By Mike Brassfield, Times Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Rendering of a nine-story, 85-room hotel that could replace the 27-room Sea Captain Resort.
CLEARWATER — Call it the beach version of keeping up with the Joneses.
The Sea Captain Resort, a Clearwater Beach motel that dates to the 1950s, is two stories tall. Its next-door neighbor used to be the four-story Port Vue Motel, but that has been razed to make way for a 10-story Holiday Inn Express.
The Sea Captain's owner fears that his new neighbor will dwarf his motel and hide it from tourists on Coronado Drive. "We'll be looking up at a wall," Don Eifert said.
To survive, Eifert has hatched plans to build upward, too. The blue-colored Sea Captain at 40 Devon Drive may face the wrecking ball to clear the way for a nine-story replacement.
Tonight, the Clearwater City Council will decide whether ...