St. Regis looks for parking at neighboring Seaplace complex

Though the door seemed shut on the St. Regis Longboat Key’s parking saga two years ago, Seaplace residents claim parking issues re-emerged. 

According to Seaplace Board President Paul Gold, the St. Regis approached the Seaplace board seeking an agreement to use 50 of the condominium complex’s parking spaces for monetary compensation for the association, as well as resort perks for condominium owners. 

“They’ve been a good neighbor to us,” Gold said. “I saw this as a potential winning opportunity not only to financially support our homeowners association with some parking space rental income, but they were also providing modest hotel discounts.”

Seaplace is one of the largest condominium associations on the island, with 461 units and over 1,000 residents that are a mix of full-time and seasonal. 

Gold said the association is under financial stress from rising insurance costs, a required structural integrity reserve study and an estimated $700,000 project to rejuvenate the community’s landscaping. 

When St. Regis representatives approached Gold about the possibility, he said it seemed like a win-win that would help boost the association’s revenue and help the resort. He said he and the board have been in communication with St. Regis representatives a couple of times since February. 

The St. Regis opened in August 2024 and is approximately 0.3 miles away from the south gate of Seaplace. 

Besides revenue for the association, Gold said the resort offered perks to Seaplace owners like discounts on food, beverage, gift shops and the resort’s featured lagoon. 

According to Gold, the St. Regis is looking for 50 parking spaces starting for three days a week. Gold said members of the association counted the “unused” spots around the complex and found 77, so he doesn’t believe giving up 50 spots would be an issue.

Image via Google Maps

Representatives of the St. Regis said the resort did not have any information to share about the topic. 

This possibility arose during a condominium association meeting in late May. The idea sparked conversation around the community. 

“There are owners who have communicated concerns about noise or security and different things that they wanted to discuss,” Gold said. “I believe these are very legitimate concerns.”

Greg Warren is a seasonal Seaplace resident who is concerned about the possibility. He stressed safety concerns, liability issues and doesn’t feel there’s a true upside for owners. 

“St. Regis has a problem,” Warren said. “It’s not our problem.”

Warren also claimed having St. Regis workers parking and traversing through Seaplace’s gates would cause traffic. It’s not just 50 workers parking there for a day, Warren claimed, but rather 50 spots shared among multiple shifts.

“I believe the traffic going into Seaplace at the south gate is going to be horrible,” Warren said. “It’s not just 50 spots, it’s three shifts using those 50 spots.” 

Based on what he’s heard around the community, Warren believes the possibility is unpopular among most residents. 

“Most of the owners are up in arms about the situation and totally against it,” Warren said.

John Lamont is another Seaplace resident opposed to the idea. He also doesn’t see much benefit for the Seaplace owners and stressed security and privacy issues. 

“It impacts us directly,” Lamont said. “We have our own problems.”

He also said the matter came at the end of the association meeting on May 22 at a time when most residents are gone for the season. Those who were able to learn about the possibility opposed it, he claims. 

“People who are just hearing about it now are all opposed to it,” Lamont said.

Lamont also grew suspicious the town of Longboat Key had a hand in the potential agreement. Part of the reason was because of an email sent to District 2 Commissioner Penny Gold in June. The email was in support of the potential arrangement and addressed to Paul Gold, who is married to the commissioner. 

“While it is a private agreement, I can’t escape the suspicion that it was facilitated by some in the town,” Lamont said.

Town Manager Howard Tipton confirmed that St. Regis representatives reached out to the town earlier this year to ask if the resort could use the lot near the Town Center Green for special events. 

Tipton said the resort could use spots as long as the town was not using the area for events. 

“Parking there has kind of been short term until they figure something out,” Tipton said. 

Both Tipton and Paul Gold said the potential parking agreement between Seaplace and the St. Regis would be a private matter and the town has no involvement. 

Gold emphasized this idea was a "possibility for discussion” and nothing was a done deal. If the board would consider such an agreement, he said there would need to be clauses to handle liability, security and some sort of cancellation notice. 

“I also know that the owners would need to be invested in this,” Gold said. “If 100% of the owners hate it, then I’m not going to do it.”

The St. Regis’ parking issues began when the resort was still under construction. In June 2023, the town commission unanimously denied the resort’s proposal for a multilevel parking garage with 156 spaces.

After the denial, Unicorp National Developments, Inc., the company that developed the St. Regis, proposed a more favorable solution of expanding a 33-space lot to a 93-space lot and added 12 spaces near the entrance. The town commission approved this.