In This Issue:

• Council Finalizes Strategic Plan
• Streamlining the Plan Map Amendment Process
• Madeira Beach Commissions Annexation Study
• Featured Pinellas Planning Council Member: School Board Member Lee Benjamin
• Pinellas Planning Council and Countywide Planning Authority Members
• Hearing and Meeting Schedule

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Council Finalizes Strategic Plan

The Pinellas Planning Council, in collaboration with the Board of County Commissioners, in their capacity as the Countywide Planning Authority, has concluded a comprehensive review of the Council's function which led to the preparation of a Strategic Plan. The purpose of the Strategic Plan is to enumerate the role of the Council, prioritize its goals and objectives, and serve as the basis from which to prepare the specific work program or tasks to be addressed by the Council in the years ahead. Specifically, the Strategic Plan includes the following principal components:

• Mission Statement
• Role of the Council
• Strategic Goals and Objectives
• Work Program Outline

The Strategic Plan is a dynamic and multifaceted process that allows for the preparation of a five-year work program. The program can be adjusted annually to reflect changing conditions and priorities consistent with the overall purpose and function of the Council.

This process and the resultant Strategic Plan 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 Governments;
• Finding a Definitive Solution to Annexation and Service Area Issues;
• Updating the Countywide Comprehensive Plan to Focus on Key Countywide Issues;
• Identifying a Means to Achieve More Consistent Redevelopment, Zoning and Building Code Standards and Procedures Countywide.

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Streamlining the Plan Map Amendment Process

The Pinellas Planning Council is examining ways to streamline and otherwise improve the future land use plan map amendment process, both at the local/state level and at the countywide level. This effort was identified as an issue of high priority in the Council's Strategic Plan and is designed to identify changes to the plan map amendment process that would help to reduce or eliminate unnecessary complexity, overlap, or delay.

Preliminary recommendations identify several ways the process could be expedited and simplified, including changes in the following key areas:

• Reduce or eliminate certain pre- and post-adoption review periods required by the Florida Department of Community Affairs.
• Reduce and redirect the copies of plan amendments required to be forwarded to the Department of Community Affairs and other state and regional agencies.
• Clarify the function of the County Land Planning Agency (i.e., the Pinellas County Planning Department) review.
• Revise the standards for subthreshold amendments in the Countywide Rules resulting in a significant increase in the proportion of amendments that can be processed as “subthreshold” amendments.
• Revise the Countywide Plan Map amendment process to focus on larger than local issues. These larger issues are termed “Relevant Countywide Considerations” and they include Consistency with the Countywide Plan and Rules, Significant Countywide Issues, and Interjurisdictional Issues.
• Restructure the public hearing and appeal process for Countywide Plan Map amendments to simplify the process.
• Eliminate duplicate public notice and reports for the Countywide Planning Authority hearings.

These recommendations are in preliminary draft form and are being reviewed by the Council prior to being forwarded to the Countywide Planning Authority for its consideration. Some of these proposed changes can be instituted immediately through administrative measures, others will require Countywide Plan and Rule amendments, while still others will require legislative action concerning the Council's Special Act and the State Growth Management Act.

Upon review and consensus by the Council and the Countywide Planning Authority to move forward, implementation can begin immediately and will likely involve several steps over a two-year period. The end result will hopefully be a more focused and efficient plan amendment process for all concerned.

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Madeira Beach Commissions Annexation Study

Between December 1998 and July 1999, PPC staff worked with the City of Madeira Beach under a local assistance agreement to explore annexation of adjoining land into the city. The study was requested by the City Commission, which desired to obtain a thorough analysis of potential costs and benefits before deciding whether to pursue annexation.

“We can't do anything without getting the facts,” Mayor Thomas DeCesare stated during the City Commission workshop at which the project was proposed. Although annexations occur frequently in Pinellas County, comprehensive studies of potential economic impacts are rarely made. Chapter 171 of the Florida Statutes, which governs annexations, requires only that municipalities demonstrate the ability to provide basic urban services, such as water and sewer, to new areas.

The initial study covered a portion of the Duhme Road corridor north of the existing city limits (see accompanying map). However, after a preliminary review, the area was broadened to include land east of Duhme Road and west of the Tom Stuart Causeway (also known as the Maderia Beach Causeway). The total area covered approximately 132 acres, and was estimated to contain nearly 2,000 permanent and seasonal residents, equal to about 37 percent of the current city population. Another 200 residents were projected to move to the area by the year 2005, once construction of a new townhome development is completed.

In addition to population estimates and projections, the study inventoried existing land uses, infrastructure, and public services, and analyzed potential costs and benefits to the city and prospective residents. Central to the study was the creation of hypothetical household profiles, used to estimate costs that would be incurred by typical households before and after annexation, as well as tax and fee revenues that would accrue to the city. The profiles estimated monthly expenses for water, sewer, electricity, cable TV, telephone, and other services, drawn from data supplied by local utility and service providers. Annual property taxes were also included, based on information from the Pinellas County Property Appraiser's Office. In order to reflect the diversity of household types in the area, separate profiles were created for condominiums, townhomes, and single-family homes in two different neighborhoods.

PPC staff presented these findings to the Madeira Beach City Commission on July 6. The analysis suggested that annexing certain portions of the study area could provide new revenues to the city, but that these revenues would be offset by personnel, maintenance, and infrastructure costs, some of which could not be fully predicted. The study also suggested that, while households in the study area could expect to see a decrease in property taxes following annexation, for many these savings would be largely offset by taxes and fees on utilities and services. After careful consideration of the data, the Commission elected not to pursue annexation of the area at this time.

In addition to assisting Madeira Beach, the study can serve as a model for future municipal annexation efforts.

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Featured Pinellas Planning Council Member: School Board Member Lee Benjamin

Councilmember Benjamin is the current Chairman of the Pinellas County School Board. He was elected to the School Board in 1990 and re-elected in 1992 and 1996. He also served as Board Chairman from 1991 to 1993. Before his retirement in 1986, Mr. Benjamin was a teacher, basketball coach, high school principal, and area superintendent for Pinellas County Schools. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master's degree from Florida State University. Mr. Benjamin was named one of the top 10 outstanding educators in 1974 by the Suncoast Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. Benjamin enjoys serving on the Pinellas Planning Council where he serves as an important liaison between the County school system and local government.

Lee Benjamin and his wife, Felice, recently had their 50th wedding anniversary. They celebrated this event with their 5 grown children and 10 grandchildren — 5 boys and 5 girls.

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The Pinellas Planning Council

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The Countywide Planning Authority

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Hearing and Meeting Schedule