A Publication of the Pinellas Planning Council
Updated Countywide Plan Adopted
On May 3, the Board of County Commissioners, in their role as the Countywide Planning Authority (CPA), adopted the final draft of the Updated Countywide Plan for Pinellas County.
The original plan, last updated in 1989, contained elements similar to those in municipal comprehensive plans, as required by the Special Act. Many of these elements are no longer considered relevant to the Council’s mission. Therefore, the update concentrated on two major components, land use and intergovernmental coordination, in keeping with the 1993 PPC/CPA joint agreement.
Five new chapters were added to the beginning of the plan:
• Chapter 1: Plan Background and Statutory Authority • Chapter 2: Plan Organization and Terms • Chapter 3: Plan Rationale and Summary Observations • Chapter 4: Land Use Issues, Position Statements, and Strategies • Chapter 5: Intergovernmental Coordination Issues, Position Statements, and Strategies The existing Countywide Future Land Use Plan Map, Countywide Rules , and Scenic Non-Commercial Corridor Element remain part of the adopted plan. Since the original elements are required by the Special Act, they were also retained.
Finally, several appendices were added, including an updated data and analysis section for each component, and a matrix identifying one or more entities responsible for completing each of the strategies. Because they are supplementary and not regulatory, the appendices were not adopted.
Third Redevelopment Summit Is A Success
Draft Plan Summit participants
discuss the mapping exercise.The Redevelopment Draft Plan Summit for the Pinellas Community, the third in a series of countywide redevelopment workshops, took place on February 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in four half-day sessions held throughout Pinellas County. Approximately 400 people attended, representing local governments, businesses, neighborhood and civic associations, and community groups.
The event was designed to build upon the progress made at the two previous redevelopment summits: the December 2002 Opportunities Summit, which raised awareness of redevelopment issues and created consensus that further action is needed, and the October 2003 Strategies and Policies Summit, which turned this consensus into redevelopment objectives and identified the means to achieve them. The Draft Plan Summit took these concepts a step further, allowing the community to evaluate specific strategies for inclusion in the draft Economic Development and Redevelopment Plan for the Pinellas Community.
Each half-day session followed the same agenda. A team of consultants from Prime Interests, Inc., POLICOM, Inc., and HDR Engineering, Inc., reviewed the concepts explored during the first two summits. The audience was then divided into groups for two participatory exercises.
In the Plan Strategies exercise, the groups discussed more than four dozen proposed economic, real estate, and urban design recommendations, and discussed whether or not to include each in the plan, with or without modification. In the Centers, Corridors, and Districts Exercise, each group was given a map corresponding with the location of the summit session. Major centers, corridors, and districts identified at the previous summits were already included on the maps, but participants were asked to add additional suggestions at the community and neighborhood level.
A participant offers feedback on
the proposed plan strategies.Similar to past summits, there was general consensus among the participants that redevelopment is inevitable, that it should be planned for, and that it has great potential to improve our communities. However, for the first time, many participants voiced a desire for the plan to be broadened beyond its original focus on high-wage employment. Greater attention to tourism, small businesses, affordable housing, education, historic preservation, and the arts was requested, among other planning topics. This feedback is being incorporated into the draft plan.
Another significant feature of the summit was the introduction of a new name, logo, and web site to promote the redevelopment effort. Pinellas by Design has been chosen as the new “brand” for the ongoing effort, and a web site, www.PinellasByDesign.org, was launched during the event. The handouts, maps, and PowerPoint slides from the summit are all available on the web site, along with information about the larger redevelopment effort.
WELCOME NEWEST PPC MEMBERS
School Board Member Linda Lerner
Pinellas County School BoardMs. Lerner was elected to the School Board in 1990 and has been reelected three times, serving as its chairman in 2002. Born in New York City, she received a bachelor’s degree in education from Lesley College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and a master’s degree in special education from Columbia University. She has worked as a teacher and counselor, and has been director of education support services at the non-profit Resource Center for Women in Largo. She was also named to the Florida Commission on Education Reform and Accountability in 1995.
