Becker Client Succeeds in Defeating Proposed Tampa Rezoning on Behalf of Beach Park Preservation Society
September 14, 2026, Tampa, FL — Becker, a multi-practice commercial law firm with attorneys, lobbyists, and other professionals at offices throughout the East Coast and Italy, announced that its client, Beach Park Preservation Society Corp. (“Beach Park”), succeeded in defeating a proposed rezoning at 5600 Mariner Street in the City of Tampa. The Tampa City Council unanimously denied the rezoning application at its hearing on September 10, 2026.
Katie O. Berkey, B.C.S., AICP, Becker shareholder, attorney, and certified land planner, assisted Beach Park, an organization representing hundreds of Beach Park residents with an organized opposition to a proposed rezoning at 5600 Mariner Street (REZ-26-000062). Other key players involved in defeating the proposed rezoning included: Mark Miller, Esquire; Rocky Shirey (President, Beach Park); Patricia Ortiz, AICP (Ortiz Planning Solutions); Drew Roark, PE, CTL (Roark Engineering); Gordan Duvnjak, PE, Senior Transportation Project Manager/Shareholder (Vantix Engineering); and Carroll Anne Bennett and Stephanie Poyner (T.H.A.N.).
Beach Park submitted an opposition package to the City Council which included expert reports supporting its position that the proposed project was not compliant with the City’s Land Development Code. Through expert opinion, resident testimony, Ms. Berkey’s advocacy, and a petition signed by over 900 area residents, Beach Park successfully argued that the proposed development would fundamentally alter the character of the neighborhood by rezoning the +/-2.34-acre property at 5600 Mariner Street from Office Professional (OP-1) to Planned Development (PD) to permit a behemoth multi-family development of 262 dwelling units and 4,000 square feet of commercial uses in a single structure of 137-feet in height (reduced by the developer during the hearing before City Council on September 10, 2026 to 129-feet). The request included setbacks of only 10- to 20-feet setbacks (with at least 5-foot encroachment into the setback for proposed balconies). The request also included several waiver requests, including requests to reduce required parking, the required retention of protected trees, and landscape buffers, among other things. The residents, Beach Park’s experts, and Ms. Berkey argued the requested waivers were a clear indication that the proposed size and density of this project are more than the site can handle and beyond what is permitted under the City’s Code and Comprehensive Plan.
The Beach Park neighborhood of Tampa has experienced extraordinary expansion over the past several years. However, Beach Park residents have a history of successfully coordinating opposition efforts to unreasonable and incompatible development proposals in the area, like a proposed rezoning of 200 S. Hoover Street in 2021, through teamwork, clearly communicating their vision, and robust public and developer engagement.
About Becker
Becker, with headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is a multi-practice commercial law firm with attorneys, lobbyists, and other professionals at offices throughout the East Coast and Italy. More information is available at beckerlawyers.com.
