People on both sides of the St. Petersburg Pier debate took to the air waves Sunday morning to hash it out ahead of next week’s primary.
There are two options but only one choice can be made.
Vote no and move forward with the “Lens.” Vote yes and stop it from being built.
It seems simple but it’s a polarizing debate that has split St. Petersburg.
Sunday advocates for both sides debated the issue on CBS radio stations throughout Tampa Bay.
City Council member Jeff Danner spoke in favor of moving forward with the “Lens.”
“This is the best time to build and I did construction for 25 years before I was on council and this is the time. If this is delayed two or three years we’re not going to get the same bang for the buck that we do right now,” said Jeff Danner, St. Pete City Council member.
On the other side people from "Concerned Citizens of St. Petersburg" the group behind the "Stop the Lens" movement continued to say the "Lens" structure and character does not fit in St. Pete.
"What we are really about is protecting our waterfront and making certain that decisions that are made that our precious waterfront are absolutely consistent with the long term future of our waterfront,” said Bud Risser, “Stop the Lens.”
People from "Build the Pier" believe the time is now and the research has been done.
"I would want people to ask themselves if they vote yes are they ready to put this city this community through another four to six years of bickering and indecision?" said Lisa Wannemacher, “Build the Pier.”
The "Stop the Lens" movement believes so.
"Time to get things right is never a mistake. We are not at war. This is a city trying to find its way and to make an optimal use of limited resources, so vote yes, let's do it right,” said Bill Ballard, “Stop the Lens.”
We'll see August 27th.
That's when voters will decide what the future holds for St. Pete's most visible landmark.