Subject:
Title
Resolution to expand the boundaries of the County seat of Pinellas County (first public hearing).
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Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Conduct a public hearing to adopt the resolution to expand the boundaries of the current County seat of Pinellas County, the City of Clearwater, and to set forth the geographic boundaries of the expansion area.
• Article VIII, Section 1(k) of the Florida Constitution provides that the County seat may not be moved except as provided by general law.
• General law provides, in Section 138.12, Florida Statutes, that “any county may expand the geographical area of the county seat of its county beyond the corporate limits of the municipality named as the county seat by adopting a resolution to that effect at any regular or special meeting of the board”.
• General law provides in Section 138.12, Florida Statutes, that the Board of County Commissioners will hold not less than two public hearings on the proposal at intervals of not less than 10 or more than 20 days and after notice of the proposal and such meetings have been published in a newspaper of general circulation in the county.
• A second public hearing will be held on March 5, 2024, at which time, staff recommends final adoption of the resolution.
• A study was commissioned and has been completed that assesses both the viability of maintaining the County’s aging structures, as well as the location for a new County campus, and has concluded that constructing a new campus is more economically feasible than rehabilitating current structures; further, a mid-County location would better serve the citizens of Pinellas County.
• Expanding the boundaries of the current County seat will not cause a fiscal impact on Pinellas County.
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Strategic Plan:
Deliver First Class Services to the Public and Our Customers.
5.1 Maximize partner relationships and public outreach.
5.2 Be responsible stewards of the public’s resources.
5.4 Strive to serve the needs of all Pinellas County residents and customers.
Summary:
Summary
Expansion of the County Seat beyond the corporate limits of the City of Clearwater will support the Board’s desire to develop a new County campus which will be more centrally located and accessible to County citizens than the current downtown Clearwater campus (Current Campus).
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Background Information:
The buildings comprising the Current Campus are aging, functionally obsolescent and no longer central or convenient to the citizens and users of County-provided services supplied from the Current Campus.
A study was commissioned and has been completed that assesses both the viability of maintaining the County’s aging structures, as well as the location for a new County campus, and has concluded that constructing a new campus is more economically feasible than rehabilitating current structures; further, a mid-County location would better serve the citizens of Pinellas County.
The Resolution expands the boundaries of the County Seat to include the Board’s desired mid-County site for the future County campus.
Fiscal Impact:
Expanding the boundaries of the current County Seat will not cause a fiscal impact on Pinellas County.
Staff Member Responsible:
Kevin Knutson, Assistant County Administrator
Partners:
City of Clearwater
Attachments:
Resolution
Location Map
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