Miramar Resort to hold community meeting over expansion plans in St. Pete Beach

ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. (WFLA) — Just a week after the TradeWinds Island Grand Resort received a controversial approval from the St. Pete Beach City Commission to start a major expansion, the Miramar Beach Resort along Gulf Boulevard is also looking to grow.

The Miramar is hosting a community meeting on Tuesday night to go over a “Conditional Use Application for Renovations and Expansion of the Miramar Resort.”

But St. Pete Beach residents have been opposed to most resort expansion plans along the beach and Gulf Boulevard.

“We didn’t want another Clearwater Beach,” said resident Jody Powell. “We don’t want the heavy traffic. Everybody likes the serenity of St. Pete Beach. It’s the best hidden secret and it’s our sunset capital of the world.”

When it came to approving the Sirata and TradeWinds renovations in the last couple of months, locals said they were concerned about congestion from tourists.

“It’s not just about being quaint,” said John Kurzman, another resident. “It’s about how you prevent the problem of overcrowding when you just have different groups bringing everybody in and they’re all going to be fighting with each other, because there’s just going to be more people being brought in at one time.”

While it’s unclear how much the Miramar wants to expand, residents did say they expected more and more hotels to grow.

“I know what’s going to happen,” Powell explained. “You’re going to get a domino effect down the beach. And it’s not that we don’t want development or improvement, it’s just not to the max.”

Residents expressed disappointment at what they called ‘mom and pop’ motels turning into big chains, as the Postcard Inn is also exploring growth and has set a community meeting for May 8 as well.

Tuesday’s community meeting is set for 6 p.m. at the Miramar Beach Resort.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA.