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Belleair Shore a mystery to state bureaucrats
By DAVE SHELTON
Article published on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 |
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![[Image]](/content_images/032608_bee-05.jpg) |
| Photo by DAVE SHELTON |
| From left, Belleair Shore Town Attorney John Elias, swears in commissioners Ray Piscitelli, Robert E. Schmidt Jr. and newcomer Richard D. Jordan. |
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BELLEAIR BLUFFS – Three Bellear Shore commissioners took the oath of office March 19 after having won their seats without opposition.
Sworn-in by City Attorney John Elias were incumbent commissioners Robert E. Schmidt Jr. and Ray Piscitelli. Taking the oath for the first time was Richard E. Jordan, 71, a retired banker.
Jordan was formerly a member of the town’s Board of Adjustment. He and his wife, Rosetta, moved into Belleair Shore from Sand Key in 1999. They have two grown children.
The commissioner’s first task after the swearing-in ceremony was dealing with state bureaucrats who apparently don’t understand this unique municipality. The town is required by state law to update its comprehensive land use plan every five years.
In October, the town submitted its update to the state for review and subsequently received a notice of things missing. They included no road improvement, capital improvements and water supply plans.
There is not even a public meeting place for town government, which meets in the Belleair Bluffs City Hall by act of the state Legislature.
What the state apparently missed was that Belleair Shore, the smallest municipality in Pinellas County, has no roads (its borders end at the edge of Gulf Boulevard). Residents purchase water and sewer services from the county and the town has no plans for improvements to any town services or property (it owns only one small lot).
These facts were clarified for the state by the town’s planning consultant, Nancy Smith of Gail Easley Associates. She suggested the town include her responses as a modification in the ordinance adopting the revised updated comprehensive plan.
The mile-long municipality has only one land use zone in its borders – single family residences. There are no other land uses in the town.
Changes mostly are technical, bringing the town into compliance with changed state requirements.
The comprehensive plan was adopted without anyone from the public offering comment. It will have to be reviewed again in another five years, according to state law.
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Article published on Wednesday, March 26, 2008
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