Board approves replacement tennis‑court storage shed for Yacht & Tennis Club

The St. Pete Beach Board of Adjustment approved variance case 24105 to permit a 10-by-16-foot, 10‑foot‑high storage structure to serve the Yacht & Tennis Club’s tennis and pickleball complex.

Senior planner Kristen Komen described the request: the club seeks relief from Land Development Code section 6.13 B 5 A–B, which limits accessory storage structures to one unit of up to 80 square feet and a maximum height of 8 feet. The applicant said the previous tennis storage structure was destroyed by storms; the existing small 6-by-4 shed remains and one replacement was requested to house court maintenance equipment and to keep bags of clay and other supplies dry.

Applicant Dan Nelson told the board the tennis complex includes seven hard courts that require rollers, utility vehicles, bags of clay and other equipment the maintenance staff must protect from the elements; he said the shed is sized and sited so a golf cart can drive through for maintenance access. Nelson said the requested structure replaces a preexisting 8-by-10 shed and that the proposed construction would be more resilient than the damaged older structure.

David Rheingold, who describes himself as head of the pickleball committee and a resident with a court view, supported the variance and noted storage needs for bags of clay and equipment; he warned that exposed clay is ruined by rain.

Board members asked limited questions about location and visibility and then moved to approve the variance. The motion passed unanimously.

The approval is limited to the tennis/courts parcel described in case 24105; board minutes record that staff requested additional testimony to demonstrate hardship but that the board found the equipment storage and need to protect court materials satisfied the variance criteria for this specific parcel.