| Issue X | May 1999 |
| Issue X | May 1999 |
In This Issue:
- Council Prepares Strategic Plan
- Treasure Island's P-2000 Grant Application
- Model Local Intergovernmental Coordination Element Follow-Up
- New Council Members
- Pinellas Planning Council and Countywide Planning Authority Members
- Hearing and Meeting Schedule
Council Prepares Strategic Plan
Over the past several months, the Council has been engaged in a strategic planning process to review and update its mission and role. The results are being used to identify the work to be undertaken by the Council over the next several years. The Council held two workshops, one a joint session with the Board of County Commissioners, both of which were facilitated by Barbara Ann Blue, President, Business Performance Group, Inc.
The strategic planning process was a collaborative and beneficial exercise that resulted in the identification of strategic goals, objectives, and an action plan as diagrammed below:
Based on five major strategic goals, the Council identified specific objectives which in turn provided a basis for developing action plan items for incorporation in the Council's annual and five-year work programs. This process has pointed to new directions for the Council that will emphasize the following specific tasks in the years ahead:
- Streamlining the plan amendment review process;
- Seeking more clear and efficient means of intergovernmental coordination;
- Providing cost-effective technical assistance for local government;
- Finding a definitive solution to annexation and service area issues;
- Updating the Countywide Comprehensive Plan to focus on key countywide issues; and
- Identifying a means to acheive more consistent redevelopment, zoning, and building code standards and procedures countywide.
Treasure Island's P-2000 Grant Application
Pinellas Planning Council staff is working with the City of Treasure Island to complete a Preservation 2000 (P-2000) grant. P-2000 grants are designed to help local governments implement their comprehensive plans by acquiring coastal, conservation, recreation, and open space lands. The Florida Communities Trust administers the program which makes grants and loans to local governments. The proposed $1,000,000 grant for Treasure Island will be used to purchase land along the Gulf of Mexico which is intended to be used as a nature park and trailhead.
Successful P-2000 applications have been submitted by other communities in Pinellas County over the past few years. Most recently, the City of Indian Rocks Beach has received a grant for the Indian Rocks Beach Nature Preserve. This 8.8 acre site on the Intracoastal Waterway with a total project cost of $1.3 million will provide open space, preserve a mangrove forest, and will be used for environmental education by the City's Parks and Recreation Department. Pinellas County purchased an additional buffer for the Brooker Creek Preserve, combining this recent purchase with past applications for a total of over 126 acres and $1.4 million in grant monies. Pinellas County also expanded an area on 119th Street called the McKay Creek Greenway by 55 acres. The total project cost was $3.1 million. Other past grants for local governments in Pinellas County include the Mobbly Bayou Wilderness Preserve (Oldsmar), Redington Shores Nature Preserve (Redington Shores), Indian Shores Nature Refuge (Indian Shores), and North Anclote River Nature Park (Tarpon Springs).
The parcels that the City of Treasure Island will purchase with the grant monies are on either side of an unbuilt right-of-way which extends west from Gulf Boulevard to the beach. Existing structures on a few of the parcels will be razed including the former Lil' General convenience store, which is now used for private storage, and a bait shop located on the northern portion of the subject area. The remaining parcels are vacant. All parcels will be used to further the City's beautification plans. Phil Graham and Associates has been hired to develop a site plan to improve the beach access pathway and install interpretive trails. Other plans include restoring a primary coastal dune, replanting native vegetation and connecting the park to an existing recreational trail. This proposed park area is intended to serve as a trailhead for an expanded pedestrian trail which will eventually extend over the entire length of the city.
The beach area in the site has been used for nesting by the threatened Loggerhead sea turtle. The purchase of the parcel is intended in part to protect and restore those nesting areas. Besides this habitat protection, the City's goals for the grant include: the reduction of potential storm damage to parcels further to the east through the restoration of the dune system; to remove the existing structures which could be damaged by a severe storm; to eliminate the potential for more intensive development within the Coastal High Hazard Area; beautification through the installation of native vegetation; other habitat restoration; and the reduction of stormwater runoff from existing paved areas.
Model Local Intergovernmental Coordination Element Follow-Up
In December, the Council approved the Model Local Intergovernmental Coordination Element (ICE) in order to promote a common, efficient, and effective system of intergovernmental coordination throughout Pinellas County. The ICE is one of eight required comprehensive plan elements and is the part of a local government's comprehensive plan which outlines how they will coordinate the impacts of development with the plans of numerous local governments and agencies.