Commissioner John Morroni
Pinellas CountyCommissioner Morroni was elected to the Board of County Commissioners in 2000, reelected in 2004, and became its chairman in 2005. He was born in Chicago and received a bachelor’s degree in history from Loyola University in 1977. He served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1992 to 2000, and was chairman of the Pinellas County Legislative Delegation from 1993 to 1994. In addition to his duties on the County Commission, he currently chairs the Pinellas County Economic Development Council and Tourist Development Council.
Vice-Mayor Jerry Knight
North Redington BeachVice-Mayor Knight was appointed to the Town Commission in 2003 and elected to a second term in 2004. Originally from Ohio, he holds a bachelor’s degree in radio speech and communications from Ohio State University, and was the founding director of a regional council of governments in the Youngstown-Warren metropolitan area. He has participated in urban planning and economic development efforts in Ohio, Indiana, and Florida. His major focus as a commissioner has been chairing a work group to update the town’s comprehensive plan.
Mayor Dick Holmes
South PasadenaMayor Holmes served on the City Commission from 1997 to 2002, and was elected mayor in 2004. Originally from California, he graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelor’s degree in labor and industrial relations, and was a communications specialist for General Motors. As a commissioner, he supervised public safety for the city, and was instrumental in introducing a community policing program. He is currently chairman of the Pinellas Assembly task force addressing the county’s Municipal Services Taxing Unit.
FAREWELL TO FORMER PPC MEMBERS
School Board Member Jane Gallucci
Pinellas County School DistrictSchool Board Member Jane Gallucci began her term on the Council in November 2002, and served until November 2004. Through her experience governing the countywide school district, she brought a unique and thoughtful perspective to PPC planning discussions.
Ms. Gallucci remains a School Board member. She was first elected to that body in 1996, and served as its chairman from 2003 to 2004. She has also served as the president of the Florida School Boards Association, and presently serves as the President Elect of the National School Boards Association.
Councilor Pete Bengston
City of SeminoleCouncilor Pete Bengston served on the PPC from January 2003 to February 2005, representing the communities of Seminole, Belleair, Belleair Bluffs, Gulfport, Kenneth City, and South Pasadena. Through his interest in intergovernmental issues, particularly annexation, he brought a great deal of insight to Council discussions.
Mr. Bengston served on the Seminole City Council from 2000 to 2005. He had previously served on several committees and the fire department advisory board, and worked as an annexation coordinator. He plans to remain an active participant in city government.
PPC Veteran Retires
Mayor Bob DiNicola
Indian Rocks BeachOne of the Council’s longest-serving members, Mayor Bob DiNicola, recently retired from political office. A Council member from January 1999 to March 2005, he is a well known and respected public figure in Pinellas County. In addition to his experience and knowledge of local government issues, his cheerfulness and sense of humor were assets to the PPC that will be greatly missed.
Mr. DiNicola was born in Alexandria, Virginia, and relocated to Indian Rocks Beach in 1978. He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, and worked for the Office of the Architect of the U.S. Capitol until retirement. After serving as a city commissioner for eight years, he was elected to his first term as mayor in 1994, and went on to serve five additional terms. He also served as chairman of the PPC in 2003.
The Council bids him a fond farewell and expresses our deep gratitude for his years of public service and commitment to countywide planning.
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
St. Pete Beach Creates Groundbreaking Redevelopment Plan
Building on a community visioning effort that took place in 2002, and a master plan for resort and commercial districts adopted in 2003, the City of St. Pete Beach has created a new framework to help realize its redevelopment objectives.
The new St. Pete Beach Community Redevelopment Plan establishes eleven “character districts” for which unique redevelopment patterns are established. For example, along Gulf Boulevard there is a Large Resort District at the northern end of the city and a Boutique Resort/Condo District at the southern end. The downtown includes a Town Center Core District that covers the traditional business district, as well as an Urban Village Downtown Residential District.
