St. Petersburg leaders join Tampa and nearly 300 other communities across the nation that have taken a stand against parts of the federal measure.
By CARRIE JOHNSON
Published May 21, 2004
ST. PETERSBURG - The City Council delved into national politics Thursday, adding its voice to the growing chorus of local governments speaking out against a controversial law aimed at finding terrorists.
By a 5-2 vote, council members approved a resolution denouncing portions of the Patriot Act, which was passed after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. President George W. Bush is asking Congress to reauthorize the law as he runs for re-election.
Supporters say it is an important tool that aids the government in its search for terrorists and protects the country from attack.
Critics argue it is too drastic and erodes civil rights such as freedom of speech, freedom of association and privacy.
Council members sided with the critics.
"We have to protect our freedom," said council Chairman James Bennett. "If you give up your freedom, you may never get it back."
Locally, the Tampa City Council was the first to weigh in on the issue, passing a similar resolution last month.
So far, more than 290 communities throughout the country have opposed portions of the act, including Sarasota and the counties of Lee, Broward and Alachua in Florida.
Council members John Bryan and Bill Foster were the only dissenting votes. Council member Earnest Williams was absent.
Foster argued it was futile for the council to approve the resolution because it has no control over federal policy.
"I just don't want to give our citizens any idea that we have the ability to change or modify the behavior of the president of the United States," he said.
But others disagreed.
All citizens, including St. Petersburg residents, will be affected by the act, and although the council's gesture is purely symbolic, it still sends an important message, argued council member Jay Lasita.
"Sometimes this job requires an ability to do more than fill potholes," he said. "There are times you have to stand up."
A group of about 15 people, many wearing peace symbols and antiwar buttons, gathered at City Hall to watch the debate. Among them was Dwight Lawton, a St. Petersburg resident and member of the American Civil Liberties Union, who was a driving force behind getting the City Council to consider the resolution.
Lawton contacted Bennett earlier in the year with the idea and later enlisted constituents to call their council members. He said Thursday he was proud of the council.
"While Congress is starting to get its backbone and actually look at what it passed, every form of public opinion should be used to try to mobilize them," Lawton said.
Also Thursday, the City Council approved a new 14-story luxury condominium and retail project planned for a site near the Dali Museum in south St. Petersburg.
The Harborage Marina Village will consist of a 52-unit condo tower, two parking garages, a restaurant and more than 18,000 square feet of retail space in the 1100 square block of Third St. S.
The project will cost more than $40-million to build. Condos are expected to fetch between $290,000 and $2.2-million. Construction is scheduled to begin this summer.
The council also approved an agreement that would shift 14 acres of commercial property from the unincorporated Pinellas County community of Feather Sound into the city's limits.
The deal was struck with property owner Fred Bullard, who founded Feather Sound in the 1970s. Bullard said he agreed to allow his property to be annexed in exchange for the city's promise to take over the maintenance and repair of several private roads he owns.
A public hearing must still be held before the annexation is complete. A date has not yet been set.
