Tampa leaders turn down hotel project despite threat of litigation

Tampa’s City Council rejected a plan to build a boutique hotel on Harbour Island on Thursday evening for a second time setting up the possibility that a tabled $6.6 million lawsuit filed by the developer will be revived.

The council, after a more than three hours and 30 minute public hearing that saw a large group of residents complain about the project and how it will affect traffic in the area and sharing several other concerns, voted 4-3 to turn down Punit Shah’s plan for the proposed 144-room hotel.