The December announcement sounded like a dream: Music festival Country Thunder Florida would take place in May “on the iconic sugar-white sands of St. Pete Beach” at the TradeWinds Resort, the news release read.
Why it matters: Less than a month out, organizers haven’t secured the local and state permits needed to hold the festival on the beach, raising questions about whether it will happen as advertised — or at all.
The latest: The uncertainty led St. Pete Beach city manager Frances Robustelli last week to urge organizers to relocate the event off the beach entirely.
- As of Thursday, organizers hadn’t moved to do so, city spokesperson Marc Portugal told Axios.
Meanwhile, the three-day festival has been selling nonrefundable tickets starting at $150 for single-day admission and $300 for full access.
- Organizers are aiming to sell 8,000-10,000 tickets, a top Country Thunder official told the city last month.
- “No refunds. No exceptions,” read the ticket terms.
Friction point: The festival’s proposed dates of May 8-10 — plus about a week of setup and breakdown time — fall during nesting season for sea turtles and beach birds, including state-threatened black skimmers.
- That timing creates extra regulatory hurdles for organizers and has drawn the ire of concerned residents and environmental groups.
- Among them is Audubon Florida, whose executive director sent the TradeWinds a letter this week threatening to cancel a previously planned conference at the resort if the event goes forward on the beach.
State of play: Required permits from the city, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission remain pending, the agencies confirmed to Axios…