Pursuant to Florida Statutes, all 469 local governments in the state must adopt a revised ICE by December of 1999. Further, the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) was directed to establish a schedule for phased completion and transmittal of the revised element. The dates selected for local governments in Pinellas County are May 31, 1999, for transmittal to the DCA, and October 31, 1999, for adoption by local government. In addition to the requirements of ICE, those local governments that have not addressed the requirements of the 1995 Educational Facilities Siting Act and the Collocation of Public Facilities, as adopted by the 1998 Florida Legislature, must do so by December of 1999.
In the Council's 1998-99 Work Program, a “customization” phase was called for and was expected to “provide assistance to customize the model for use by individual local governments as needed.” In addition to the ICE requirements, staff is addressing the requirements for school siting and the collocation of public facilities. They are utilizing the countywide “school siting” process developed by a subgroup of the Council's Planners Advisory Committee in 1996 and the “collocation” addendum to the Model ICE developed by this same subgroup in early 1999.
During the ICE customization phase, local governments have had varying local assistance needs depending upon their staff capability and the status of their comprehensive plan. Council staff has responded to three generalized levels of assistance as follows:
- Small Local Governments - This level of assistance is for local goverments under 2,500 people that area not required to complete an Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR) until the year 2006/7 and which have had limited involvement in updating their comprehensive plans. Six out of seven of these communities have requested the Council's full assistance.
- Mid-Size Local Governments - This next level of assistance is for local governments with a population between 2,500 and 10,000 that have engaged the PPC to complete their EARs. Five of six of these local governments have requested Council assistance.
- Large Local Governments - The final level of assistance for larger local governments in Pinellas County (i.e., those larger than 10,000 population that have their own planning staff), is minimal. Many of these local governments are using parts of the Model ICE in submitting their amendments to the DCA. They have not requested Council staff assistance, except for occasional coordination.
The majority of local governments receiving Council staff assistance are scheduled to transmit their proposed amendments to the DCA prior to the May 31, 1999, deadline and the remainder will be submitted soon thereafter. In order to complete this cycle of amendments, staff has assisted with more than 30 local government public hearings and workshops (Local Planning Agency Review and Commission or Council reviews) and will transmit all amendments to the DCA for the municipalities. After the DCA reviews these proposed amendments for compliance with Florida Statutes, local governments will schedule final ICE adoption in September and October of this year. Council staff will continue to assist in these final stages and will attend each local government public hearing as needed.
New Council Members
Mayor Frank DiDonato is a native Floridian. He was born in Live Oak and raised in Jacksonville. He attended the University of Central Florida where he obtained his bachelors degree in computers. He also possesses a master's degree from Iowa which was conferred in 1973. He is a Doctor of Chiropractic having his office in Tarpon Springs and has resided in the city for twenty-three years. Prior to his investiture as Mayor, Doctor DiDonato served as a Commissioner. The Mayor is looking forward to his experience on the Council and is interested in solving annexation issues in conjunction with other municipalities.
Commissioner Hart was appointed to the Council by the Clearwater City Commission in May. He and his family have lived in Pinellas County since 1979 and during this time he has been very active in the community. Some of his civic and community experience includes the YMCA Board of Directors, the YWCA Foundation Board, the Salvation Army Board, and the American Red Cross Board. He is currently Present of Availability, Inc., a personnel placement service. His education includes a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Psychology from Rhodes College, a Master of Divinity in Theology from Columbia Theological Seminary, a Master of Arts in Psychology from West Georgia College, and a degree in Accounting from the University of South Florida.
Vice-Mayor William Smith relocated to the Tampa Bay area from Pensacola, Florida in 1961. He graduated from Florida State University in 1953. Prior to entering public service as Vice-Mayor of Kenneth City in 1996, he had a longstanding career as an insurance claims adjuster. He retired from St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company as a Claims Manager in 1985. From 1985 to 1991, he worked with several attorneys assisting them in case preparation. Vice-Mayor Smith is highly impressed with the professionalism of the Council and looks forward to making a valuable contribution.
The Pinellas Planning Council
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The mission of the PPC is to establish a representative forum for countywide planning that provides overall policy direction, plan consistency, interagency coordination, and technical assistance in furtherance of a coherent, efficient and effective countywide planning process. * Councilmember serves on this governing body. |
The Countywide Planning Authority
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The role of the Board of County Commissioners, acting in their capacity as the Countywide Planning Authority, is that of final decision maker in the adoption and administration of the Countywide Plan. |
Hearing and Meeting Schedule
| Planners Advisory Committee | Pinellas Planning Council | Countywide Planning Authority | ||
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*Subject to cancellation
