AL Senate passes Gulf Park hotel bill

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Alabama Senate has given final passage to a bill clearing the way for a new convention center and luxury hotel at Gulf State Park.

The Senate voted 23-3 Thursday to accept changes made in the bill by the House and send the legislation to Gov. Bob Riley, who is expected to sign it into law.

The bill is a compromise that ends a long legal fight over replacing the old hotel that was destroyed when Hurricane Ivan hit the Alabama Gulf Coast in 2004.

It allows the state to lease Gulf State Park land for 70 years to a private company for development of the hotel. It also requires that the operator of the hotel be chosen through a competitive bid process and that the convention center be run by state employees.