The Pinellas Current

Backroom Talk

Fire district takes the heat outside Pinellas Suncoast Fire & Rescue Chief Ken Grimes didn't get much time to cool off after a hot night at Chief E.D. Williams Park in Indian Shores. Roughly 50 people had gathered under a pavilion there Aug. 18 as the fire district approved sharply higher assessments for short-term rentals by reclassifying them as commercial properties. The hearing was moved outdoors because the adjacent Indian Shores Municipal Center was being used as a primary electio

Dock dispute entangles town official

Largo reverses course, backs 15% stormwater fee increase

LARGO — The city commission reversed itself this week and backed a 15% increase in stormwater fees after flood-weary residents urged commissioners to spend more on the city's drainage system. Commissioners had initially approved a 7.5% increase last month, halving the 15% increase that city staff had recommended. But at their Aug. 18 meeting, commissioners reconsidered after hearing from residents of New Haven, Lincolnshire, Willowbrook and other neighborhoods whose homes flooded two years ag

Fire district: Vacation properties should pay like businesses

Indian Shores reels in shark-fishing ban

Homeowners ask to join Belleair Shore beach fight

Largo Eyes Tougher Rules for Short-Term Rentals

LARGO — Short-term rental owners would have to register with the city and could face tougher penalties for repeated problems under new rules being considered by city commissioners. Commissioners discussed the proposed rules during an Aug. 11 work session and are set to take an initial vote Sept. 1. Owners would have to pay a $600 yearly registration fee, along with a $100 fire inspection fee. The city also would get new tools to deal with rentals that repeatedly cause problems such as noise, p

Safety Harbor latest Pinellas city to explore fire assessment

SAFETY HARBOR — This city is the latest Pinellas County municipality to explore a fire assessment as officials brace for possible property tax losses under Amendment 3. The city commission voted unanimously Aug. 3 to hire Bryant Miller Olive, a Tampa law firm, to study the idea at a cost of up to $42,000. A fire assessment is a separate charge on property owners used to help pay for fire protection, a service now funded primarily through property taxes. Commissioners said they want to be ready

Leadership Rift Deepens in Treasure Island

Belleair Beach prepares to join fight over Belleair Shore beach boundary

BELLEAIR BEACH — The city is preparing to wade into the legal battle over Belleair Shore's continued efforts to eliminate a longstanding beach boundary separating public and private property along the shoreline. Belleair Shore has until Aug. 7 to appeal the state's denial of its petition to remove the so-called erosion control line, or ECL, which the town commission authorized on July 21. At the Aug. 3 City Council meeting, officials said they will decide whether Belleair Beach should formally

Thunderbird becomes symbol of Treasure Island's rebuilding fight

Redington Shores Weighs Variance Process After Staircase Cases

Time Catches Up With Belleair Beach's Seawalls

Backroom Talk

Halloween event, senior trips among proposed Largo budget cuts

LARGO — The annual Halloween celebration, senior trips and other city programs could be on the chopping block as commissioners begin weighing a proposed $317 million budget amid slowing revenue growth. The budget proposed by City Manager John Curp would maintain the city's current property tax rate while trimming about $1.03 million in recurring and one-time spending. The recommended reductions include eliminating the city's Halloween event, senior trips program, energy management program and

Inside Belleair Shore's Beach Boundary Fight

BELLEAIR SHORE — Months before petitioning the state to vacate a decades-old beach boundary, a commissioner was already pressing the town attorney about how Belleair Shore would enforce its trespassing and other ordinances if the request were granted, records show. Internal emails, obtained through a public records request, offer a behind-the-scenes look at how town officials prepared for their effort to remove the erosion control line (ECL). The ECL is established as part of beach renourishment

Safety Harbor 'failure' under the lights

Emergency declarations end, but Seminole's FEMA wait goes on

SEMINOLE — After months of extensions, the city has officially ended its emergency declarations for hurricanes Helene and Milton — although nearly two years later it is still waiting for more than $1.2 million in federal disaster reimbursements. The city council unanimously approved resolutions July 14 terminating the local states of emergency after completing repairs to the storm-damaged municipal building. Seminole expects to receive $1.586 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agenc

Study proposes safety upgrades after crash increase on East Bay Drive in Largo

LARGO — After crashes involving pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists climbed in recent years, a study is recommending a series of safety and transportation improvements along the East Bay Drive/Roosevelt Boulevard corridor, one of the city’s busiest and most congested roadways. The East Bay Drive/Roosevelt Boulevard Multimodal Corridor Study recommends separated bicycle lanes, safer pedestrian crossings, redesigned intersections and bus pull-off bays along the 7-mile artery — also known as S.R.

They can raise the house. But where do the stairs go?

REDINGTON SHORES — Nearly two years after hurricanes Helene and Milton, property owners trying to elevate storm-damaged homes are coming up against an unexpected obstacle: Where do the stairs go when there's no room for them? That question has surfaced in this coastal beach town of 2,000, where two property owners preparing to raise their homes above the floodplain found they couldn't legally build the exterior stairways needed to reach them without zoning variances. In one case, owner Danny P