St. Pete Nationals May be Relocated(Bay to Gulf)
05-17-2002, 11:47 AM
#1
Platinum Member
Platinum MemberThread Starter
St. Pete Nationals May be Relocated(Bay to Gulf)
"Organizers of a professional offshore powerboat race held near downtown St. Petersburg, Fla., for the last five years are considering moving the October event to nearby St. Pete Beach, according to a report in this morning’s St. Petersburg Times.
Michael Allweiss, chairman of American Powerboat Association Offshore based in St. Petersburg, told the paper he no longer has enough local sponsorship support to hold the national championships in the city and has met with officials in St. Pete Beach to discuss a possible venue change for this fall.
“Overall, it’s very expensive to conduct an event of our size in downtown St. Petersburg if you don’t have enough revenue sources to offset those expenses,” Allweiss told the Times.
The race is scheduled for Oct. 4-6.
The paper reports Allweiss met with St. Pete Beach city manager Mike Bonfield and Mayor Ward Friszolowski last week to discuss potential relocation of the event, which drew a crowd of around 50,000 last year.
Bonfield says St. Pete Beach is considering the possibility of hosting this year’s race, but no official decisions have been made yet.
Meanwhile, St. Petersburg officials say they want to keep the race in the city.
“We certainly love the race,” Joe Zeoli, managing director for St. Petersburg’s city development administration, told the Times. “It brings a lot of folks to the waterfront and the Pier.”
Zeoli told the paper St. Petersburg was considering the association’s request for a $50,000 city subsidy to bring the event back in 2002, but the association pulled the item from the city’s agenda last week.
“The city has certainly been supportive of the event and will continue to be,” Zeoli told the Times. “But we don’t know what [Allweiss] is looking for.” "
http://www.tradeonlytoday.com/Today_...this_week.html
Michael Allweiss, chairman of American Powerboat Association Offshore based in St. Petersburg, told the paper he no longer has enough local sponsorship support to hold the national championships in the city and has met with officials in St. Pete Beach to discuss a possible venue change for this fall.
“Overall, it’s very expensive to conduct an event of our size in downtown St. Petersburg if you don’t have enough revenue sources to offset those expenses,” Allweiss told the Times.
The race is scheduled for Oct. 4-6.
The paper reports Allweiss met with St. Pete Beach city manager Mike Bonfield and Mayor Ward Friszolowski last week to discuss potential relocation of the event, which drew a crowd of around 50,000 last year.
Bonfield says St. Pete Beach is considering the possibility of hosting this year’s race, but no official decisions have been made yet.
Meanwhile, St. Petersburg officials say they want to keep the race in the city.
“We certainly love the race,” Joe Zeoli, managing director for St. Petersburg’s city development administration, told the Times. “It brings a lot of folks to the waterfront and the Pier.”
Zeoli told the paper St. Petersburg was considering the association’s request for a $50,000 city subsidy to bring the event back in 2002, but the association pulled the item from the city’s agenda last week.
“The city has certainly been supportive of the event and will continue to be,” Zeoli told the Times. “But we don’t know what [Allweiss] is looking for.” "
http://www.tradeonlytoday.com/Today_...this_week.html
