresholds — Robinson said she pushed the commission to change the look back to zero days and waive certain fees after the storms. "I have been present. I have walked the walk for the residents of this community," she said, listing actions she said she took, including repealing 10% and 20% owner‑builder contingency fees and waiving permit fees.

Izzy, who described himself as a retired U.S. Air Force member who moved to the area after retirement, disputed some of Robinson’s timeline and said permitting changes must avoid jeopardizing the city's standing in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). "I wouldn't introduce any dangerous ideas that would jeopardize us being dropped out of the National Flood Insurance Program," he said, saying losing the NFIP would raise insurance costs and reduce federal disaster assistance.

Both candidates criticized the pace of the city’s recovery activity. Izzy said the city should have operated a crisis action team and met more frequently immediately after the storm, arguing the city continued a normal meeting schedule despite the emergency. Robinson defended the commission’s process and said the sequence of meetings, staff reports and votes produced the eventual policy changes, noting that the process produced a one‑year look back before the commission moved to the zero‑day look back.

Development and hotel expansion drew questions from residents. Robinson called for "managed growth" and said developers seeking extra density should pay fees to mitigate infrastructure impacts, arguing residents have borne the costs for decades. Izzy said better, more accurate traffic and environmental studies and more resident engagement with developers could resolve many concerns.

Both candidates said St. Pete Beach should press the county to return a larger share of the tourist development (bed) tax to the city. Robinson said the city currently receives little from the bed tax beyond funds for beach renourishment; both called county and state action necessary to change allocations.

On other issues: both candidates supported enforcing the city’s lighting and beach‑wildlife protections for marine turtles and birds; they disagreed over whether recent proposals such as expedited permit programs might unintentionally harm insurance eligibility or infrastructure. Robinson emphasized her local endorsements and record of volunteer programs helping residents through permitting; Izzy emphasized crisis management experience and quicker, more frequent recovery actions.

The candidates also discussed outreach and transparency. Both said they use social media, community meetings and direct contact to reach residents; Robinson noted she holds library hours and posts on neighborhood platforms, while Izzy said he makes himself available and supports regular meetings and phone outreach. The League moderator reminded displaced voters to contact the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections about ballot delivery and to check vote411.org for nonpartisan candidate information.

The St. Pete Beach District 2 municipal election is scheduled for March 11, 2025; forum attendees were reminded of polling hours and ballot procedures.

The candidates’ remarks at the forum lay out the principal differences voters will weigh: Robinson emphasized actions taken in office and local endorsements; Izzy stressed faster crisis‑style management and caution about permitting changes that could affect flood insurance and disaster aid.