St. Pete hotel, bar owners arrested in mothball scheme

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers arrested Plaza Beach Hotel owner Rob Czyszczon and Chris' Beachside Bar owner Chris Monroe after investigators linked them to a mothball scheme meant to scare nesting black skimmers off St. Pete Beach. Both face felony commercial littering and a misdemeanor wildlife harassment charge.

Key Takeaways

• FWC arrested hotel owner Rob Czyszczon and bar owner Chris Monroe in the St. Pete Beach mothball case.
• About 1,000 mothballs were found April 20 behind Plaza Beach Hotel; roughly 500 more appeared the next day.
• Each man faces felony commercial littering for economic gain and a misdemeanor wildlife harassment count.
• Black skimmers are a state-listed threatened species; Pinellas County hosts more than 10% of Florida's population.
• Audubon volunteers helped clear the beach, and the colony later nested successfully, advocates said.

The case closes a months-long true crime probe that began when toxic mothballs blanketed a nesting stretch of sand during black skimmer season. Investigators say the chemicals were meant to keep the birds off private beachfront tied to two Gulf Boulevard businesses.

What did FWC say happened with the mothballs?

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, officers responded April 20 to reports of mothballs scattered behind the Plaza Beach Hotel on St. Pete Beach. Audubon volunteers helped remove them. The next day, about 500 more mothballs turned up in the same area.

Southwest Regional Commander Evan Laskowski said authorities believe the mothballs were an attempt to deter skimmers from nesting behind the hotel. Local reporting notes mothballs contain pesticides meant for enclosed spaces and can release hazardous fumes outdoors, posing risks to wildlife and beachgoers.

FOX 13 Tampa Bay reported that environmental advocates called the dumping deliberate sabotage just days before the birds were due to arrive for nesting.

How did investigators identify the hotel and bar owners?

FWC said evidence from surveillance footage, Walmart purchase records, cellphone location data, and text messages pointed to Czyszczon. Investigators allege Monroe was identified through texts and cellphone records placing him on the beach on both nights before the mothballs were found.

Captain David DeLaRosa said officers executed multiple search warrants and reviewed terabytes of digital evidence. Incriminating messages, FWC said, showed concern that nesting black skimmers were costing the businesses revenue and that the pair did not want the birds nesting behind the hotel.

Monroe owns and manages Chris' Beachside Bar, a neighboring business on hotel property. Both men were charged with one felony count of commercial littering for economic gain and one misdemeanor count of attempting to take a state-listed threatened species through harassment.

Why does this mothball case matter for beach wildlife?

Black skimmers nest directly on Florida beaches, leaving eggs and chicks vulnerable to disturbance. FWC said disrupting colonies can delay breeding, force birds to relocate, and cut nesting success. More than 10% of Florida's black skimmer population nests in Pinellas County.

Laskowski warned that delayed nesting can push chicks toward the end of hurricane season, when storms can wipe out a colony before young birds fledge. Lisa Reich, an Audubon bird steward and CEO of the Coastal Wildlife Advocacy Group, said volunteers cleared the mothballs before the birds arrived, averting a worse outcome.

Reich also said the colony returned and nested successfully this year. The City of St. Pete Beach thanked FWC and said it has zero tolerance for conduct that could harm wildlife or public safety. A separate city beach-sign lawsuit involving Plaza Beach Motel is not part of the criminal case, local reporting noted.