Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Pinellas County public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
50 issues with medium priority
Countywide Plan Map amendments in St. Petersburg and Safety Harbor
Two public hearings would change future land use designations — allowing denser housing on 3.89 acres in St. Petersburg and shifting a small Safety Harbor parcel from retail to residential. Both shape what can be built on those sites.
Gulf Boulevard Improvement program timeline
Clearwater and St. Pete Beach are behind on their beach roadwork, and the BIG-C interlocal agreement expired September 30. New interlocal agreements would give both cities extra time to finish.
Construction Licensing Board Changes
Proposed changes to the Pinellas County Construction Licensing Board could affect how contractors are licensed and regulated in the county.
Lake Tarpon restaurant development and neighborhood impacts
Neighbors of a vacant former mobile-home park on Lake Tarpon objected to a restaurant/bar project, citing bald eagles, traffic on their private road, lighting, and noise. The board approved the project with strict conditions and told residents eagle permitting will be handled federally.
Early Voting and Elections
Early voting is now open in Pinellas County, so you can cast a ballot before Election Day if you know where to go and what's on your ballot. It's a convenient option, but it only matters if voters actually use it.
Airport law enforcement and terminal contracts
The $1.7 million pre-construction deal for owner representation on the airport's roughly $145 million terminal project passed 4-3 after a dispute over 25 bid points given for minority business status under a 2024 solicitation versus a 2025 federal executive order. Attorneys will double-check compliance.
Wheaton Island kayak concession cancellation
The state owns Wheaten Island but stuck the county with operating costs; the budget proposed cutting funding after nine months. Commissioners agreed to restore one year of funding — possibly by trimming the campus reserve set-aside — while lobbying the legislative delegation to make the state pay.
Employment Sites Program sewer infrastructure funding
The county's penny-funded jobs program would put $750,000 into Pinellas Park's lift station and $2.2 million into St. Petersburg's San Martin Bridge sewer relocation — expanding sewer capacity in the Gateway corridor where thousands of jobs are projected by 2050.
MSTU special projects funding equity for South County
Staff proposed shrinking the municipal service taxing unit grant program from $220,000 to $125,000 per award and cutting special districts out. Commissioners leaned toward a compromise — maybe $175,000 with a once-every-three-years limit — to keep helping places like downtown Palm Harbor that have no dedicated funding.
Hospital supplemental pay program amendment
The proposed amendment would let non-public hospitals with CMS waivers join the hospital supplemental pay program without the usual assessments, affecting trauma and health-care funding streams.
Rapid rehousing services
Contracts with St. Vincent de Paul CARES and First Contact would continue rapid rehousing services for people experiencing homelessness.
County attorney staffing and pay
The board approved a $292,883 base salary for incoming County Attorney Don Crow, selected unanimously by the board and constitutional officers.
Nonprofit human services program overlap review
Commissioners Scott and the chair flagged apparent overlap among the public defender's fund, social action grants, Safe Harbor, and rapid rehousing contracts. A holistic review of these programs is planned for the fall.
Water and navigation dock permit fees
Dock permitting runs a roughly $1 million deficit covered by the general fund. Fixing it would mean a 120% fee increase, which staff proposes phasing over three years (~$280,000). Staff defended the specialized program after Commissioner Scherer questioned merging it with building permits.
Potable irrigation meters and sewer rate fairness
Single- and two-person households that irrigate with potable water pay roughly $60 a month more in sewer charges than they should. Staff favors tweaking rates over adding meters, but wants better household data and a winter update before deciding.
Sunstar priority dispatch concerns
Commissioner Nowicki reported complaints about long wait times and asked for data on how often priority dispatch calls get escalated to emergency 911 response.
Public defender social services spending
Commissioner Scott questioned about $1.7 million in public defender social-services spending that lacks performance metrics, and asked for return-on-investment data.
Park parking fee increases
Staff proposed changing beach park parking from $6/day to $3.50/hour, which could hit low-income families and seniors hard for a full day at Fort DeSoto or Sand Key. Commissioners floated a $15 daily cap and pushing annual passes instead, and staff said a cap wouldn't hurt revenue estimates.
2026 Florida primary election results
The Pinellas County primary results are in, and they decide who advances to make local calls on your taxes, roads, and services. If you skipped it, the winners are now positioned to shape the county budget and day-to-day decisions.
St. Pete mayoral election results
Crist and Welch are leading St. Pete’s mayoral race in unofficial results. The next mayor will drive budget, housing, and development decisions—so this race matters for renters, homeowners, and anyone who cares about how the city grows.
Primary Elections
Pinellas County's 2026 primary is on the calendar, and the ballot decides who moves forward to run county government — the people who set your property tax rate and greenlight development. Primary turnout is usually a fraction of general election turnout, so a small slice of voters ends up picking the shortlist everyone else chooses from in November.
Mayoral Election Voter Turnout
Fewer than 9% of Pinellas voters have cast ballots so far in the St. Pete mayor’s race, so turnout is extremely low. If you live in St. Pete, your vote matters way more than usual—small shifts in who shows up could decide the election.
Federal lobbying contract renewal
Commissioner Nowicki questioned whether the 12-year-old Van Scoyoc lobbying contract should be rebid. Other commissioners defended the firm's relationships, and the board agreed to hear from the firm Tuesday.
Real-time flood forecasting project
A $600,000 grant project (half county-funded through the surface water utility) with Swiftmud to update flood forecasting for Brooker Creek, Lake Tarpon and South Creek. Some commissioners questioned whether it's needed; others said recent flooding proves it is.
