The “Lens” continues to be a hot topic in St. Petersburg. Residents now have a way to keep up with the progress of the push to “Stop the Lens”.
As reported today in the Tampa Bay Times, the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections will post updates daily on the number of signatures collected and verification of the more than 20,000 petitions received by the city clerk.
The Times writes the county has verified 98 percent of the 2,200 signatures of the more than 8,500 received to date. Updates will post to the Supervisor of Elections website at the end of every business day.
Concerned Citizens of St. Petersburg is spearheading the referendum to stop the construction of the Lens. The group recently submitted more than 20,000 signatures supporting the cancellation of the contract with Michael Maltzan Architecture, the designer of the “Lens.”
According to the county elections website, as of Tuesday, 20,582 signatures were submitted for the petition to “Preserve and Refurbish the Pier,” sponsored by VoteOnThePier.com. A total of 83 percent of the signatures were verified as valid.
St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster and the city decided last week to put a referendum deciding the future of the Pier on the ballot for the Aug. 27 primary election, after county officials verify all the signatures.
