Developer of proposed Bezu/Blue Lotus tower sues city of St. Petersburg

Developers of the proposed Bezu/Blue Lotus condo tower in downtown St. Petersburg have filed a pair of lawsuits against the city, seeking to overturn a vote that dealt a potentially fatal blow to the 19-story, 18-unit tower.

The Driven Ziggy LLC contends that the tower complies with city zoning and land use regulations and should not have been nixed by a 4-4 vote in December by the city council acting as the Community Redevelopment Agency. A majority vote was needed for approval.

Opponents, who say the tower would be grossly out of scale with other structures in the area, "objected solely because they dislike developers or they dislike high-rise buildings or they dislike architecture which does not appeal to their particular sensibilities,'' the Driven Ziggy lawsuit says, adding it would suffer "irreparable harm'' if the project does not go forward. The company already is embroiled in a lawsuit filed by residents of the Flori-de-Leon apartments who oppose the Bezu/Blue Lotus. The city does not comment on pending litigation.

Contact Susan Taylor Martin at smartin@tampabay.com or (727) 893-8642. Follow @susanskate.