Inflatable dog stands his ground in St. Pete Beach

By Katherine Snow Smith, Times Staff Writer
In Print: Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Alan Ronay put an inflatable Christmas decoration atop his van after St. Pete Beach said he couldn’t leave it in a parking space in front of his dog boutique. Now, the city says, it violates a sign ordinance.

[JAMES BORCHUCK | Times]

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ST. PETE BEACH — The 6-foot-high, short-eared dog chewing on a red stocking stands in defiance to government bureaucracy. His owner, Alan Ronay, is determined to leave the inflatable pup atop his dog boutique's delivery van, even though he has been told he is in violation of the city's sign ordinance.

"It's not a sign. It's our Christmas decoration. Why shouldn't we be allowed to have it?" said Ronay, owner of Best Buddies Dog Boutique and Bakery at 6498 Gulf Blvd.

He first had the dog sitting in one of the parking spaces in front of his store and was told by a city representative that he wasn't allowed to have it there. So now he has the dog on top of his delivery van. After he felt he fixed the parking issue, the city came back and told him the decoration now violates the city's sign ordinance.

But Ronay is balking and determined to show his Christmas spirit with the playful pup he bought at Home Depot for $34.95.

"This is a waste of taxpayer money to spend time on frivolous things like this," he said.

The Best Buddies property is the only business that has been cited for its Christmas decorations, said Heidi Hartsock, St. Pete Beach code enforcement officer.

"He's the only one who has a Christmas inflatable sitting on top of his vehicle. When it is attached to his vehicle, it's a portable sign," she said. "I walked around the property with him and showed him where he could put it. He didn't have a lot of room."

She said there is space where Ronay could put the decoration, as long as it's not on a vehicle, in a parking space or blocking a walkway.

"The code says one thing, and they say another. It doesn't make sense," Ronay said.

It appears it will be up to the town magistrate to translate city code and decide if Ronay is in violation at its next scheduled meeting on Jan. 10. If he is found to be violating city code, he will be given time to fix the problem. If he doesn't, he could be fined $250 a day until he does. Either way, Ronay will have to pay $150 in court costs.

Katherine Snow Smith can be reached at (727) 409-3642 or kssmith@ tampabay.com.com.

[Last modified: Dec 20, 2011 02:22 PM]