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ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. (WFLA) — Anticipation is building as the Country Thunder Music Festival prepares to make its mark on St. Pete Beach. With the festival weekend drawing near, organizers face a significant hurdle: securing the necessary permits for the concert.
Amidst these preparations, environmental advocates are planning a protest at the TradeWinds Resort on Saturday at 10 a.m. Their concerns center around the potential threat that the event’s lighting, stage setup, and large crowds could pose to local wildlife.
“The concert will transform our beach into a bustling construction zone, which could disrupt the natural nesting grounds,” explained Lisa Reich. “We can’t predict exactly where the wildlife will nest, but such disturbances are likely to cause them distress.”
In response, representatives from the Tradewinds Resort express optimism about obtaining the permits and moving forward with the festival as planned. They emphasize their commitment to safeguarding the area’s seabirds and sea turtles.
“We collaborate daily with turtle trackers, meeting them each morning at 7 a.m. to assess the beach before any activity begins,” stated Travis Johnson, the Hotel Manager at Tradewinds Resorts. “Throughout the festival, we’ll be vigilant, monitoring conditions every day. If circumstances change, we’ll promptly adjust our approach.”
The event is scheduled from May 8 to May 10, and tickets are already on sale.
State Representative Linda Chaney walked us through the process of what still needs to be done.
“Once you apply for your DEP permit, you get comments from FWC. DEP considers those comments, includes them in their own review process, and then either issues a permit or denies a permit,” Linda Chaney, who represents District 61, which includes St. Pete Beach, told us. “The city of Saint Pete Beach has a special event permit that they have to issue. So there are a number of permits for good reason that have to be done before you would promote and do an event.”
8 On Your Side reached out to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Department of Environmental Protection to ask about Country Thunder’s permit. We still haven’t heard back. For now, the concern remains that the event could bring much good, but at a great cost for the wildlife.
“I understand we’re all still trying to get on our feet and recover from the hurricane, and I would love to see this for our businesses. But there are permitting issues for a reason. This is not a great time of year to have a lot of people on the beach,” Chaney said.