Danger zone

Multiple Gulf Coast downtowns are going through renaissances — or are at least amid a major recession recovery.

New condo towers, hotels and even some office projects dot landscapes. At least $2 billion in construction is in some form of development in Tampa, for example. And more than $500 million in new investment is in the works in Fort Myers.

These projects, while trumpeted by officials from each area, also have a resistance factor: residents worried about growth who also want their city to focus on maintaining the small-town character and charms that made it so charming in the first place. “Some of the objections tend to be around. 'Will this building be too tall?'” says Fort Myers Mayor Randy Henderson, a vocal cheerleader of that city's projects. “But there seems to be less opposition this time than during the last boom.”