Subject:
Title
Two applications for funding under the Penny for Pinellas Employment Sites Program Public Infrastructure category.
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Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Approval of the Employment Sites Program funding of the two projects presented below.
It is further recommended that the Board delegate authority to the County Administrator to negotiate and execute all agreements and documents associated with the funding.
• City of Pinellas Park in the amount of $750,000.00 to partially fund the total $5,982,944.00 rehabilitation of Master Lift Station #30 and the replacement of its aging force main.
• City of St. Petersburg in the amount of $2,200,000.00 to partially fund the San Martin Boulevard over Riviera Beach Force Main Relocation project out of the total $17,883,155.00 Northeast Sewer Basin Improvement project.
• The total requested County contribution for these two projects is $2,950,000.00.
• Funding for this project is included in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026-FY31 Capital Improvement Plan under the Penny IV Economic Development Program (project 004149A). This project is funded by Local Infrastructure Sales Surtax (Penny for Pinellas), as part of the 8.3% countywide investment for Economic Development and Housing, half of which, or 4.15%, is set aside for economic development specifically.
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Strategic Priorities:
Resilient Infrastructure and Environment
1.2 Maintain and enhance County Infrastructure.
1.5 Strengthen resilience and adaptation.
Prosperity and Opportunity
3.5 Foster business growth.
Summary:
Summary
Two applications under the first application cycle for the Employment Sites Program Public Infrastructure category are recommended for funding. The applications were submitted by the cities of Pinellas Park and St. Petersburg for sanitary sewer projects in the Gateway area.
Pinellas Park submitted an application for a sanitary sewer project to increase capacity of the sewage facility at Master Lift Station #30 and replace its aging force main. The improvements will reduce overflow risk, enhance environmental protection, and support future business expansion across a service area that includes approximately 70 target industry firms and more than 1,600 employees and projected growth of 3,350 more jobs by 2050. The project was shown by an independent review to add 720,000 gallons per day of capacity.
St. Petersburg submitted a five-component sewer infrastructure upgrade application for the Northeast Basin, a flood prone area essential to the Gateway/Carillon employment center. With at least 100 target industry businesses and 11,000 employees in the area, and projected growth of 9,800 more jobs by 2050. These upgrades aim to increase sewer capacity, support job growth, and improve resilience and reliability. An independent review confirmed increased sewer capacity from two of the five components, although one is not yet city budgeted. Therefore, only one component is being considered for funding.
Staff recommended funding allocations of $750,000.00 for Pinellas Park and $2,200,000.00 for St. Petersburg, totaling $2,950,000.00 finding both projects fully aligned with Penny IV eligibility and public policy goals.
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Background Information:
Penny IV Funds, generated through the voter-approved 1.0% Infrastructure Sales Surtax, support capital projects that strengthen Pinellas County’s infrastructure. Guidelines adopted on December 10, 2019, outline fund purposes, eligibility requirements, and public policy goals. Within the Public Infrastructure category, projects must enhance publicly led capital improvements that aid recruitment, retention, and expansion of target industry employers, ideally benefiting multiple sites or companies. Applications undergo staff review followed by an independent technical assessment to confirm that Employment Sites Program (ESP) funding appropriately addresses project gaps.
Pinellas Park submitted a request for $750,000.00 towards a $5,982,944 sanitary sewer upgrade to rehabilitate Master Lift Station #30 and replace its aging force main. The station serves 2.74 square miles of mixed land uses and receives flows from the Gateway area, including the County landfill. Both the lift station and force main are at or near capacity. Upgrades will increase flow potential, pumping efficiency, and system reliability, reducing risks of overflow in the Roosevelt Wetland and supporting future business expansion. The project serves a major commercial and residential activity center - the Gateway Centre. There are currently approximately 70 target industry businesses with more than 1,600 employees in the service area. Forward Pinellas’ Long Range Transportation Plan estimates employment growth of 3,350 by the year 2050. Support letters were received from Ayanna Plastics & Engineering, CORE Survival, Florida Electrical Service, Norris Precision Manufacturing and Pinellas County Solid Waste. Third party independent technical review by Kimley-Horn confirmed the project will increase system capacity by 720,000 gallons per day.
Without upgrading this Master Lift Station and Force Main, any future expansion or development desired by a business who utilizes this infrastructure will be extremely difficult and most likely not possible.
The rehabbed lift station and force main will handle surges better to reduce flooding; the project will increase the holding capacity of the local wastewater system so less likelihood of sanitary sewer overflow; and the upgraded pumps and controls can move larger volumes of water more quickly. By addressing all these issues, the project provides additional capacity to manage impact of stormwater infiltration and reduced flooding and supports job growth.