Short-term rentals and neighborhood preservation
The county passed a resolution urging state lawmakers to let local governments regulate short-term rental density — symbolic, but a push toward future legislative advocacy.
Keystone/East Lake Emergency Access Improvements Grant
A federal Safe Streets and Roads for All grant application of $7.96 million would fix the congested Keystone/East Lake intersection, adding turn lanes and through lanes to help Fire Station 58's emergency vehicles get in and out safely.
Lake Seminole weed management
Lakeside residents described cattails and invasive weeds choking shorelines and trapping boats, and proposed a resident liaison and coordinated mechanical harvesting instead of piecemeal chemical spraying.
House Bill 803 permit revenue loss
New state law exempts many non-structural single-family home repairs from permits, costing the county $2.8M in permit revenue and potentially increasing unlicensed contractor activity and unpermitted work.
Opioid deaths at ten-year low
Drug-related deaths dropped to 266 in 2025 — the lowest in a decade, down from 597 in 2022 — thanks to naloxone distribution, treatment access, and law enforcement. Suicide deaths also hit their lowest since 2013.
Solid waste tipping fees and recycling grants
Tipping fees go up 8% this year (second of three planned increases) after losing the power purchase agreement. The $500,000 municipal recycling grant program would be repealed since it no longer drives diversion.
Wage theft complaints rising
The Office of Human Rights reports a surge in wage theft complaints, mainly in tourism, hospitality, construction, and mechanics, with larger claim amounts than before.
Feather Sound district millage and reserves
Forward Pinellas reserves are growing by nearly $1 million while holding a flat millage. Commissioner Nowicki pushed for a rollback, and staff said millage reduction scenarios are being prepared for budget hearings.
Employee Health Benefits Fund Sustainability
The county's self-insured health fund needs a $3.9 million catch-up after three flat-budget years, driven by prescription drug costs. A renegotiated pharmacy contract and concierge advocacy service are expected to save money while improving employee service.
Teen Takeover Events on Beaches
The sheriff credited a heavy law enforcement presence with tamping down teen pop-up events in Clearwater and Wesley Chapel, warning that summer break brings juvenile crime spikes and that offenders — some from outside the county — will face jail.
Free public EV charging stations
The county's 20 free public EV chargers cost ~$56,000 a year and many are failing. Commissioners voiced support for discontinuing them and letting the private sector handle charging.
Family court judicial conduct complaints
Roughly a dozen residents described losing custody, savings and access to their children under Pinellas family court judges, urging the board to act. The county attorney clarified commissioners have no authority over judges — complaints go to the Judicial Qualifications Commission.
Proposed MPO merger with Hillsborough and Pasco
Pinellas is pushing back on an apportionment giving Hillsborough 52% of the vote in a merged transportation planning body; Commissioner Scherer wants all three governing documents approved together and floated a Tampa Bay Water-style equal 3-3-3 board.
Suncoast Center leadership and nonprofit CEO pay
Commissioner Latvala sharply criticized the Suncoast Center's former leadership over rape-kit handling and a friend's suicide case, and he and Scott questioned soaring nonprofit CEO salaries — the former Suncoast CEO made over $332,000.
Office of Human Rights review
A six-month review of the small office that handles wage theft, housing discrimination, and disability access found it serves residents faster than state or federal alternatives. Most commissioners came away supportive and want cost-recovery ideas explored instead of cuts.
County permitting system delays
A Gulfport resident described a year and a half of permitting difficulties for both storm recovery and everyday projects, and offered a low-cost solution she wants staff to evaluate.
Gas tax indexing revenue loss
Chair Eggers asked staff to quantify how much revenue the county loses yearly because local gas taxes aren't indexed to inflation — potentially a way to reduce reliance on dedicated millage.
Walsingham equestrian park preservation
Commissioners Scott and Peters discovered a 50-acre equestrian park in Seminole leased for $1 a year and want it permanently protected as conservation land, possibly through the county's environmental lands charter provision.
False claims ordinance proposal
Ron Walker urged the county to adopt a Broward/Miami-Dade-style false claims ordinance to encourage whistleblower exposure of fraud, citing past local fraud cases and the coming ballpark redevelopment.
Continuum of Care board removal dispute
The COC board removed Commissioner Nowicki over a three-meeting attendance rule, and the county commission unanimously put him back on. Several commissioners called the removal politically motivated and flagged the county's ~$442,000 in funding for review at budget time.
Dunedin Causeway hurricane repairs
A federal-aid agreement finally unlocks repairs to the hurricane-damaged south side of the Dunedin Causeway after a long federal processing delay.
Lealman Exchange community programming
The community center is fully tenanted and offers free programs — a farmers market, swim lessons, STEAM day — and served as a storm shelter for 28 days during the 2024 hurricanes.
Competitive arts tourism grant program
The county is spending $500,000 in tourist development tax dollars on a fall "Month of the Arts" to draw visitors during slow seasons. Commissioner Scherer questioned paying an organization $500,000 upfront instead of reimbursing after the fact.
Water efficiency requirements for new construction
Commissioner Peters pressed, for the third time, to require STARS water-saving standards in new construction permits. Staff will bring research back in April.
Asset management and infrastructure data
The county's asset management program tracks 618,000 strategic assets but scores 1.7 on a 5-point competency scale. Better data is meant to guide where capital dollars go — including aging underground utilities.
Election Day Results
It's Election Day in Pinellas County, and today's votes decide local races and ballot measures that shape how county government runs. Results are being posted live, so you can check back to see who won. If you skipped the polls, you're still on the hook for what comes next.