Country Thunder moves to Clearwater's Coachman Park

Driving the news: St. Pete Beach city manager Frances Robustelli urged organizers late last month to relocate the event off the beach, but no relocation had been announced until Tuesday.

• The three-day festival, which was to be held at the TradeWinds Resort, had been selling nonrefundable tickets starting at $150 for single-day admission and $300 for full access.

Between the lines: Organizers did not know the festival's dates fell during nesting season until after they had booked the performers a year ago, per Country Thunder executive director Kim Blevins.

• Required permits from the city, the state Department of Environmental Protection and the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission were all still pending last week.
• And frustration from environmental groups mounted. Audubon Florida sent TradeWinds a letter threatening to cancel a conference planned at the resort if the event went forward on the beach.

What they're saying: "Coachman Park gives us the ability to execute our full vision," Blevins said in a statement. "We're excited to be in a community that's truly embracing what Country Thunder is all about."

• "Audubon is glad to see that Country Thunder and TradeWinds listened to us and the people of St. Pete Beach," a statement from the group reads.
• "[They] did the right thing, relocating their concert to an appropriate site that would not harm threatened species or their habitat."