We're not NIMBYs, declares St. Petersburg council, we just want to hear details of fraught nonprofit's proposed "minicampus" for homeless teens.
"A Tampa nonprofit that works with homeless teens want to open a 'minicampus' in north St. Petersburg, complete with boys and girls dormitories, a dining hall, offices and tutoring space.But the City Council, led by member Darden Rice, has put the brakes on the group's plan to lease an unused school building at 4600 Haines Road. Rice said the last-minute addition of a zoning change for the property on Thursday's meeting agenda took her by surprise. She wants more time to learn about the nonprofit, called Starting Right, Now and consult residents in her district. She asked to defer a vote until Aug. 21. Rice has some questions about the nonprofit, formed in 2008. A Tampa Bay Times story last year detailed how the group sued two former homeless teenagers for thousands of dollars in costs after they left the program. After the stories, the group amended its policy to collect no more than $2,000 from teens who leave." -- Charlie Frago, the Tampa Bay Times