Pinellas County Economic Development staff conducted an eligibility assessment on the application and recommended it for the next level technical review. This level review analyzed the project in these categories: 1. Meeting Employment Sites Program’s intent, 2. Feasibility and true capital improvement and not routine maintenance, and 3. Quantitative impact on target employment. The independent third-party technical review was performed by consultant Kimley-Horn. Their review concluded that the project would increase capacity by 720,000 gallons per day.
St. Petersburg submitted a request for $4,000,000.00 in funding for a five-component project to address the capacity restrictions and condition concerns of assets within the Northeast Sewer Basin at a total project cost of $17,883,155.00, to help increased resiliency in the Gateway Target Employment Center area. The Northeast Sewer Basin is situated mostly within the Coastal High Hazard Area, making it vulnerable to coastal flooding from hurricanes. This critical project is designed to increase capacity and enhance reliability during and after hurricanes, tropical storms, and heavy rain events, safeguarding the community and its economy from the disruptions caused by flooding and system failures.
The five project components for this application are: San Martin Boulevard over Riviera Beach Force Main Relocation; Northeast Water Reclamation Facility (NEWRF) Equalization Storage; Lift Stations 66 & 75 Back Up Power & Electrical Upgrades; Lift Station 63 Force Main Improvements; and the existing Lift Station 63 Northeast Master Pump Station. Specific to the Employment Sites Program only two of the five components were considered for funding - San Martin Boulevard over Riviera Beach Force Main Relocation and the Northeast Water Reclamation Facility (NEWRF). The NEWRF Equalization Storage component was not budgeted by the city, therefore it cannot be considered for funding, and the other three components were determined to be routine maintenance or were not clearly tied to target industry capacity expansion and therefore were not recommended for funding.
The San Martin Boulevard over Riviera Beach Force Main Relocation project, met all ESP eligibility and created additional capacity of sewer infrastructure. On this project, the city is working ahead of the construction phase of Pinellas County San Martin Bridge widening and replacement project to relocate and upgrade the existing aerial 24-inch ductile iron pipe (DIP) force main to sub-aqueous 30-inch-high density polyethylene (HDPE) crossing. The new crossing will be independent of the bridge structure, providing greater reliability, and will be protected from severe weather events.
The Northeast Sewer Basin project spans 4,060 acres and includes the Gateway/Carillon employment area. There are currently at least 100 target industry businesses with approximately 11,000 employees in the service area. Forward Pinellas’ Long Range Transportation Plan estimates employment growth of approximately 9,800 by the year 2050. Letters of support for this project were received from Raymond James, NDH Medical, and Plasma Therm.
Pinellas County Economic Development staff conducted an eligibility assessment on the application and recommended it for the next level technical review. This level review analyzed the project in these categories: 1. Meeting Employment Sites Program’s intent, 2. Feasibility and true capital improvement and not routine maintenance, and 3. Quantitative impact on target employment. The independent third-party technical review was performed by consultant Kimley-Horn. Their review concluded that the project would increase capacity and support target industry employer growth.
Staff recommends the Board approve the following maximum funding amounts and authorize the County Administrator to negotiate and execute funding agreements. The recommended projects meet the eligibility criteria and comply with the public policy goals as set forth in the program guidelines.
City of Pinellas Park: Fully fund at the requested amount $ 750,000.00
City of St. Petersburg: Partially fund out of the $4 million request $ 2,200,000.00
Total funding amount $ 2,950,000.00
Fiscal Impact:
Including this item, the total amount of Penny IV economic development funds committed is $44,755,476.62 out of the $94,089,117.88 currently estimated in all ten years of Penny IV.
Funding for this project is included in the FY26-FY31 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) under the Penny IV Economic Development Program (project 004149A). This project is funded by Local Infrastructure Sales Surtax (Penny for Pinellas), as part of the 8.3% countywide investment for Economic Development and Housing, half of which, or 4.15%, is set aside for economic development specifically.
The Penny IV Affordable Economic Development Program (project 004149A) has an FY26 Amended Budget of $31,610,000.00. There is sufficient funding to approve this recommendation. Attached to the Granicus item is a tracking document that shows the FY27-FY32 Estimated CIP, as well as all expenditure activity, both historical and planned.
Staff Member Responsible:
Dr. Cynthia Johnson, Director, Economic Development
Partners:
City of Pinellas Park
City of St. Petersburg
Attachments:
ESP Presentation