The Inn started to slowly introduce this
idea to their members this year, but did not
make the plans public until November of
2018. Knowing that change can be
controversial on an historic island so small,
they have proceeded slowly over the last
two-and-a-half years and listened to a lot
of public input along the way.
There are two phases to this project, the
first being the construction of the new
cottages on the land just north of the
public parking lot at the end of 5th Street
at the Gulf. The land The Inn owns starts
directly north of that parking lot, where the
tennis club and courts are located. There is
also a small parcel of land at the corner of
5th Street and Gasparilla
Road that is currently
landscaped but not in
use. This land is called
the “north parcel.”
The land to the
south of the public
parking lot –
where the Beach
Club and Inn
Adventures is
located now – is
called the “south
parcel.”
Work on the north
parcel will begin next
summer if all goes well, and
remodeling of the current Beach Club
(south parcel) could be complete by some
time in 2020.
The owners thought about starting over
completely with the Beach Club and even
had plans drawn up, but they realized if
they changed more than 50 percent of the
existing structure they would have to move
it back from the Gulf. As it stands now, the
Beach Club will be getting more of a
“facelift” than a complete remodel.
One major change to the existing
property is that the Inn Adventures building,
where golf carts, kayaks, stand-up paddleboards
and bicycles can be rented, will
be relocated to the north parcel (which
will create a considerable amount more
68GASPARILLA ISLAND January/February 2019