Each district is governed by flexible land development regulations that provide incentives for desired types of redevelopment while maintaining high aesthetic standards. For instance, a developer may qualify for a density bonus in return for creating new tourist accommodations, which are identified as a high priority for the community. However, design guidelines must be followed to maintain district character.
The goals of the plan are to allow St. Pete Beach to maintain its place as a high-quality tourist destination, to reclaim its downtown as the heart of the community, and to enhance its role as a premier shopping, working, and living location.
Implementation of the plan will require changes to the city comprehensive plan and land development code. After receiving approval by the PPC and Countywide Planning Authority in April, the changes have been sent to the Department of Community Affairs for their review and approval.
Wireless Facilities Study Concludes
The PPC has reached the culmination of its two-year study of wireless facilities management in Pinellas County, with the release of three technical assistance documents for local governments:
- The Countywide Model Wireless Telecommunications Facilities Ordinance, which is designed to serve as a template for communities to update and strengthen their current wireless regulations.
- The Countywide Model Lease for Wireless Telecommunications Installations, which is designed to assist communities interested in leasing public lands or facilities to wireless service providers.
- A report entitled Developing an Enhanced Wireless Facilities Tracking System for Pinellas County, which analyzes the current system used for tracking wireless facilities on a countywide basis and recommends improvements.
The documents are being distributed to all twenty-five jurisdictions in Pinellas County for their optional customization and use.
In addition, during the coming months, the tasks outlined in the tracking system report will be implemented by PPC staff in cooperation with the Pinellas County Planning Department, who maintain the countywide database.
Upcoming Public Hearing and Meeting Schedule
Planners Advisory
CommitteePinellas Planning
CouncilCountywide Planning
Authority
• June 6, 2005 • July 11, 2005 • August 8, 2005* • September 12, 2005
• June 15, 2005 • July 20, 2005 • August 17, 2005* • September 21, 2005
• July 12, 2005 • August 2, 2005 • September 20, 2005* • October 4, 2005 * Tentative dates
The Pinellas Planning Council
• Councilmember Bill Foster, Chairman (St. Petersburg) • Councilmember Hoyt Hamilton, Vice-Chairman (Clearwater) • Councilmember Sandra Bradbury, Treasurer (Pinellas Park) • Mayor Jerry Beverland, Secretary (Oldsmar) • Mayor Beverley Billiris (Tarpon Springs) • Mayor Dick Holmes (Group C Communities: Belleair, Belleair Bluffs, Gulfport, Kenneth City, Seminole, South Pasadena*) • Vice-Mayor Jerry Knight (Group B Communities: Belleair Beach, Belleair Shore, Indian Rocks Beach, Indian Shores, North Redington Beach*, Redington Beach, Redington Shores) • School Board Member Linda Lerner (Pinellas County School District) • Commissioner Robert Hackworth (Dunedin) • Mayor Robert E. Jackson, Ph.D. (Largo) • Commissioner John Morroni (Pinellas County) • Vice-Mayor Deborah L. Martohue (Group A Communities: Madeira Beach, St. Pete Beach*, Treasure Island) • Commissioner Nadine S. Nickeson (Safety Harbor) * Councilmember serves on this governing body
The Countywide Planning Authority
- Commissioner John Morroni, Chairman
- Commissioner Kenneth T. Welch, Vice-Chairman
- Commissioner Ronnie E. Duncan
- Commissioner Calvin D. Harris, Ed.D
- Commissioner Susan Latvala
- Commissioner Karen Williams Seel
- Commissioner Robert B. Stewart
The Pinellas Planning Council Staff
- David P. Healey, Executive Director
- Ryan A. Brinson, Planner
- April Collins, Secretary
- Michael C. Crawford, Planning Manager
- Dolly Eylward, Office Manager
- Linda Fisher, Program Planner
- Katherine Holt, Office Assistant
- Larry S. Pflueger, Principal Planner
- Michael Schoderbock, Planner
If you have any questions or comments about this newsletter, please feel free to email us, call us at 727-464-8250, or write to us at:
Pinellas Planning Council
600 Cleveland Street, Suite 850
Clearwater, FL 33755-4160
