A Tale of Two Cities, Each Named Safety Harbor

It was the best of times,

it was the worst of times,

it was the age of wisdom,

it was the age of foolishness….

-Charles Dickens – A Tale of Two Cities

Over the past few months, a couple of major controversies have erupted in Safety Harbor involving commercial development.  There was the planned leveling of the Firmenich Citrus Plant to make way for the future site of a three and four story 276-unit apartment complex, and most recently residents and business owners have been debating the merits of a planned five story mixed use, 48-unit development at the Harbour Pointe Village.  

The debate is pretty straight-forward.  Many residents of Safety Harbor oppose one or both projects because the projects represent increased traffic congestion and a potential threat to the “small town” feel that many of us love about Safety Harbor.  But many local business owners see the projects as opportunities for increased foot traffic.  What bar or restaurant – or law firm for that matter – would complain about more potential customers/clients?  And there are benefits to local residents when local businesses are doing well.  There are more options for shopping and eating out, and the tax base that supports local services increases, benefitting residents and business owners alike.

As a lawyer, I am trained to look at each side of a debate with an objective eye and I see merit to both sides of this particular one.  To put it simply, I believe that both sides are right.   With development comes cost and benefit, good times and bad times.   I love the feel of Safety Harbor.  Joel Ewusiak and I selected downtown Safety Harbor for our law firm precisely for that reason.  But of course like all business owners, we see growth as a positive thing for our business as well.  It’s all about balance.

We all know that local residents who are opposed to developments such as the Firmenich project or the Harbour Point project can and should petition local government and make their feelings known.   In a free society, people have the right and indeed the civic obligation to become involved and express their feelings about issues that are important to them.   But something else that many may not think about in this debate is the importance of supporting local businesses.  Buy your flowers at the local flower shop rather than shopping online.   Check out some of the great retail stores on and off Main Street when you need to buy someone a gift.   Eat out at local restaurants rather than driving over to Tampa or Clearwater.   You get the idea.  A healthy business district means a healthy community, and we don’t necessarily need to grow the City to achieve that.  Any growth that does occur should be measured and reasonable and account for everyone’s concerns.

We love it here in Safety Harbor and plan to call the City home to our law firm for many years to come regardless of the outcome of the current debate over additional commercial development.   Our practice is diverse and we serve clients across the country, but we also enjoy serving the legal needs of local residents.   And one thing that we can all agree on is that Safety Harbor is a great place to call home, be it for living here or transacting business here, or both.

Thanks for reading.

Chris Roberts

Ewusiak & Roberts, P.A.

email:  chris@erlitigators.com

www.erlitigators.com